The Novel and The Beautiful
Mission Newsletter, 1/10/19
“The highest mountain, the oldest books, the strangest people, there you will find the stone.” ―Athanasius Kircher
The Story
Bobby walked out into the frigid Alaskan night. He gazed at the sky. It was his 20th anniversary of joining the Air Force… and he knew it was time to retire.
After two decades of dedicating his life to his country, the Master Sergent was ready for a change of scenery.
He wanted to be a teacher. Over his career in the military, when he had time off, he’d learn a new skill. When he found one he liked, he’d take a class at the local United Service Organization to go deep.
But he was never satisfied with his instructors, who taught too much theory — and not enough practical application.
One night while he was watching TV, he was inspired by an expert who had a different way of teaching.
Now is the time, he thought. Bobby had his retirement money from the Air Force coming, but he needed another income for his family, and this was it…
Read the rest of The Story!
The Novel and The Beautiful
Building habits is easier said than done. Most people would advise the traditional method of repeating the same thing over and over again. But in this episode, Chad and Stephanie offer an alternative path: using novelty and beauty to build new habits and create opportunities to learn.
“Seeking beauty is a much safer approach to decision making than many other types of rationalism.”
Listen to the Episode!
News That Matters
- “Alexa, what’s the latest news?” A company called ‘Noa’ has partnered with folks at Amazon, New York Times, and The Economist to bring you audio versions of the biggest news stories.
- Ancient Greek rebel Xenophon wrote the first ever military memoir in Western Literature. But that’s not all. He also recorded little-known stories and fun facts about political and philosophical leaders at the time — including Socrates! Read more.
- A cosmic telescope has captured light from the beginning of time! 🔭 💥
- A century ago, alcohol prohibition started in America… Boy, how times have changed: America Began Alcohol Prohibition in 1919 but It’s Edging Toward Ending Cannabis Prohibition in 2019
- “The smart self-management technique is to leap with intention. Don’t wait for a deadline. You pay a price for that. Don’t invite peer pressure. You pay a price for that… Managing our leaps is an essential part of innovation.” -Seth Godin
- Each year, Nieman Lab collects the latest predictions for journalism, marketing, storytelling, and advertising. Here’s the 2019 list.
- A study published in Nature Human Behavior has found that ‘pro-social’ or ‘nice’ people are more likely to suffer from depression. Read: Nice Brains Finish Last.
- Add this to your watchlist: Weird City, a new Youtube series by Jordan Peele.
- Did you catch all the endings of Bandersnatch? If you don’t have 2 more hours to kill to re-watch the movie, here’s a handy video explaining all the secret endings.
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