Strong Beliefs, Loosely held
Belief Systems are the Operating Systems of a Human Being
I have tried understanding, tweaking and improving my belief systems for the past 2 years. All of these are fluid in time as I absorb new information and form new observations, and are hence, loosely held. I think it is time to note them down as the first draft.
I am sharing this in the hope that someone who comes along the same path after me, may find his/her way ahead better than me.
On Death
- Is usually better the sooner it happens. Just like it’s best to retire from your cricket career at your peak for your own sake, it’s best to die when you are at your peak. You just might become Father of the Nation.
- No one wishes that they’d accomplished less on their death beds. You might hear that no one wishes that they’d worked more. That’s right too. And there in lies the great human stupidity. You can’t hope to accomplish without working more. You might accomplish less despite working more.
This is also my answer for what I think is true, but almost no one agrees with me (from Peter Thiel’s Zero to One) - No one (with as many safety nets as me) would wish that they’d take less risks in their 20s. Cool people (like cool companies) are polite, go against less empathetic institutions and take risks (h/t Jeff Bezos)
On Purpose of Life
- There is no higher purpose. Why would a microscopic life from a floating blue speck in the dark cold space have a higher purpose? It’s arrogant to assume otherwise
- Serve the man next to you, then the one next to him and so on. The soldier does not die for the politician or Gods, he fights for the man next to him
On Philosophy of Life
- Stoicism, memoirs and autobiographies have answers to a lot of questions that I seek. I don’t need to seek/invent answers to questions that have asked for over a millennia. I can steal/borrow.
- Simple systems that fail at edges beat complicated systems that can handle edge cases. As in engineering, so in life. Regret minimization framework (h/t Jeff Bezos) seems like the best candidate and I am testing it as I write this uncomfortably honest piece
- Options, choices are net bad. Decisions are good. Burn your bridges. All-you-can eat buffets are scams. Having good looks or visibly rich is a dating disadvantage because it creates options.
Money
- Time value of money is underrated
- Money is like sex. It’s good to have a lot of it when you are young. That still won’t fill the hole left in your heart by not having a philosophy
- If you’ve money, invest in your learning by paying for coffees with smarter people. Books, blogs, and those Coursera courses are a slow learning curve
On Career/Ambition
- I am looking for a calling in life. Not a job. In a time scale of next 30 years, probably whatever I build today will be superseded by something else (h/t Paul Kalanithi in When Breath becomes Air)
- I have time to look for that calling. The personal urgency to specialize is little misplaced. I can still switch careers and find an intersection (h/t Scott Adams of Dilbert Comics).
Counter Argument: Series beats Parallel (h/t Auren Hoffman), Deep Work (Newport) - Finding a calling is probably a never ending pursuit for the forsaken like me
On Women Hire them when you can. They have higher EQs. Are probably more fear-resilient too. Easier to pay above market rates because market is misogynist. Help you stay away from people who aren’t progressive
On Love and Career Both can not grow simultaneously in same time. These are time sharing systems. Fall in love when you’ve a career break/slow down/plateau. Grow your career when you are not falling in love. When either has a strong foundation, you can invest in other. Also, Series Beats Parallel
On Work-Life Balance That’s a myth. If you meet someone who has that in his life, ask them what they are sacrificing in both their work and personal lives. Live atleast one with satisfaction. Alternative: Time sharing systems
On Books Read more, think more. Because apparently staring at dead tree fibers has been helpful to you in the past fight your demons — both the ones inside and outside
On A.R. Rahman’s music Gets better with time. So must you. Be better than yesterday (h/t Vijay Sharma, Belong)
