New Beginnings: July 2021
Bi-monthly publication / Re: Life
Welcome to Re: Life - a bi-monthly newsletter that aims to open-source my personal development into 60-day chunks. I'm Aaryan - I'm a 15-year-old that's self-learning molecular biology, with the ultimate goal of developing a global cancer vaccine.
Outside of biology, I explore other interests, including electronics, chemistry, software, and the general pursuit of greater understanding. You're currently reading the first publication of my work on Substack, which I've restructured to revolve less around me and more around you. Enjoy your read.
Life, Condensed
It was just about two months ago, shortly following my last public self-announcement, when a string of fortunate developments entered my life.
For one, it was around this time when I began running experiments that involved helping others more, reading in a daily basis, and reflecting on my mistakes. While I don't have anything physical to show for these rewards, I believe they've yielded me overwhelmingly positive results.
It was also around this time that I started researching molecular biology and metabolism. Along the way, I was fortunate enough to receive valuable advice from some highly accomplished professors (including a recent Nobel Laureate). Recently, I began an internship (and my first ever job) at a startup.
Because of the general downturn in academic activity initiated the pandemic, I had little choice but to put the testing phase of my surgical cancer detection device on temporary hold. In the meantime, I've shifted my priorities to expand the project’s advisory board and secure long-term intellectual property across the Americas with the support of Emergent Ventures and the Masason Foundation.
Catalyzed Thoughts
I was fortunate to learn early on from my mentor Ben Walters that thoughts and understanding were separated by a bridge - the vast bridge of experience. It is the process through which one transforms useless, abundant thoughts into priceless realizations that can define them. The following are a sampling of the many realizations that made the past months special:
On Goodwill And Helping Others Win
A few weeks ago, a rather obvious observation crossed my mind: it’s much easier to succeed when the people around you want to succeed. Similarly, it’s much easier to fail when the people around you want you to fail. (For a measure of just how much “easier”, I recommend you look no further than the pharmaceutical industry for inspiration 1 )
For the majority of people, those who care about their success and those that don’t care more or less negate each other - creating no real advantage. From a high-level view, this seems to explain why the average person incurs the average rates of success (a probability akin to that of winning the lottery).
However, as easy as it is to wonder why others are so individualistic, it’s possible to harvest some food for thought by asking why the question isn’t reversible. As much as we’re the central node in one tree, we’re inevitably the branches on someone else’s:
“What does someone in your circle gain by helping you? Are you an asset to them?”
It was a question that stung to answer. Of course, I had people in my life that were almost “obligated” to stay by my side (e.g. my direct family), but that didn’t say anything positive about my character.
Help feels better when it comes from people who want to help you, rather than from those who would help you regardless of who you were or what you did. And more importantly, the second category happens to be much larger than the first.
Until recently, I felt I was “too busy” to help others. However, under such an assumption, it would be simply unfair to expect others to think differently about the prospect of helping me. Time is the most valuable resource we have, and without an airtight reason for someone to spend their time with you, it leaves help up to chance.
While it might seem like a selfish explanation to altruism, a less disconcerting thought-exercise might be to ask yourself: “Given who I currently am, would I be comfortable giving up my time to help someone like me?” The answer, in many cases, can be surprising, but the change it propels can more than compensate for the shock.
Activation Energy
In the schools of physics and chemistry, activation energy influences the dynamics of every single chemical reaction - not just in the confines of our bodies, but equally so on a galactic scale. For one molecule to turn into a more favourable molecule, some amount of energy must be provided to break the bonds that kept the original molecule in its old configuration 2 :
While the science might not carry over perfectly, the concept of activation energy is a highly underrated tool that can be used to correct negative or compulsive behaviours. Bad habits, for example, can be simplified to unfavourable actions that are reinforced by a string of rewards:
“Without a sufficient input of energy to break old associations, bad habits won’t spontaneously turn into good habits over time. “
The same insight can be applied to dysfunctional ideas, relationships, or career paths. Like molecules, human action tends to follow the path of least resistance.
Looking across the general population, we tend to hold more flawed, unchecked ideas, than we do accurate or useful ones. Therefore, for the vast majority of people, being “less wrong” holds more potential for intellectual growth than being “more right”.
In fact, being “more right” tends to happen almost organically after being “less wrong”. Depending on your circumstances, it might be worthwhile to ask yourself: “Just what would it take for me to stop doing X?”, rather than “Just what would it take for me to start?” It was more than worthwhile in my case.
Intentional Braking
“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves–slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.”
- Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist Monk
A little-known mindfulness practice that spans across the major Eastern philosophies involves experiencing life slowly. Excruciatingly slowly 3. The rationale - at least to the old monks that invented the system - was that speed and life satisfaction didn’t overlap very much.
In a culture so saturated with the desire to achieve (and to achieve quickly), it doesn’t take much to convince people that they should set aside the present for the future. Busyness has, by far, become the most admirable, innocent-seeming distraction in the modern world.
The today we experience now was the future for us at one point. There were various actions we took in the past in order to arrive at the present. However, if our goal for today is still to chase yet another, more attractive future, it means that we found the destination of our past efforts underwhelming. In fact, as per human nature, we will always tend to find what we have underwhelming:
Like a driver hurtling down a racetrack, the rush of speed can be exhilarating. Except, it can be quite easy to forget that our end destination isn’t a finish line and a trophy, but rather death. Rushing towards the future can be exciting, until we remember (usually too late) that we can’t neglect the present forever.
Somewhere in history, someone made the mistake of turning life from a road-trip to a road-race. It’s exactly why it might be useful to step on the brakes from time to time - slowing down just to enjoy the view.
Under the Influence Of…
Few of the ideas I outlined in the earlier section would have been possible without the thoughts that I was fortunate enough to discover from books, along with a few life experiences that reinforced them into understanding. Hopefully, by sifting through the same material, you can find important lessons of your own:
48 Laws of Power / Robert Greene: Read Here
(Historical lessons that serve as the guide to the power game)
Joys of Compounding / Gautam Baid: Read Here
(Expanding timeless investing principles to all aspects of life)
Molecular Biology of the Cell / Alberts et. al: Read Here
(Fundamental biology and chemistry concepts - from beginner to bachelor’s level)
The Unknown
If nothing else, the past two months reminded me of just how little I knew. I began to appreciate that I - and more or less every human - was like a finite frog in the infinite well of the universe:
“I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there.”
- Richard Feynman, Physicist, Nobel Laureate
Amongst several other goals, I intend to change a few things as well. Most notably, better balancing the order and chaos in my life, capturing momentary happiness, and finding meaningful ways to help the people around me.
There’s only so much we can hope to know or learn when operating in a machine with so many moving parts. And yet, we don’t have to know everything to be good frogs. We simply have to be curious enough to jump out of smaller wells and into bigger ones. After all, that’s what time is for.
A Message to You
Thank you for reading the first edition of Re: Life. Hopefully these lessons helped you make more sense of things - wherever you might find yourself in life. If you have any comments surrounding any aspect of this publication, don’t hesitate to share your thoughts - I’ll be trying my best to read and respond to every one of them over the coming weeks.
If you found my work valuable, I’d love for you to say hello: you can reach me via email at aary.harshith@gmail.com, Substack, or LinkedIn at Aaryan Harshith.
Because you were one of the first people to take a chance with Re: Life, I’d like to get to know you better and see how I could be of help - especially if you’re interested in this area of work. No strings attached, except a short call or maybe a coffee. I’m trying to learn more, and there’s lessons present in everyone. I’m sure you’re no exception.
Your turn,
-Aaryan
Footnotes
https://hbr.org/2017/04/how-pharma-companies-game-the-system-to-keep-drugs-expensive
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-chemistry/chapter/activation-energy-and-temperature-dependence/
https://www.fastcompany.com/3007542/buddha-had-it-right-relax-mind-and-productivity-will-follow