Of many good posts, this one (so far) gets my vote for top prize. It embodies so many psychological and sociological principles, and is great advice, to boot. I think of myself, first, and then of so many others, that have embarked on decisions without any contemplated strategy. Those of us without some plan fare well by luck some of us fare well, others not so much.
"We reflect on the horrors of, say, the Vietnam war and feel repulsed. But the only reason we feel repulsed is because we have been immersed in Christian morality for so long. A deviation from the way so many other cultures and times and places felt about what we now consider atrocities."
> The Romans criticized Caesar for his decimation of the Germanic tribes in the Gallic campaign. He attempted to justify it with his "they attacked first argument". Pointing this out just to say there were those troubled by wholesale slaughter or violence prior to Christianity even if it did not rise to the level of political salience.
Rob, I order a lot (a LOT) of the books you recommend. Isn’t there a way to monetize this through Amazon? Am I missing it? Want you to get every nickel you produce in value.
Congratulations are in order, this author consistently gives us valuable information that has practical application. I’m reading lots of know-it-all dingbats out there on Substack: smart and learned, but to what end, I often ask myself. Sometimes I even say that to the author and the people on the comments board just to be an asshole.
I have two sayings that I repeat all the time : 1/ I have the habit of being right and 2/ I am always willing to be wrong. 😑
I think Ian McGilchrist would recognise the fox and the hedgehog as left versus right hemisphere thinking. Both are needed for success, but the right hemisphere (which keeps tabs on the larger overarching view) should be dominant.
This was a great read and added examples and context to something I figured out about myself and people years ago as a corporate leader.
From my perspective the ill and fix is mindset about growth and development. The ill is that there is a fixed goal of attained mastery from which derives entitled status and reward. The fix is a mindset that sees life as being on a constant treadmill - a sort of hedonic treadmill if you will - of hitting milestones of development, but then needing to buckle down again with humility for being a perpetual student of everything... including the thing you mistakenly believe you have mastered to the point where you are entitled to status and reward.
I absolutely detest the practice of "expert witnesses" in our judicial process. However, in the cases I have participated in, the best of those have performed with a level of honest humility whereby their opinions were trusted more by the jury that for those experts spouting rigid opinions when multiple competing criteria existed.
I don't know if the fix I am talking about here is emotional intelligence; however, I think it must play a part. We all have an ego. We all want status and reward equal to or exceeding our perceived station. This want is an emotional pull that, if not understood and compartmentalized, will effect behavior and decisions. Are you motivated by the work, or the external reward? Of motivated by the external reward, you will more likely fail. If motivated by the work, then your reward pursuit is more likely introspective.
I built a very attractive raised planter garden in our back yard. The planter boxes are more like furniture with seating, etc. I get prolific complements when we have visitors. However, nothing fills my ego more than my own satisfaction for that work I did... and the utility of partnering with my wife to grow vegetables and herbs. And I am thinking of all the lessons I learned for that project and how I will apply them to the next building project. I am not a master builder... but I don't believe that is a title that anyone should own.
We should all be the master of nothing and the student of everything.
Many problems with our politics today, from my perspective, are the result of stuffing too many people through the higher learning wood-chipper being sold the lie that their degree entitles them to a certain status and reward for being a master of some domain. My perspective is that these people need to go invent, make, build, grow or fix something and then repeat... while keeping most of their "expert" opinions to themselves.
Thank you for a brilliantly conceived and written article. I dislike having to be negative about anything in it, but as someone who had a younger sister classified as "profoundly retarded", it's unpleasant when people use the term "retard" in any context, including descriptions of those who are closed minded or ignorant, sometimes willfully so. Thank you.
Of many good posts, this one (so far) gets my vote for top prize. It embodies so many psychological and sociological principles, and is great advice, to boot. I think of myself, first, and then of so many others, that have embarked on decisions without any contemplated strategy. Those of us without some plan fare well by luck some of us fare well, others not so much.
The amazing thing is that we keep forgetting this wisdom from the past and we still need to be told.
"We reflect on the horrors of, say, the Vietnam war and feel repulsed. But the only reason we feel repulsed is because we have been immersed in Christian morality for so long. A deviation from the way so many other cultures and times and places felt about what we now consider atrocities."
> The Romans criticized Caesar for his decimation of the Germanic tribes in the Gallic campaign. He attempted to justify it with his "they attacked first argument". Pointing this out just to say there were those troubled by wholesale slaughter or violence prior to Christianity even if it did not rise to the level of political salience.
Rob, I order a lot (a LOT) of the books you recommend. Isn’t there a way to monetize this through Amazon? Am I missing it? Want you to get every nickel you produce in value.
Thanks Cassandra. If you’re already a paid subscriber and have a copy of Troubled, then the best way to support my work is to share with a friend.
Great. Next step is to try to get 22 yo dd to read Troubled. I flog it wherever I can. Looking forward to your MI talk on 3/17.
Congratulations are in order, this author consistently gives us valuable information that has practical application. I’m reading lots of know-it-all dingbats out there on Substack: smart and learned, but to what end, I often ask myself. Sometimes I even say that to the author and the people on the comments board just to be an asshole.
I have two sayings that I repeat all the time : 1/ I have the habit of being right and 2/ I am always willing to be wrong. 😑
I think Ian McGilchrist would recognise the fox and the hedgehog as left versus right hemisphere thinking. Both are needed for success, but the right hemisphere (which keeps tabs on the larger overarching view) should be dominant.
This was a great read and added examples and context to something I figured out about myself and people years ago as a corporate leader.
From my perspective the ill and fix is mindset about growth and development. The ill is that there is a fixed goal of attained mastery from which derives entitled status and reward. The fix is a mindset that sees life as being on a constant treadmill - a sort of hedonic treadmill if you will - of hitting milestones of development, but then needing to buckle down again with humility for being a perpetual student of everything... including the thing you mistakenly believe you have mastered to the point where you are entitled to status and reward.
I absolutely detest the practice of "expert witnesses" in our judicial process. However, in the cases I have participated in, the best of those have performed with a level of honest humility whereby their opinions were trusted more by the jury that for those experts spouting rigid opinions when multiple competing criteria existed.
I don't know if the fix I am talking about here is emotional intelligence; however, I think it must play a part. We all have an ego. We all want status and reward equal to or exceeding our perceived station. This want is an emotional pull that, if not understood and compartmentalized, will effect behavior and decisions. Are you motivated by the work, or the external reward? Of motivated by the external reward, you will more likely fail. If motivated by the work, then your reward pursuit is more likely introspective.
I built a very attractive raised planter garden in our back yard. The planter boxes are more like furniture with seating, etc. I get prolific complements when we have visitors. However, nothing fills my ego more than my own satisfaction for that work I did... and the utility of partnering with my wife to grow vegetables and herbs. And I am thinking of all the lessons I learned for that project and how I will apply them to the next building project. I am not a master builder... but I don't believe that is a title that anyone should own.
We should all be the master of nothing and the student of everything.
Many problems with our politics today, from my perspective, are the result of stuffing too many people through the higher learning wood-chipper being sold the lie that their degree entitles them to a certain status and reward for being a master of some domain. My perspective is that these people need to go invent, make, build, grow or fix something and then repeat... while keeping most of their "expert" opinions to themselves.
Brilliant post. Thank you.
Thank you for a brilliantly conceived and written article. I dislike having to be negative about anything in it, but as someone who had a younger sister classified as "profoundly retarded", it's unpleasant when people use the term "retard" in any context, including descriptions of those who are closed minded or ignorant, sometimes willfully so. Thank you.
“… strategic truths are first discovered through experience and only later codified into formal study.”
Brilliant review of On Grand Strategy…thx