Occupy DC

From time to time, my phone stumbles on OccupyDC wireless networks. What does it mean that a low tech, grass routes movement has a wireless infrastructure.

DC

I'm in Washington DC for a week. It's a wonderful city. So much to see. I will come back.

 

I'm reminded how new the places I've lived are. Here the history is real and thick. Many buildings are very old. The museums have much art from centuries gone by. Of course the National Archive has the original U.S. Constitution.

 

I've been to the Lincoln memorial three times. It's always crowded, late at night, early in the morning. Hundreds of people climb the steps.

 

Green paint was sprayed on Lincoln while I was here. News says the vandal was a mentally ill homeless woman.

 

Lincoln's great speeches are on the side of the memorial.  People walk right up to the statue of Lincoln and take many photos of him.  But people stay away from the speeches and take fewer photos.  We joked that this is because Americans are ignorant of lincoln's words.  I think the reality is that pictures of the words just aren't that photographic.  Especially when compared to the statue of Lincoln.

 

I wanted to meditate at the memorial.  I've read so much about its profound effects on people.  But the memorial is crowded and loud.  Not the place where one can sit and think.

 

At the national gallery of art there are many wonderful paintings.  I want to gush here.

 

C2 is here.  He is back from Afghanistan and now working in Washington.  He may be dating someone.  If it doesn't work out he said he will head off to Syria.

 

 

 

 

Decisive

By Chip & Dan Heath.
 
I'm usually irritated when I've read a substantial portion of a book before in a different form. Not in the case. In this book, the Heath's proudly claim to base their research on books such as "Thinking Fast and Slow" "Predictably Irrational" and the like. What makes this book worth the time is that the Heath's turn all this decision research into an actionable process...
 
When making a decision...

1. Widen your options.
2. Reality-test your assumptions.
3. Attain distance before deciding.
4. Prepare to be wrong.

 
 
 
 

2nd insight...

My second insight gained from meditation... I spend a lot of time not solving the most important problems in my life. I spend much time entertaining myself, goofing off, drinking, or even meditating. I use this as an excuse to not engage on important problems.

Question... Passion v.s. priority. If there is an important problem in my life, but the solution requires work I'm not excited about, how do I engage on the problem?

The Happiness Hypothesis

By Jonathan Haidt.

 

A good summary of the current state of positive psychology. It covers the research around the ways we find happiness and meaning in our lives. It struggles a little through the chapter on happiness from religion, but is still worth the read.

 

What do I want to remember from this book...

 

Stoicism and Buddhism are good pathways to happiness, but need to be updated for modern times. stoicism and Buddhism were most relevant when rulers, disease and other mishaps could and did regularly wipe out your family and fortune. In the modern world, things are more stable, we can make longer term plans, we can take greater risks to make us more happy.

 

There is a theory that our greatest leanings are from struggles, that unless we regularly face adversity, we don't grow.  

Haidt also covers a centuries long trend that's switching the discussion of ethics morality from virtues and values, to conundrums. philosophy in the distant pass used to debate the virtue of hard work, or excellence, or honesty. Now it considers cases like "Is it OK to murder 1 person if you will save 10?" "Is it OK to keep the lost wallet of a man you know to be a thief?"

I think both perspectives are necessary. We have to anchor our actions on solid values, but cannot allow those values to become an excuse as to prevent us from solving important problems. From time to time our values will raise conundrums that must be dealt with.