I Have Been Arrogant, Insensitive, and Stupid. A Confession…
A couple weeks back, I wrote a blog about who I wanted to become when this whole pandemic was in the rearview mirror. (ICYMI, read it here.) The message seemed to resonate with a lot of people who shared both online and off, the many things they desired to achieve during their time isolating at home. It was wonderful to see people committing to better health, personal development, and seeking wisdom. Even though I came down with COVID-19 myself, I still made great progress on my list. Judging by the response, it seems a lot of you did as well.
Loving to Hate
In America today, we absolutely love to hate each other. (This post is about United States, but if you change the labels, it’s probably accurate for the situation in most other countries.) Of course, pitting one group of people against another group has been standard operating procedure for immoral political leaders for centuries. And this is certainly the case with our culture wars now. The Hillary haters and the Trump haters never took a break after the election. Each side just reloaded their arsenal and the vitriolic fight rages on, with the coronavirus pandemic as the new battle ground.
There is a suffocating amount of evidence that this fighting has been inflamed by foreign governments emotionally manipulating us like puppets, with social media platforms as a powerful conduit. Now the coronavirus pandemic enters at a perfect storm of fear, anxiety, and helplessness. People want to lash out…
How Much is Enough?
“So how much is enough, anyway?” Depending on who is asking the question and the context they’re asking it, that question either is:
A brilliant inquiry that takes us deep into a well-questioned premise on what makes us happy.
Possibly one of the most prejudicial, slanted, and lack-centered statements ever uttered.
Make-Believe Leadership
There’s a huge delta between what most people perceive as leadership and what true leadership actually entails. The textbook case study of this is President Donald Trump. For mental health reasons we won’t explore here, he’s a big fan of make-believe leadership. The Apprentice was the perfect platform for Trump because it allowed him to play a leader on TV. He didn’t have to make real decisions or face real consequences, because there was a safety net in place to make sure he always looked like a commanding captain of industry. No one on the show could file a complaint with HR about getting fired for some petty contrived controversy because it was a make-believe show. The participants had all willingly signed up for the reality show schtick.
Think for Yourself…
Imagine you were a screenwriter and you went to a Hollywood studio to pitch your movie idea about a coronavirus pandemic that threatens the world. You wouldn’t be able to sell the concept. Because the studio exec would tell you that your script was so implausible, that only the most dim-witted moviegoer would believe such a preposterous plot. Think of the outline you would present…
The People Like You…
Got a very enthusiastic response to this week’s Friday Filosophy newsletter about the need for individualism today. In it, I highlighted the failures of our institutions – the failsafe, backups we count on – to protect us during this current pandemic. It seems not a day goes by that another glaring weakness is exposed. In light of the response I received, it seems like expanding on the topic here would be helpful.
Pandemic + Politics = Death
In the case of a worldwide pandemic, lots of people die. And unfortunately, lots of them die needlessly. These unnecessary deaths are usually because of politics.
Upgrade Your Thinking
One of the masterminds I participate in is a WhatsApp chat group that we’ve labeled Juxtaposed Jedi. It’s a daily chat with three of us, where we’re bouncing ideas off each other, conducting thought experiments, and getting and giving advice. One of the most valuable parts of the process is when we point out faulty thinking. This could be a confirmation bias someone has, making an assumption from a bad premise, emotional irrationality, or simply sloppy logic.
What Have We Learned from the Pandemic?
One of the wisest things economist Milton Friedman ever taught was that only a crisis — actual or perceived — produces real change. It is times of crisis that cause our preconceived beliefs and confirmation biases to get shaken and stirred. Things that weeks ago seemed politically impossible become politically inevitable. Countries and cultures mirror individual people in the sense that we usually learn a lot more from our challenges than we do from our victories.
Stay Safe During the Corona Virus Pandemic
Below is a copy of my “Friday Filosophy” newsletter. Normally it goes exclusively to my subscribers, but since the information this week could be helpful to many others, I’m reposting it here on my blog.
