FOMO, JOMO and beyond

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Moving from Fear, to Joy of Missing Out and beyond both. 

FOMO arises from projection and fantasy, as does a lot of the imagined enjoyment of the imagined pleasures.

We might imagine that:
  • everything we want is outside ourselves
  • pleasure, meaning or peak experiences must be mediated by something: people, substances, or outside events
  • that we have to follow a formula to achieve them
We chew over the classic cliche FOMO of music festivals, and unearth some insights: 
  • the positives of turning towards your own priorities
  • pursuing projects and personal growth brings the greater contentment
  • 'projects over pleasures'
  • the pursuit of meaningful experiences on your own terms or with people you care about
  • sometimes the best music experience is going mental to a good tune where no-one can see
Joe contends that beyond FOMO and JOMO is the flow state:
  • the real peak experiences of life often occur in the flow state
  • which has little to do with glamorous activities or what we have been told to want
We touch on existentialism and some key FOMO psychology:
  • humans struggle to reliably imagine their own future feelings
  • to weigh the influence and impact of imagined events
  • we struggle to accurately assess what others put on social media, obviously
  • but this is also discomfort with our own choices
  • we all carry the burden of choice, of what to value and pursue
  • the existential problem of assigning meaning
  • it's not easy figuring out what we really want
  • it's difficult to imagine what will actually make us happy or bring contentment, and in a sense it's our life's work
  • the choice to engage in fulfilling projects is seemingly more difficult and uncertain than reaching for known pleasures
  • the boring thing is doing what we think we will be fun and assigning it a greater future value than it can carry
  • the real boredom is not always in staying home and attending to our real priorities
We harangue Joe to turn towards something he gets a lot of meaning from, passages from spiritual books, and reflect on those in a new podcast series, which leads nicely to some useful concluding thoughts
  • the value of following quiet passions
  • the liberation found in chosen solitude
  • encouragement to make conscious life choices aligning with true desires
Episode image courtesy of Craig. Check out his new blog, it's grouse https://wish-art.blog/

  • (00:00) - TTTT fomo jomo
  • (00:14) - Welcome and topic
  • (00:33) - Personal Stories of FOMO and JOMO
  • (03:20) - The Cultural Phenomenon of Music Festivals
  • (05:58) - Sobriety and Its Impact on Social Life
  • (07:49) - The Shift from FOMO to JOMO in Adulthood
  • (07:59) - Reality, Music Festivals, It's a Business
  • (08:30) - Interviews with musicians
  • (19:28) - Finding Joy in Simplicity and Creativity
  • (24:42) - The Real FOMO: Missing Out on Personal Passions
  • (29:48) - Embracing JOMO in Everyday Life
  • (31:51) - Rediscovering Simple Pleasures
  • (32:13) - The Pivot: From Boredom to Texture of Experience
  • (32:30) - Mediated Experiences vs. Reality
  • (33:14) - Body Acceptance and the Illusion of Projected Happiness
  • (34:02) - Music Festivals and the Pursuit of Authentic Joy
  • (34:52) - The Path of Personal Growth
  • (36:19) - Embracing Individuality and Comfort
  • (48:41) - Finding Meaning in Quiet Contemplation
  • (51:01) - Projects over pleasures - the origin of Joe's new podcast
  • (53:43) - Joe's new diet - and more origin for the new project
  • (58:53) - Balancing JOMO and FOMO
  • (01:01:17) - Concluding Thoughts on Personal Fulfillment

0:00 TTTT fomo jomo
00:14 Welcome and topic
00:33 Personal Stories of FOMO and JOMO
03:20 The Cultural Phenomenon of Music Festivals
05:58 Sobriety and Its Impact on Social Life
07:49 The Shift from FOMO to JOMO in Adulthood
07:59 Reality, Music Festivals, It's a Business
08:30 Interviews with musicians
19:28 Finding Joy in Simplicity and Creativity
24:42 The Real FOMO: Missing Out on Personal Passions
29:48 Embracing JOMO in Everyday Life
31:51 Rediscovering Simple Pleasures
32:13 The Pivot: From Boredom to Texture of Experience
32:30 Mediated Experiences vs. Reality
33:14 Body Acceptance and the Illusion of Projected Happiness
34:02 Music Festivals and the Pursuit of Authentic Joy
34:52 The Path of Personal Growth
36:19 Embracing Individuality and Comfort
48:41 Finding Meaning in Quiet Contemplation
51:01 Projects over pleasures - the origin of Joe's new podcast
53:43 Joe's new diet - and more origin for the new project
58:53 Balancing JOMO and FOMO
01:01:17 Concluding Thoughts on Personal Fulfillment

Creators and Guests

Ali Catramados
Host
Ali Catramados
Diagnosed crazy cat lady/part time podcaster
Joe Loh
Host
Joe Loh
Film crew guy and mental health care worker with aspirations of being a small town intellectual one day.
Sam Ellis
Host
Sam Ellis
Teacher/father/leftist loonie/raised hare Krishna and have never quite renounced it - "I just have one more thing to say, then I’ll let you speak"
FOMO, JOMO and beyond
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