Disaster & doomsday are imminent! Old and bold. Heresy becomes truth. Philosophy FTW! Perfectionism and judgement considered bad. Are you cognitively rigid? Just do it.
Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic.
Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.
– Dumbledor, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (film), Steve Kloves
In case you’re wondering, since it’s up there in the excerpt, “FTW” is an acronym initialism for “For The Win!“, an internet slang phrase meaning good, the best, or similar.
I know many people poo-poo slang terms and similar linguistic changes, but the fact is language evolves whether or not you agree with it. The dictionary is less a set of rules as it is a record of common usage. Yes, it can be frustrating, particularly if you’re cognitively rigid (see #6 below), but much like change in general, it is what it is, regardless of your reaction to it. I suspect you’ll be happier in general if you can simply accept the reality of change. (It’s something I’ve written on from time to time when wearing my tech hat.)
1. “Every generation seems convinced the world is on the edge of disaster.”
The Anatomy of Slow Moving Disasters – Tome Greene – (Wit & Wisdom)
To the best of my knowledge, the world has not ended. That you’re reading this is pretty solid clue. And yet doomsayers continue to predict its immanent demise.
Doomsday predictions generally assume that human beings will continue behaving exactly as they are behaving today. History suggests otherwise. Adams’ Law of Slow-Moving Disasters suggests that when circumstances change, people adapt. Human beings are many things, but we are not a passive species.
Greene provides ample evidence, over centuries, that doomsayers are simply and consistently wrong. The path may be rough, as there are certainly issues to be addressed, but as a species we’ve successfully adapted to whatever life (or other members of said species) have thrown at us. There’s no reason to believe that will change any time soon.
Do this: Adapt. And remember that in the long run as a species we’ve been shown to be amazingly flexible and adaptable.
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2. “I’m just a guy writing on the internet.”
You’re Never Too Old To Be Bold – Gary Buzzard – (Enjoy the Moment)
Buzzard’s writing is his attempt to get folks who are aging to … well, as his blog is called … enjoy the moment. This week he reminds us all:
The only way to thrive in old age is to be bold. Do something new, be a super-ager, keep ticking items off your bucket list, throw a party, vote, go out on the streets and demonstrate if you can — and don’t forget to smile and have fun every day. Be kind to yourself and love your neighbor. And if you really want to be the boldest of the bold, love your enemies too.
The only change to that statement I would make is “be a super-ager”. Not all of us are, technically. However acting as if you are gets you closer, and reaps many of the benefits regardless.
Do this: Be bold.
3. “What was regarded as heresy … is now considered indisputable truth”
Today Was the Day Galileo Caved – Bob Grant – (Nautilus)
I find this an interesting reminder that what is promoted as “truth” by individuals or organizations, is often eventually proven as anything but. It may originally be truth based on knowledge at the time, but as knowledge increases our understanding of what is and is not factual changes as well. All too often individuals and organizations hang on to outdated truths (or manufactured “truths”) to retain positions of power, authority, or to promote an agenda.
His crime? Writing about and teaching the concept that the Earth was not the center of the universe, as the Catholic Church had held for generations.
Galileo recanted, but that didn’t change the facts he discovered. The “truth”, as promoted by the Catholic Church for a variety of reasons, simply wasn’t true at all. Facts don’t change because someone wants or believes them to be otherwise. They only change when new, more accurate facts are brought to light.
Do this: Hold your beliefs lightly.
4. “Philosophical thinking will remain a source of human competitive advantage”
Why philosophy is having a moment – (The Economist – gift link)
Given that I’ve been somewhat interested in philosophy for the past decade or two, the headline caught my attention. What surprised me was this:
Philosophy majors are already likelier to be employed than computer scientists
Wait, what? I knew that the tech industry was changing, and rapidly, but I guess I had no idea that it was this quick.
The important lesson, though, is this:
Large language models may commoditise expert knowledge. But that makes knowing how to think, which is the main skill drummed into philosophy students, all the more valuable.
AI is making critical thinking more important than ever, no matter what your role in life is.
Do this: Think. Seriously, slow down, take the time, and think.
#critical-thinking #philosophy
5. “Fear of judgment is a significant risk factor for anxiety and depression”
There’s More to the Mental Health Crisis Than Smartphones and Social Media – Adam Grant – (Granted)
Grant begins by praising the recent restrictions placed on smartphones and social media (which which I disagree with, in some ways), but goes on to point out something perhaps more important.
… perfectionism has been accelerating over time. Young adults feel growing pressure to be flawless…
The catch? The trend predates smartphones by a decade. Makes me wonder if the social media issue is more of a symptom than an actual root cause.
He includes 10 things that young adults need to learn (honestly, all of us could learn). One of my favorites:
Success is not a straight line. It’s a squiggly line
Do this: Lighten up. On yourself, and perhaps on the young adults around you.
#depression #judgment #social-media
6. “We don’t like to confront our own vulnerability”
The thinking style that makes people vulnerable to extremism – Leor Zmigrod – (Psyche)
There’s a hypothesis that our willingness to adopt extreme positions is more a function of the situations we find ourselves in than any intrinsic characteristic. In other words, anyone could find themselves an extremist if placed in the right situation. Zmigrod’s experiments challenge this. He identifies something he calls “cognitive rigidity”, which is more of a personality trait than a situational characteristic. And it’s something he devised tests for.
In my studies, I’ve found that people who demonstrate cognitive rigidity in this kind of task tend to be the most ideological and dogmatic. They tend to reject evidence and alternative perspectives in their reasoning. They are the most authoritarian – championing obedience and conformity over care and individuality. They support ideological violence, and are willing to harm others and themselves in the name of their chosen ideological cause.
One test he describes is monitoring a person’s reaction when, while playing a card-based game, the rule subtly change without notice.
I found it fascinating, and an interesting way to try to understand what’s happening around us.
Do this: Stay (cognitively) flexible. Sadly, many who think they are absolutely are not. Some serious introspection might be called for.
7. “The great human curse isn’t that we are bad, but that we deny what’s true and obvious.”
The Answer to Every Problem – David Cain – (Raptitude)
I’ll cut to the chase. Here’s The Answer:
Do what has to be done, when it has to be done, and do it that way every time.
Yes, it’s simplistic, in a sense, but it’s also very deep if you think about it for very long (as Cain does). One of the insights is that nine times out of ten we simply and already know what to do. We’re just really good at denying / avoiding it.
Do this: You know what to do.
Random Links
- How to Build Tidy Habits I asked AI to help me cultivate better cleaning habits – Literally. The author asked both ChatGPT and Claude, and then asked one to critique the other.
What I’m reading now
- The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 3 – Matt Dinniman
- Good Writing: 36 Ways to Improve Your Sentences – Neal Allen, Anne Lamott
- 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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