Popular blogs on 2019

Popular Blogs of 2019. These were some of the most popular of last year.

A blog summarising Nassim Taleb on climate change. Taleb argues for the precautionary principle as we only have one planet. He also notes on a risk view outcome is “size of impact” vs probabilty, and as climate models are uncertain this increases the risk of a very bad outcome Blog (3 mins) Nassim Taleb. Climate Change Risk.

A semi-specialised look at the ESG rating agreement arguments. I argue they will likely never agree and that will be a good thing: Why ESG ratings will never agree and some of the problems of ratings

Although having argued that, I am working on standardisation projects.

Short blog on the writing tips that Zadie Smith gave out to the Guardian many moons ago: Zadie Smith. Writing Tips.

A blog on some generalisations between Gen Z and Millenials. Unsure exactly how much is really true but some food for thought on growing up as a digital native. Generation Z. A look at their different qualities versus Millennials

My mini-explanation on my understanding of a performance-lecture  which is mostly the tradition that I have placed Thinking Bigly in. What’s a performance lecture?

I had fun pulling out my old journal to note down the travels I had to the the very remote Wana tribe in Indonesia and it’s one of my favourite 2019 blogs.

My Asian Granny

Rotis and curry, soup rice noodles, fried egg noodles, coconut rice, curry noodles - the sheer variety of packed flavours and textures in various Asian breakfasts make the “English” and “American” breakfasts seem somewhat one dimensional. I’ve discussed with Asian tourists their sheer disbelief at British breakfasts.

What you haven’t experienced or haven’t met can be hard to fathom. The complexities of the durian fruit defies simple words. Many Asians will glibly end up saying “Ai-Ya ‘they’ don’t know how to eat that” ! That’s always sounded odd to my ear. Eating it is easy to know, pick it up, put it in your mouth, chew and swallow. Appreciating the complex flavours, that’s the part that many seem to fail at.

Writers have a long history attempting to reconcile the universal and the particular, the global and the local. As cultural philosopher Appiah has suggested “universality plus difference”.

Lazy writing ignores studied observation and fails to make imaginative leaps. Poor characterisation does similar by ignoring the complex humanity that underlies our lives. Unauthentic work doesn’t comprehend the variety of Asian breakfasts, let alone the depth of the Asian culture and people. Then again it is hard to fathom what you haven’t met or haven’t experienced.

Everyone’s grannies in the universal are extraordinary. They are complex and nuanced in the local. Mine brought up 5 children. She sewed, she cooked, she upholstered, she hustled - an entrepreneur before we thought of entrepreneurs - cooking feasts for local embassies, making cakes for occasions - pineapple tarts were a favourite -  she wore a gold belt which was traded up and down in size as her personal savings and investment account. She came to help look after me when I was young. She had this exaggerated sniff of you, which you couldn’t escape from, and she held your scent like she had the measure of you, now and always. Complex, fierce, funny.  Far from bacon and eggs and a cup of tea.

On love, turning 40

Love can be fireworks and sparks. Holding hands tight at a New Year’s Party - the feeling of never letting go - the exhilarating thrill of shouting your love over too loud music and spinning around and around and around oblivious.

Love can be kindness and care. Stifling your laughter as they fall off the toilet drunk, and carefully holding their hair as the food poison sick flows out. Sitting by their bed as they sleep and you watch over.

Love can be bursting with pride and joy as they make all your friends laugh and you seem smart and lovely for being the other half.

Love can be owning the world and daring all things as the all of you together are so much more powerful than apart. Walking the streets of Tokyo at night, not needing to know where you are and excited that you’ve never been.

Love can be adventures and quests as you seek out rare yarn in undiscovered suburb towns in countries you’ve never been to. Trying untested foods together conquering unknowns.

Love can be still and soft. Coffees on the sofa, head down in books, eating croissants, discussing what to have for lunch and at lunch what to have for dinner and where does the best poached eggs. Noting down a pattern they would like, a scene that only they would think funny.

Love can be a panic and a recovery and listening to logic as they hyperventilate on the side of the mountain and praying to the laws of physics knowing the staircase is not falling down.

Love can be all the little things. Tiny messages. Glimpsed touches. Small kindnesses.

Love can be the public declarations at a wedding but equally sharing a seat on a bus stuck in traffic.

Love can be made daily, love can last like stone.

Love can slip through cupped hands like the tiniest of fish, love can pick you up if you fall

Love makes us rich, who being loved is poor?

Lest we forget, let us remember.

 ...When I was seven years old, I thought 40 was ancient.

I felt the same turning sixteen. 40 was still ancient.

This was one of the themes in my play Yellow Gentlemen.*

What would 16 year old me think of 40 year old me?

There was a school project, when I was eight, that asked us to think about the future. I opted for a moderate view of the future. To much bemusement I didn’t want anything too grand - perhaps already suspecting that the vast wealth of a few of my peers wasn’t securing them happiness or love.

Evoking - perhaps oddly - Oprah Winfrey (on gratitude*) and Sheryl Sandberg (on grief and gratitude*) - I think I have an enormous amount to be grateful for.  I’m comfortable with wealth, I’m loved and love, and Eudaimonia happy - with hard challenges such as autism, to be sure - and large responsibilities that come with wealth and education.

This week, I come round to reflect on love (see above). Like in so many things in Western thinking, the old Greek thinkers have been here already.

There are several types of love distinguished in Greek (*see below) And while I’m still astonished by those in the agape spiritual love of Christ or Buddhism, Allah, God, gods, Shinto and the like  - I have a thought more on some of the others.

Agape – the love of humanity

This is an unconditional love that sees beyond the outer surface and accepts the recipient for whom he/she is, regardless of their flaws, shortcomings or faults.

Storge – family love

It is a kind of family and friendship love. This is the love that parents naturally feel for their children

Pragma – love which endures

The love between a married couple which develops over a long period of time. The love which endures in sickness and in health. The love which makes a friend care for their former school friend who has become vulnerable in later life.

Philautia – self-respect

The love we give to ourselves

Philia – shared experience

The love we feel for people we strive with to achieve a shared goal – our co-workers, the players in a football or netball team,

Ludus – flirting, playful affection

The feelings we have when we test out what it might be like to be in love with someone.

Eros – romantic  love

Eros is a passionate and intense love that arouses romantic feelings;

Phileo – chosen love

The phileo love refers to an affectionate, warm and tender platonic love.

---

Sandberg on grief and gratitude

My Play Yellow Gentlemen

Oprah on Gratitude

The current Arts blog, cross-over, the current Investing blog.  Cross fertilise, some thoughts on autism.  Discover what the arts/business mingle… (sign up for invites to the next event in the list below).

My Op-Ed in the Financial Times  (My Financial Times opinion article) about asking long-term questions surrounding sustainability and ESG.

Current highlights:

A thought on how to die well and Mortality

Some writing tips and thoughts from Zadie Smith

How to live a life, well lived. Thoughts from a dying man. On play and playing games.

A provoking read on how to raise a feminist child.

Some popular posts:  the commencement address;  by NassimTaleb (Black Swan author, risk management philosopher),  Neil Gaiman on making wonderful, fabulous, brilliant mistakes;  JK Rowling on the benefits of failure.  Charlie Munger on always inverting;  Sheryl Sandberg on grief, resilience and gratitude.

Buy my play, Yellow Gentlemen, (amazon link) - all profits to charity

Quite Good.

British English subtext, another lesson.  Quite good = mediocre.  Not bad = quite good.

"Not Bad" and "Quite Good" - these phrases in British English are particularly complex.

Take this situation.

Alice at a bar. Conversing with her girl friends. Checking out potential dates.

"She's not bad." All her English friends understands she just rated someone 7 or 8 out of 10. Her Spanish friend, Maria, thinks she just rated someone 4 or 5 / 10.

Maria asks "What about that girl in green?"

"She's.... quite good." [Note the very slight intonations or pause or speed of phrasing on the 'quite' will be immediately parsed by her English friends.]

Maria thinks green girl scored 7 /10. But, Alice scored her 5 / 10.  

 "What do you think of my dance moves?  ---  Errrr. Quite good!"  English people can sound perfectly pleasant while telling all their English friends what they are really thinking.

The same situation applies to business. If your work or someone else is described by your boss as "Quite Good" it was average or possibly even slightly below. If you boss described it as "Not Bad", "Not Bad at all", then it was good and above average piece of work.


If you'd like to feel inspired by life lessons try: Ursula K Le Guin on literature as an operating manual for life;  Neil Gaiman on making wonderful, fabulous, brilliant mistakes; or Nassim Taleb's commencement address; or JK Rowling on the benefits of failure. Or Matt Haig's life lessons. 

Hear what you say

More British English subtext. 

When they start "I hear what you say..." they are almost never listening to what you have to say and they don't want to hear it again.  

All Due Respect

The English are a nation of subtext. (I'm practising my basic infographic skills via Canva).

If an English person ever starts off with the phrase "with all due respect" it does mean they think you are an idiot and don't respect your view at all....

Cross fertilise. Read about the autistic mind here and ideas on the arts here. On investing try a thought on stock valuations.