I’m not a fan of retreading old ground where knowledge is concerned. Once I know something, I want to use it. I don’t want to just read it again. There are a few books that get an exception to that rule.
Tag: wisdom
Why Policymaking Won’t Work for Complex Societies (and Why Principles Will) – Part 2
Policy comes from limited individuals with limited information. Policy mandates large, complex solutions to large, complex problems. The problem lies in that mismatch.
Past, Present, and Future
A fundamental truth is that we only have the present in which to act on the results of the past and to effect our preferences for the future. To hope to relive the past is as futile as anything we can do.
How the Work Week Encourages Short-Term Thinking
Problems can’t be left behind in one week. They will follow us to the next. This is surprising to some people, but it shouldn’t be. By dividing our lives into these discrete chunks called “work-weeks”, we can too easily shuffle away “the old units” down the memory hole.
A Purely Selfish Reason to Value the Lives of Others
You have your own universe of constructed thought and emotion and memory and perspective and wisdom which no one else can ever see the way you do. Everyone else has – is – that same universe of experiences. Ephemeral, yes, but also irreplaceable.
Rookies
Decades ago, it was common wisdom that the Hunt Brothers could not go broke if they threw away hundred dollar bills as fast as they could pick them up and toss them. It was thought to be an NP-Hard problem. But the Hunt Brothers did figure out how to do it.
Blaming the Victim, or Digging for Wisdom?
As a man dedicated to stopping the widespread abuse of children, I am very much an ally in this particular fight (“Me too.”). I don’t deserve to be attacked like this. These people don’t know me and the work that I do. They don’t know the trauma I’ve suffered and its long-term effects, effects that I deal with every day of my life. They were wrong to do what they did, but they are not alone in carrying responsibility.
“Self-Authentic” Is Not a Synonym for “Self-Deprecating”
It takes honesty to be frank about your obstacles. It takes the same to be frank about your opportunities. Keep on keeping it real, but don’t let your obstacles monopolize your concept of self-authenticity.
Why Do People Espouse Anarchy?
Because they believe that kindness is better than cruelty, cooperation is better than conflict, truth is better than lies, reason is better than force, honesty is better than deception, peace is better than war…
Both Sides Are Wrong: A Rule of Thumb for Navigating Conflict
You’ll face plenty of conflict in life. You can settle your part in it with the right questions. You don’t have to pick sides, and you’ll save yourself a lot of trouble if you don’t. Instead, pick the complicated truth that doesn’t fit into molds, but breaks them.