My coworker Chuck told me he drinks two cups of coffee a day. I asked how he came to that decision. He said he chose to because he likes the way it makes him feel.
I can’t think of a better reason.
Usually, people give long-winded justifications of caffeination; “Studies show the brain is better on coffee”, “Nassim Taleb says it’s a good idea”, etc.
Chuck’s response is so much better.
Not just superficially. It’s clued in on the most important insight for personal well-being. The word personal. We are far more radically biologically diverse than we assume. The idea of “a proper diet” for a generic human being being the best for any specific individual person is absurd. (Read Roger Williams if you don’t believe me). Chuck doesn’t care about averages and aggregates. He doesn’t care about human life with coffee in general, but his life with coffee in particular.
I can’t think of a better approach.
It’s harder than you think. It’s not just mindless hedonism. It takes rigorous self-knowledge and self-honesty and willingness to go with what you find instead of kowtow to the whims of the crowd for prestige.
