Stranger danger. What happens to "saved" time. Read, read, read. Don't miss out! Mistakes are for learning. Anti-anti-AI. Was everything better 10 years ago?
“It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare.
It is because we do not dare that things are difficult.”
– Seneca
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Take care,
1. “I am not a person who thrives on small talk”
How to talk to strangers – Jacqueline Nesi, PhD – (Technosapians)
I saw that takeaway above and immediately nodded my head. This is very much me. The essay talks about, and has a short Q&A with, the author of the book Once Upon a Stranger: The Science of How “Small” Talk Can Add Up to a Big Life, by psychology professor Gillian Sandstrom.
It hasn’t dramatically changed my life, but it’s made each day just a little bit brighter, more interesting, and happier. And maybe that, actually, is life-changing.
We’ve talked a lot about the loneliness epidemic and the isolation that many feel every day. This is one small step that can alleviate just a little of that pain — both for you and, surprisingly, often the strangers you choose to interact with.
Do this: Say hi to a stranger.
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2. “Every acceleration arrives, in practice, with increased expectations”
How we lost the living Now – Joan Westenberg – (Blog)
The essay is a philosophical one about how we’re losing our sense of the present moment, as we continue to attract and accumulate distractions and expectations. What resonated with me is the takeaway above. It’s a reason that every claim that “this new thing will save you X hours a day!” should be met with extreme skepticism. Not that the claim isn’t correct — sometimes it is — but rather that those X hours are quickly filled with additional obligations and expectations.
Tech acceleration speeds up the machines, acceleration of social change speeds up the rate at which institutions and relationships change, and the acceleration of the pace of life speeds up how much we can (or are forced to) cram into a single day.
Don’t get me wrong, time-saving innovations can be awesome, but we need to be particularly mindful of what happens to the time that’s been “saved”.
Do this: Pay attention to the time you save.
3. “You are never alone when your nose is in a book.”
How to read – Mike Monteiro – (Mike Monteiro’s Good News)
One of my soft measures for what I end up selecting to include here is the number of quotable takeaways I highlight as I read the item. Limited by the fact that I generally try to include only one piece by any given author in a single issue, this occasionally presents a challenge. That’s where I find myself. Monteiro’s piece is FULL of takeaways. Ostensibly, it’s in response to a question about how to write. The answer is simple: read. Lots.
You will never become a good writer unless you’ve read a lot of really well-written books.
I’ll add that you’ll also need to read a lot of really shitty books along the way. But it is so worth it.
Do this: Read. Read Monteiro’s piece, and then read, read, and read some more.
4. “Emotions that feel bad often serve important purposes.”
When we experience FOMO, what are we really afraid of? – Bex Rowson – (Psyche)
An interesting perspective on the Fear Of Missing Out, and the purpose it might sometimes actually serve.
… sometimes FOMO helps us track real social harms that stand to impact our lives in meaningful ways, and it can motivate us to try to avoid these harms. By giving us a little push to accept the odd invitation we might have otherwise declined, it works as a good tool in getting us to engage with others. A bit of FOMO, now and again, is no bad thing.
In this case, it’s about social connection, which is something that seems to be in decline lately.
Do this: You don’t always need to act on it, but at least listen to what your FOMO might be trying to tell you.
5. “Life’s too short for shitty coffee.”
55 for 55 – Steve Makofsky – (Makoism)
It’s been a while since I featured a good listicle, and this qualifies. 55 items on Makofsky’s 55th birthday. They’re all short. Some are familiar, some elicit a hearty “heck yeah!” (see coffee, above), and some just make you think.
This, for example, is probably a common sentiment, but phrased in what is a new and perhaps more engaging way:
Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Be afraid of not learning from them.
That fear prevents us from doing so much. Better to have failed and learned than not to have tried at all.
Do this: Enjoy good coffee.
6. “New technology often upends the careers of experienced professionals.”
Consumers outnumber producers – Seth Godin – (Blog)
I’m afraid this is a refrain you’ll hear often, including from me. It’s not a “pro AI” stance, as so many seem to take it, but rather an “anti-anti-AI” stance. It’s a position against the knee-jerk “AI is coming for our jobs!” crowd. Not because it isn’t (that depends on your job), but because this whole scenario is nothing new at all.
These technological changes often have negative side effects. They don’t always make things better. But they happen when consumers insist. Mass production, factory farming, frozen food–they replace craft with accessibility and efficiency.
It’s a tough position if you’re personally affected, I get that. But railing against the injustice isn’t the answer. Deciding how you’ll react and move forward is likely to be much more effective. Or, as Godin says:
The best way to complain is to make good stuff.
Do this: Make good stuff.
7. “Ruminating on the past is a waste of energy”
Is life worse today compared to 10 years ago? – Darius Foroux – (Blog)
This did not land where I thought it might. Most essays in this segment tend to arrive a common end: things really are better, but various biases and situations trick your brain in to believing otherwise. Foroux even discusses exactly those things.
And then takes us elsewhere. Stoicism.
And yet their message was consistent: focus on what you can control. Not on circumstances, but on your response to them.
The essay seems in response to having encountered individuals set on complaining about current events by contrasting them to a perceived better past.
… when you spend your energy lamenting a version of the world that no longer exists, you’re draining the one resource you actually need to navigate the version that does.
Do this: “Direct your energy where it can actually make a difference.”
#past #the-present #future #stoicism
Random links
- A Catechism for Robots – Modelled after a true catechism, but for artificial beings. Fascinating and thought provoking.
What I’m reading now
- Marsh Mystics – Jana DeLeon
- Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life – Anne Lamott
- The Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human and How to Tell Them Better – Will Storr
- The Way of Kings: Book One of the Stormlight Archive – Brandon Sanderson
- The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke – (Audio)
- The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark – Carl Sagan
My Reading List – everything I’ve read since 2021.
My Sources Page – the common sources I scan/read regularly.
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