Lighthouse No. 48
Which Way?
Hello there!
Welcome to the 47th edition of 'The Lighthouse'!
First off, happy 4th of July to readers in the US of A!
It has been a common occurrence that people rise and fight for their rights and freedoms. Amidst this, let us not forget our duties too - for without pledging allegiance to these fundamental duties, there will not be any rights to cherish!
Have a memorable day! 🇺🇸
Let's dig in.
Which Way?
Last week, Seth Godin published Furious/Curious on his blog. The post goes like this:
“They rhyme, but they have opposite meanings. It’s very difficult to feel both emotions at the same time, and one is far more productive than the other.”
I read it a few times, and to me, something felt incomplete. I understood what he said, but it was as if something was left unsaid - a secret I had to unravel. He pointed me in the direction I needed to go, but I had to figure out my path. I kept at it for a few more hours but got nowhere. It was futile; I’d lost my way.
It was night, and I made my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I was borderline furious. The anger helped me squeeze some of the last bits of toothpaste left in the tube. It only left me frustrated. I could squeeze the paste out, but not the words to fill up the void left by Seth’s post. I wondered what happened. I asked myself why I was angry about losing my way? Now, I was curious. As I started putting the paste to work, a nascent thought grew in my mind. As the toothpaste foamed and filled up my mouth, the idea grew and supplanted itself in my mind.
Both feelings - furious and curious - were evoked by the same cause - the unknown. One reason with radically different outcomes. An anomaly of sorts, if you may call it so. For instance, the furious person feels offended when he cannot understand why something happened the way it did. But the curious one feels humbled under the same circumstances. Mr Furious is arriving from the city of ignorance, whereas Mr Curious, from the city of acceptance. The former thinks things have to go only according to his plan. But the latter accepts things will go any which way they choose. Ignorance shackles the former as a prisoner, while acceptance - of the Universe for the way it is - frees the latter.
Progress for one; regression for the other.
This change in perspective is powerful!
Which way?
Cover Photo by Oliver Roos on Unsplash
Thanks to Seth Godin for the inspiration.
Here’s some interesting stuff I came across:
Parenting : Who Is It Really For? by Derek Sivers: Derek packs a punch every time he writes. It is common knowledge that parenting is where people put in their best efforts to raise their children to be responsible and kind individuals. In this post, Derek looks at the other side of the parenting equation - the parent. What does parenting mean to a parent? Most parents would agree with what Derek has written here. Here’s Derek - “The reason I’m finally writing about this is because I realized that I’m doing all these things for myself as much as for him.”
The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Gregory McKeown: ““If success is a catalyst for failure because it leads to the “undisciplined pursuit of more,” then one simple antidote is the disciplined pursuit of less. Not just haphazardly saying no, but purposefully, deliberately, and strategically eliminating the nonessentials. Not just once a year as part of a planning meeting, but constantly reducing, focusing and simplifying. Not just getting rid of the obvious time wasters, but being willing to cut out really terrific opportunities as well. Few appear to have the courage to live this principle, which may be why it differentiates successful people and organizations from the very successful ones.”
Why Your Brain Hates Slowpokes by Chelsea Wald: “The rush of society may affect our sense of timing and emotions in another way. Neuroscientists like Moore have shown that time seems to pass faster when we have a direct connection to a subsequent event, when we feel we’ve caused a particular outcome. They call the experience “temporal binding.” Conversely, says Moore, “When we have, or feel we have, no control over events, the opposite happens: The internal clock speeds up, meaning we experience intervals as longer.”
I’ve begun reading Nicholas Carr’s - The Shallows and here’s something from the book I’m ruminating on:
“We become, neurologically, what we think.”
“There was something calming in the reticence of all those books, their willingness to wait years, decades even, for the right reader to come along and pull them from their appointed slots. Take your time, the books whispered to me in their dusty voices. We’re not going anywhere.”
“But except in rare circumstances, you can train until you’re blue in the face and you’d never be as good as if you just focused on one thing at a time.” What we’re doing when we multitask “is learning to be skillful at a superficial level.” The Roman philosopher Seneca May have put it best two thousand years ago: “To be everywhere is to be nowhere.”
Nicholas explores how the internet and the age of information overload are rewiring our brains and forcing us to behave in ways we never imagined. It looks like we've been caught unaware by this shift. If you're looking at an alternative read, and like me, you enjoy unplugging from the internet, making yourself a cup of tea - doing things for their own sake - you might enjoy this book.
Have a great weekend. Stay safe, and take care.
Cheers,
Prashanth 🙏🏻
If you would love to discuss anything I’ve written about and shared, please reach out to me by replying to this email or sending a direct message on Twitter 🐦 @iam__prashanth. The tribe there is over 2400 members and continues to grow.
If you’re reading this because someone shared this newsletter with you, or you clicked a link somewhere, welcome! Please subscribe to receive future updates. Thanks for your love!