I also enjoy the John Vervaeke video, especially the focus on ancient civilizations and the difference between Bronze and Axial ages civilizations, and the role of alphabetical literacy in developing/unfolding our sense of deep interiority and thus selfhood. For more on the Axial revolution, see this series of talks: "Second-order" culture & the Axial Age: an overview
Regarding “flow” I found some interesting/alternative perspectives this talk with Dr. Andrew Huberman, a Harvard researcher who also comes across to me as extremely personable and self-aware. The interview starts off with him telling about his childhood as a feral skateboarder. My brother, who was also like that, sent me this video.
He thinks “flow” is really secondary to focus, or conscious/intentional behavior. For me, the big takeaway here is the necessity of deep sleep and restful states to enable learning and growth—as well as the role of pain, discomfort, stress, and the sense of urgency in motivating action. There are also some breathing techniques and strategies for chunking big projects down and rewarding small victories discussed in the video. This refined my understanding of how dopamine works.
Regarding “concepts” and “notions,” well, there is sometimes a great notion—and I think Ed’s right that the big benefit of notions is that they are open and can lead us in the right direction by suggestion, especially when fuzzy is the best that we can do. That’s a notion I have, anyway. And now I have a clearer concept of this notion. 