‘He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby becomes a monster. And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee” – Nietzsche An archetypal truth is like a law of nature in that it describes a pattern that eternally repeats. It is hardly wise to classify … Read more
“Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time” – Jim Rohn As one stage in life ends and another begins, you will think about how fleeting time is. It will occur to you that there are things you could have done, that will have made the present … Read more
Chaos is defined as the unknown, the dangerous, and the unexpected. Jordan Peterson talks about chaos as the central theme of the hero’s journey. The hero, trying to restore order and safety to the world, ventures out into the chaotic abyss and encounters dangers and challenges. Maneuvering through the maze of chaos is the fundamental … Read more
The Singularity is Near I recently watched “Transcendent Man”. It was entertaining as well as thought-provoking. The documentary forced me to appreciate the complexity of the world we live in, and how we can easily develop systems that go out of our control. Some people, like Sam Harris, have gone on to say that it’s the … Read more
The Problem with Voting “The animals listened first to Napoleon, then to Snowball, and could not make up their minds which was right; indeed, they always found themselves in agreement with the one who was speaking at the moment.” Animal Farm, George Orwell In a friendly conversation with a stranger at a bar, it occurred … Read more
What is the Inverted U? The Inverted U In his book, David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell explains “The inverted U”. It’s a two-dimensional graph where the ease of parenting is measured vertically, while inherited wealth is measured horizontally and is a representation of data on people with varying levels of wealth. The graph is represented … Read more
A Better Experience Saving Time How much time has technology saved you? It’s amazing that not long ago, you needed payphones, notebooks, clunky alarm clocks, leather phone-books, photo albums, and hardcover encyclopedias. You needed travel agencies, postmen, and operators. But has technology gotten in the way of a better experience? You are spoiled by the … Read more
Coke’s Marketing Success Is Manipulation Wrong? Decades ago, Pepsi launched an advertising campaign that had people drink Pepsi and Coke from two different cups that were label-less and asked them to decide which drink they preferred. The results showed that Pepsi was preferred to Coke. This prompted Coke to launch a campaign that slightly altered … Read more
There’s a universal urge to be involved in some kind of race against time. People race to get an education, to make money, to get into relationships, to get a job, and to find happiness. Oftentimes, they end up with an education they never even wanted, money that made them more miserable, doomed relationships, and … Read more
The Decision Point “Decision points”, a behavioral economics term, are interruptions to system one thinking – your brain on autopilot. Your mind has two systems. The first is responsible for your intuition and instinct. It’s automatic and fast. (Thinking Fast and Slow, Kahneman) The quick calculations your mind makes are due to the internalization … Read more