MONTHLY MULLINGš”
Opinion Shopping & Backfire Effect, Paw-sitive Lessons: Lion-Hearted Self-Discovery, and Choosing Your Mental Munchies!
Hiš TapanĀ here.
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Happy Sunday yāall!
š” Articles: In the past two weeks, I've published five new articles on my website with a lot of assistance from GPT-4. Here they are:
š¤ Second-Order Thinking: The Importance of Considering Ripple Effects
š Why Friendships Fade in Your 30s (& How to Keep Them Strong)
š§ Understanding Chestertonās Fence: Donāt Change What You Donāt Understand
š„ From Prohibition to Mixology: The Speakeasyās Role in Shaping Modern Cocktail Culture
š§š½āāļø Stoic Decision-Making: Lessons from The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday
š Currently, I am reading: Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger by Peter Bevelin
Nassim Taleb has said, āPeter Bevelin is one of the wisest people on the planetā. Thatās high praise coming from Taleb! This book has been on my reading list for a while, as it explores various thinking tools and human biases. Bevelin delves into how our thoughts are influenced, why we make misjudgments, and tools to improve our thinking.
š¤ Your Biases: Opinion Shopping & Backfire Effect
Letās discuss two fascinating psychological phenomena:
Opinion shopping is the conscious decision to seek out information that supports one's beliefs. Many people scour the internet, dismissing every source they disagree with until they find one that aligns with their views. They then use this source to justify their beliefs, only considering someone an expert if they agree with them.
š„² Fun fact: The term "opinion shopping" originates from the audit world. It refers to the practice of searching for an outside auditor who will provide a favourable view of a company's financial condition.
Now, let's consider what happens when people encounter information that challenges their beliefs:
When people feel threatened by information that contradicts their beliefs, their brain reacts by doubling down on those beliefs to protect their sense of identity and self-worth (š¤Ø).
The Backfire Effect is a manifestation of confirmation bias. While confirmation bias involves paying attention only to information that supports our beliefs, the Backfire Effect describes becoming even more convinced of our beliefs when they are challenged.
š¦ Paw-sitive Lessons: Self-Discovery with the Lion Tracker
Have you ever started reading a book and immediately sensed that it would stay with you for years to come? A book that you'll reread time and time again? One of your Hall of Famers.
Boyd Vartyās Lion Trackerās Guide to Life has become one such book for me.
Boyd, a life coach and lion tracker, uses the metaphor of a lion-tracking expedition to share life lessons. Itās beautiful!š„¹
I believe this is one of those books that must enter your life at the perfect moment for you to fully appreciate its depth; otherwise, it's just another story. I'll be writing a full article on this book soon, but for now, here are three key lessons I learned:
š„° Track Awareness: Becoming aware of the information around you and the feelings it evokes is essential. Track awareness is a type of consciousness that involves recognizing the people, things, and moments that are meaningful to you.
You must train yourself to see what you are looking for.
- Boyd Varty
š Finding Purpose: You canāt think your way to a calling. Finding what is uniquely yours requires more than rationality. You have to form track awareness to follow the inner tracks of your feelings, sensations, and instincts. The process starts with finding the first track. No one can tell you what your track will be or how to know what calls you and brings you to life. Thatās your work to do!
If you can see your whole lifeās path laid out then itās not your lifeās path.
- Joseph Campbell
šš½ Make A Choice: Itās hard to know when to stay on a trail and when to divert. Itās hard to know when the lesson is to persist and when the lesson is to let it go. We all have been paralyzed by options and the idea that there is a single right way. The key is to set your intention, take action, and let go. Lion tracking teaches us that the lesson is more about discovery than being correct. On the trail there is not one way; the only mistake is to not make any choice. As it is in life.
I donāt know where we are going but I know exactly how to get there.
- Boyd Varty
š„¦ Mental Munchies: Deep-fried Broccoli?
In my Knowledge Pipeline article, I explain the importance of information input. You are what you consume. Garbage in = Garbage out.
The idea of deep-fried broccoli is explained in the book, You Are What You Read.
š§ Academic papers, thoroughly researched articles, books, and insightful documentaries are like broccoli for the brain - crucial and beneficial but sometimes bland, boring, and hard to swallow.
š¤© The news, social media, and clickbaity articles are like deep-fried broccoli served with southwest mayo. They are palatable, easy to consume, and exciting, but no longer of much value. In fact, they do not even really offer the benefits of broccoli anymore.
So, ask yourself: Are you consuming fresh broccoli in your salad or a bowl of deep-fried broccoli?š”
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