Ideas are free, execution is priceless.

Aristotle said it is the mark of an educated mind to entertain an idea without accepting it. This is the habit of what psychologists call intellectual humility. It’s the awareness of our own cognitive shortcomings. Recent research has shown this trait is correlated with improved wellbeing, stronger relationships, lower stress and greater resilience. Here’s a quote a from a study in a positive psychology journal that resonated with me….

That which is no longer directly perceived, ceases to exist. Not literally, of course. But the way the human brain works is, it quickly forgets things that are no longer visible or present. If we can’t see it, it’s not there. Psychologists would call this a lack of object permanence. And the principle primarily applies to infants playing peekaboo, although interesting to consider its adult implications. Because oftentimes, a…

What’s the fastest way to shut someone up? Call them a fascist. Works every time. The universe conversation ender. This pejorative epithet has been used against a range of people, political movements, governments, and institutions for over one hundred years now. And it’s fair game for all. People on both the left and the right have accused their opponents of being fascists at once point or another. Orwell himself…

It hasn’t hit me yet. The experience is still settling in. I haven’t comprehended or emotionally processed a significant event, situation, or piece of information. I’m sure it’ll hit me eventually. It’s only a matter of time before I wrap my brain around this thing. But for now, it just doesn’t feel real. Seems like a dream. Now, maybe it’s denial. Or fear of acceptance. Or a delayed response…

Stay away from the extremes. Avoid having only one center of gravity, but also make sure you don’t have too many. In the case of the former, it’s unwise it is to turn a single entity into the center of gravity of your universe. Dependency on a single source for your identity can be risky when that aspect of life inevitably changes or diminishes. Think of it this way….