Education reform, technology, and how we can build a bright future for humanity
The future lies in storytelling. — Your #1 Newsletter for Accelerated Learning
“Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today.” -Robert McAfee Brown
How to Mediate Voluntary Evolution
This piece is a slightly expanded version of a talk I recently delivered. The audience enjoyed it, so I’ve included it here for those interested in Education reform, technology, and how we can build a bright future for humanity. I’d love to hear what you think!
Do you know how they say you’re always supposed to start your talk with a joke?
Well, whenever I’m giving a talk, I get a joke ready, and I run it by my wife. Her response is usually either thumbs up or thumbs down.
So last night, we’re just getting back from a trip, we didn’t sleep on the plane, we’re jet-lagged, and I’m running potential jokes by my wife.
I was and still am… a bit out of it. So I’m running potential jokes by my wife and this time I didn’t get a thumbs up… or even a thumbs down. This time I just got a look of terror, and she said:
“Oh my God. Those are horrible. Promise me you won’t tell those.”
SO! I think I might of made a meta joke. Maybe that counts for my opening joke.
But seriously, the whole joke thing at the start of a talk about Education reform is important. Education is a touchy subject, and besides, it’s not safe to talk about touchy subjects publicly unless you can make people laugh. It’s one of the things that killed Socrates… he was philosophizing (often about Education!) without making people laugh. That’s a baaad idea. Also, he didn’t bathe regularly. When you combine philosophizing publicly, with not bathing, AND not making people laugh… You’re going to get yourself killed!
Okay, seriously, seriously. I’m excited to be here at this reformation event because I’m a fan of reformation, not revolutions. Revolutions are typically childish, whereas reformations can respect all the sacrifices that came before. Through reform, we respect the institutions or technologies that we’re seeking to improve. Reform means we don’t take the sacrifices our ancestors made to get us here for granted.
I’m also excited to be here because you all are some of the smartest people in Silicon Valley and the rest of the world. You’re taking personal risks for the sake of the collective, and many of you have your own skin in the game. Because of that, this is both a simple and complex talk. One of the downsides of Education is it trains us to use simple, bland, and ineffective words. Many people can never drop that idea from Education. You see it now in the entrepreneurial communities and in Silicon Valley. Plenty of people in those communities say,
“Only use simple words. And don’t you DARE say anything that might make people think!”
Or…
“Never write anything longer than a four line email!”
That’s useful some of the time, but not all of the time. Sometimes simple language is best, but sometimes you have to put the peddle to the metal of etymological expansion and try to speak the unspeakable. It’s my intention that this talk does both.
Hello, Friends…
Before we dive into today’s top finds we want to give a HUGE shoutout to our friends at Launchpeer. 🚀 Thanks to them, we now have a sleek, new website ready for all of you to check out! Please let us know what you think of the new digs! 😎😏
Monday Motivation…
How To Learn Languages Fast — A free guide to help you reach fluency quickly and affordably. Discover the simple principles that polyglots follow to learn languages at record speed.
To Be Happier, Embrace a Life of Imbalance — We have limited energy, limited time, and limited resources — we can’t possibly do everything we are told we are ‘supposed to do’. This is how you can embrace the things that you really love and live your life happily in imbalance.
How to choose articles, speed read, and apply what you read — In a world of popup ads and misleading headlines, it’s easy to lose focus while reading online. Prakhar Verma shares with us his tips and tricks for consuming content quickly and retaining the information learned.
9 Habits of Profoundly Influential People —
And while what people are influenced by changes with the season, the unique habits of influential people remain constant. Their focused pursuit of excellence is driven by nine habits that you can emulate and absorb until your influence expands. — Dr. Travis Bradberry
The Mission Holiday Gift Guide is coming!
Our team at The Mission is compiling the Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide and we need your help. What is the best gift you have received in the last year? Email info@themission.co with your ideas and we will feature the best “fan picks” in the guide.
Sponsors! Want to have your product featured in the gift guide? Email ian@themission.co to learn more about the guide.
Happy Monday!
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