Four enemies

Fear, Arrogance, Authority, and Apathy are the four enemies of satisfaction as described in Don Juan’s teachings.

Don Juan’s teaching is an interesting philosophy that has a lot of overlap with my philosophical model, and is also a fun book to read. Of the ideas covered in the book, The four enemy model is a uniquely articulate presentation of the challenges on the path to satisfaction. Many of the other concepts in the book are already presented in my philosophical model, and so I provide translations.

The four enemies

Fear

• The resistance - a desire to not do it.
• Problem: Will stop trying because is afraid.
• Solution: lean in, and battle till you realize there is nothing to be scared of.

Arrogance

• Self Confidence, and ego
• Problem: Won’t bother learning, or tackling new problems because thinks knows the solution. Will push others away
• Solution: Only use ego and confidence when it is necessary otherwise be humble and patient, make room for others.

Authority

• When you rely on authority, you stop using your principles, and stuff goes south.
• Problem: Will abandon principles, and do what you want.
• Solution: Only use authority when needed. Only use authority in alignment with principles, never else. Never let your authority get out of your control.

Apathy

• When you already have what you want, or enough, or get tired, you stop caring
• Problem: Will stop wanting to do stuff
• Solution: Push till you die.

Other concepts

Knowledge of Death is Strength

• Death is always an arm’s length away - Remember this every day.
• How can you feel important, when you see graveyards are filled with “important men”
• Because you’ll die soon, will these petty thoughts matter?
• When you think something is going wrong - ask death if it matters. It’ll say nope, not compared to death.

Take Responsibility

• Know what you want and wait for it.
• Suffering is in your head
• Attachment is the cause of suffering.
• Your body experiences emotions
• Ponder and think before making a decision, but once made you are on the path. There’s a million new decisions to tackle.
• Be neither idle nor in a hurry:
• There are infinite ways to live, but not all align with your mission statement or your principles.

Ego is the Enemy

• Ego is the enemy, how much time is wasted feeling offended or insulted. What a waste of time. Does it matter when dead?
• The ego generates a subjective experience through self-talk. Repeat self-talk will repeat same actions

“Igor’s Philosophical Model” mapping to Don Juan

• Fear is resistance
• A path with heart is living by your principles.
• Power = Inspiration + Confidence
• Stopping the world: Meditation, Mindfulness