I frequently say "I don't know, but I can research that" - which is both antidotes rolled into one. Also, researching things is more fun than not knowing them.
Re. the other stuff: I've also been good at not comparing myself to others because I long ago actually realized it was making me unhappy. In particular, I was comparing myself to people who were good at things I didn't even want to succeed at, like going to the gym regularly.
And in my 40 years in the corporate world I can honestly I very rarely worked anywhere near as hard as my colleagues did, or at least pretended to do, and only put in long hours when I got caught up in something I really enjoyed. Somewhere around the age of 40 I realized that I could get great performance reviews while still only working hard about 50% of the time, goofing off for the rest, and going home at five. I suspect that a big part of that was identifying the meaningless busywork, and putting the least amount of effort as possible into it. I was always astonished at colleagues spending hours on a presentation that we all knew was practically a throwaway.
FWIW my theory is that a lot of people in corporate jobs, consciously or subconsciously, recognize that a great deal of what they do has results that are practically impossible to measure, if indeed they have any results at all, so instead of measuring their corporate success by what they achieve, they measure it by how exhausted they feel.
I heard an interview with the director Malcom Lee in which he was talking about the importance of humor in "serious" times, and said, "Once you get people laughing, their mouths are open and you can slip the truth in." I think about that every time I read your newsletter.
Beautifully written! "Being alive is strange and mysterious." It is bizarre that we find uncertainty so uncomfortable, so we make stuff up instead. That idea goes a long way in explaining human behavior.
Loved this post, one of the funniest I've read in a while, not to mention how clearly it gets the message across. It feels timely, especially given everyone's certainty about everything in the world no matter how complex or how little background the person actually has in the area they're espousing greatly about. So many divisive issues that we could all stand from a lil' "I don't know", if for no higher purpose than to find common ground with others, especially since most really don't know ;). Thank you for writing this.
Omg I was cracking up out loud at my desk and my co-worker kept looking up at me! This is a brilliant essay. Thank you! A little intellectual humility on my part is in order next time I think I know stuff!
Adam, you really write well! And I love your topics!
"Keeping track of what you know and what you don’t know is just basic epistemic hygiene—it’s hard to think clearly unless you’ve done that first, just like it’s hard to do pretty much any job if you haven’t brushed your teeth for two years. Separating your baseless conjectures from your justified convictions is also a recipe for avoiding pointless arguments, since most of them boil down to things like 'I like it when the president wears a blue tie' vs. 'I like it when the president wears a red tie.'"
and this is beautiful and resonant:
"I think it’s cool that my mind can do all these tricks, but I’m trying to get comfortable scratching my head a little longer. Being alive is strange and mysterious, and I’d like to spend some time with that fact while I’ve got the chance, to visit the jagged shoreline where the bit that I know meets the infinite that I don’t know, and to be at peace sitting there a while, accompanied by nothing but the ring of my own confusion and the crunch of delicious car keys."
I have experienced "I am the teacher, teachers know everything, answer this question with confidence"-itis. From the inside. Highly annoying 5 minutes later.
Fun read. Maybe three Nobel Prizes if you expand the criteria a bit to "suboptimal decision making" so you can include Herb Simon. I wonder how much attribute substitution is just another example of efficiently modeling the future for us cognitive misers.
Superb writing! The world would be a much better place if we could all be a bit more comfortable not knowing.
From Rebecca Solnit: "In the spaciousness of uncertainty, there is room to act."
I'm feeling pretty smug right now.
I frequently say "I don't know, but I can research that" - which is both antidotes rolled into one. Also, researching things is more fun than not knowing them.
Re. the other stuff: I've also been good at not comparing myself to others because I long ago actually realized it was making me unhappy. In particular, I was comparing myself to people who were good at things I didn't even want to succeed at, like going to the gym regularly.
And in my 40 years in the corporate world I can honestly I very rarely worked anywhere near as hard as my colleagues did, or at least pretended to do, and only put in long hours when I got caught up in something I really enjoyed. Somewhere around the age of 40 I realized that I could get great performance reviews while still only working hard about 50% of the time, goofing off for the rest, and going home at five. I suspect that a big part of that was identifying the meaningless busywork, and putting the least amount of effort as possible into it. I was always astonished at colleagues spending hours on a presentation that we all knew was practically a throwaway.
FWIW my theory is that a lot of people in corporate jobs, consciously or subconsciously, recognize that a great deal of what they do has results that are practically impossible to measure, if indeed they have any results at all, so instead of measuring their corporate success by what they achieve, they measure it by how exhausted they feel.
I heard an interview with the director Malcom Lee in which he was talking about the importance of humor in "serious" times, and said, "Once you get people laughing, their mouths are open and you can slip the truth in." I think about that every time I read your newsletter.
This is absolutely brilliant. Thank you for this whole piece.
Beautifully written! "Being alive is strange and mysterious." It is bizarre that we find uncertainty so uncomfortable, so we make stuff up instead. That idea goes a long way in explaining human behavior.
Thanks for your insights!
Loved this post, one of the funniest I've read in a while, not to mention how clearly it gets the message across. It feels timely, especially given everyone's certainty about everything in the world no matter how complex or how little background the person actually has in the area they're espousing greatly about. So many divisive issues that we could all stand from a lil' "I don't know", if for no higher purpose than to find common ground with others, especially since most really don't know ;). Thank you for writing this.
Well, ok, but reading this essay was an easy decision that was also the right decision.
Omg I was cracking up out loud at my desk and my co-worker kept looking up at me! This is a brilliant essay. Thank you! A little intellectual humility on my part is in order next time I think I know stuff!
Adam, you really write well! And I love your topics!
Smashing read
dear adam,
great piece!
i love this:
"Keeping track of what you know and what you don’t know is just basic epistemic hygiene—it’s hard to think clearly unless you’ve done that first, just like it’s hard to do pretty much any job if you haven’t brushed your teeth for two years. Separating your baseless conjectures from your justified convictions is also a recipe for avoiding pointless arguments, since most of them boil down to things like 'I like it when the president wears a blue tie' vs. 'I like it when the president wears a red tie.'"
and this is beautiful and resonant:
"I think it’s cool that my mind can do all these tricks, but I’m trying to get comfortable scratching my head a little longer. Being alive is strange and mysterious, and I’d like to spend some time with that fact while I’ve got the chance, to visit the jagged shoreline where the bit that I know meets the infinite that I don’t know, and to be at peace sitting there a while, accompanied by nothing but the ring of my own confusion and the crunch of delicious car keys."
thank you for sharing as always!
love
myq
Your words are thought provoking and appreciated!!
This is undoubtedly insightful but also SO well-written. I laughed so many times. Thank you for writing this, Adam!
“Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position. But certainty is an absurd one.”
I have experienced "I am the teacher, teachers know everything, answer this question with confidence"-itis. From the inside. Highly annoying 5 minutes later.
Fun read. Maybe three Nobel Prizes if you expand the criteria a bit to "suboptimal decision making" so you can include Herb Simon. I wonder how much attribute substitution is just another example of efficiently modeling the future for us cognitive misers.
Good point, hadn’t thought of that
One of the better pieces I've had the opportunity to read. Thanks! I loved the 1950's answer.