What I Am Reading:
Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results
Rationality is wasted if you don't know when to use it. What I've learned from watching real people in action is that, just like the angry CEO, they're often unaware circumstances are thinking for them. It's as if we expect the inner voice in our head to say, "STOP! THIS IS A MOMENT WHEN YOU NEED TO THINK!" And because we don't know we should be thinking, we cede control to our impulses. In the space between stimulus and response, one of two things can happen. You can consciously pause and apply reason to the situation. Or you can cede control and execute a default behavior.
New data shows Americans more miserable than we've been in half a century
For the first time in polling history, in other words, Americans are more likely to say they’re not happy than to say they’re very happy. The obvious driver of this is the pandemic. In 2021 happiness took a major hit across the board — Democrats and Republicans, men and women, rich and poor, healthy and unhealthy people — all reported a decline in the quality of their life.
The Wager That Betting Can Change the World
Good forecasters win more bets over time, while bad ones lose money and influence. And everyone learns by watching prices move in real time, as more information is added to the market. Some even believe that prediction markets could keep extremists and conspiracy theories at bay by raising the stakes of fringe views.
Why a Failed Startup Might Be Good for Your Career After All
Go ahead and launch that venture. Even if it fails, the experience you gain will likely earn you a job that's more senior than those of your peers, says research by Paul Gompers.
What I Am Watching:
The Nature of Reality: A Dialogue Between a Buddhist Scholar and a Theoretical Physicist
Alan Wallace, a world-renowned author and Buddhist scholar trained by the Dalai Lama, and Sean Carroll, a world-renowned theoretical physicist and best-selling author, discuss the nature of reality from spiritual and scientific viewpoints.
How Solar Storms Could Fry the World’s Infrastructure
Power grids and much of our infrastructure are susceptible to solar storms that have a nearly 10% chance of happening per decade. Economists estimate a severe storm could cost billions, if not trillions, in damage. Solar storms often contain a few major components: solar flares, solar energetic particles and coronal mass ejections. These space weather events could knock out satellites as well.
What I am Listening To:
The Fourth Turning Is Here
Twenty-five years ago, Neil Howe and the late William Strauss dazzled the world with a provocative new theory of American history. Looking back at the last 500 years, they’d uncovered a distinct pattern: modern history moves in cycles, each one lasting roughly eighty to one hundred years, the length of a long human life, with each cycle composed of four eras—or “turnings”.
Unlocking the Mysteries of Mind & Consciousness
Listen to neuroscientist and author, David Eagleman, in conversation with Sadhguru as they discuss a variety of subjects, ranging from different parts of the mind, the concept of time, quantum mechanics, religion, and meditation. The conversation is laced with humor and incisive logic, and moves towards an interesting climax where David Eagleman acknowledges that science and mysticism meet at a certain point.
