You Are Wrong: Here's What To Do About It
Here’s a spooky idea: You are wrong.
You’re wrong about how to run a successful meeting. You’re wrong about how to communicate with your spouse. You’re wrong about the type of partner you are seeking. You’re wrong about Donald Trump AND Hillary Clinton. You’re wrong about work. You’re wrong, wrong, wrong.
In Plato’s Apology?—?or, the trial of Socrates?—?Socrates relates the story of being named the wisest man living. He believed that he had received this accolade precisely because he knew that he knew not. He understood that he could be wrong.
People have always clung to their opinions or beliefs. Our strongly held beliefs determine our actions. Sometimes these beliefs lead to success, sometimes to failure. During the Crusades, Christians loaned money to their enemies, the Saracens. This action was a result of their belief that charging interest on a loan weakened the borrower. They believed usury was a weapon. Thus, Christian soldiers were killed by swords and arrows paid for by the Christian King.
The only way to ensure we are steering clear of clinging to erroneous beliefs is vigilance. We must be vigilant in challenging our beliefs. Had the Christians been better equipped to challenge their own beliefs on usury, they may not have continued such a silly action.
The books below will begin to equip you. They can help challenge your views about language, poetry, technology, business, historical investigation and more. But don’t stop here. Keep vigilant.
Meet Me In Atlantis: Across Three Continents in Search of the Legendary Sunken City by Mark Adams
If you’re not familiar, the story of Atlantis was written by the philosopher Plato in his dialogue, Timaeus. The value of Mark Adams’ book is not just that you will be entertained by the views of those who believe in a magical land that sunk into the Atlantic 9,000 years ago, rather, the value is that you will explore the top Atlantis theories to their ultimate ends. Anyone can brush off Atlantis as purely the imaginative creation of a philosopher attempting to illustrate a political point. Yet, Plato must have received inspiration from somewhere. Seeing historical theories examined by various experts in different fields?—?from ivory tower professors to Indiana Jones type explorers?—?is worth the price of admission.
The Big Switch: Rewiring the World from Edison to Google—?Nicholas Carr
Carr makes the case for the future of computing. He sees a world in which businesses no longer own actual computers. Instead they pay for processing power from a computer “plant,” just like you would with electricity. The analogy he uses is the development of electricity in the early 20th century. At that time factories generated their own power using “dynamos.” Then, a man named Samuel Insull eventually popularized the electric grid and businesses no longer had a need to buy and maintain their own expensive dynamos to produce the much needed power. They just paid someone to pipe it into their business through sockets in the wall.
This was a book given to me by the director of marketing at my company. The sales and marketing team were debating the merits of cold calling to develop new business. As an experiment, I googled “Cold Calling Is Dead” and printed out the top five articles. Then I googled “Cold Calling is NOT Dead” and printed the top five articles. What I noticed is companies with a vested interest tended to spread a particular message (Surprise!) An inbound marketing company such as Hubspot wants people to rely less on cold calling. And a cold calling guru wants to sell you his sure-fire cold calling techniques. But the truth is more complex. Read this book to change your perspective on the nature of cold calling and prospecting. It will change your beliefs about sales and business and thus lead to more profitable actions.
The Poet’s Corner: The One-and-Only Poetry Book for the Whole Familyby John Lithgow (yes that Lithgow). Note: this is an audible recommendation. You’ll hear great poems read by Morgan Freeman, Susan Sarandon, Helen Mirren, Glenn Close, and Gary Sinise.
This is a great introductory book to poetry if you are unsure about its value. Lithgow takes examples from 50 poets spanning 500 years. Each section is about 20–25 minutes and focuses on a single poet. This is a great book to listen to with a loved one or your whole family. Not only are the poems read by famous actors, but Lithgow’s commentary will give you interesting conversation starters that will deepen your connection with whoever you choose to share this with.
Discovering Poetry: An Introduction to the Nature of Poetry and the Poetic Experience by Elizabeth Drew. (Recommended to me by Lisa VanDamme, founder of VanDamme Academy)
Neither poets nor scholars agree on the nature of poetry. Robert Frost said that poetry is “like a piece of ice on a hot stove,” and that “it must ride on its own melting.” He also said, less enigmatically, that poetry should begin in delight and end in wisdom. Emily Dickinson said “If I read a book… and I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.” Another critic said “a poem is a synthesis of memorized impressions, which the average liver of life leaves in their original chaotic state.” Or another: “poetry is the communication of experience through the medium of language.” If you have read some poetry and wonder about its nature, then this is the book for you. If you hate poetry, do not start with this book. Instead, try listening to the Lithgow book above. Drew’s book is a great guide to discovering poetry, its methods, and how great poets have communicated an experience or emotion, so as to expand the reader’s capacity for experiences and emotions.
Less Than Words Can Say by Richard Mitchell
An absolute classic from the author of the newsletter, The Underground Grammarian, which attacked the inanities dominant in American education. The way we use our language conveys our fundamental worldview, Mitchell teaches. The man who says “Mistakes were made,” is expressing a view of life where mistakes simply occur on their own, for example. The inventions in language (yes inventions) such as the preposition are more than mere scrawls on a piece of paper. They are the foundation of all thought. They are, then, the foundation of all human achievement. from the wheel to anesthetics. As an experiment attempt to explain to someone what happened to you during your day without the use of prepositions. You start to sound like Tarzan the ape man very quickly. Read this book now to understand what our English teachers never seem to, that language is neither arbitrary nor is it beset by rigid rules; it is the medium by which we are conscious.
Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller Sr.?—?Ron Chernow
There have been dozens of books written about America’s most successful businessman, John D. Rockefeller, and for good reason. This book carefully selects the most illustrative moments of Rockefeller’s life in order to paint a picture that both shows his flaws and his genius. If you were educated in public school in America, it is likely you received an extremely biased version of the truth. Rockefeller as evil tyrant of business. Rockefeller as monopolist destroying the quaint oil producers of the 19th century. This viewpoint comes to us dominantly from one critic of Rockefeller, Ida Tarbell, a typical early 20th century muckraker (whose father just so happened to be an oil producer). Chernow chose Ida Tarbell’s destructive invective against Rockefeller and its effect, as an integrating factor for the book. Chernow does a fair job of showing all sides of the story, however. There are dark moments of loneliness and emotional distress as well as acknowledgements of Rockefeller’s absolute business genius.\
It Can’t Happen Here—?Sinclair Lewis
Most Americans live in an ahistorical bubble. They truly believe that “it” could never happen here. By “It” Lewis meant a fascist dictatorship. This book was written back in 1935, the apex of the Great Depression. But, ironically, the message of the book is that it can happen here. Even the land of rugged independence and freedom, can turn into the land of the Gulag and the Gestapo. With some of the events going on in our current political arena I think this book provides useful tools to think differently about our present situation. And, most interestingly (or perhaps terrifyingly) is that the characters and events in Lewis’ 1935 novel seem to have come alive in our own era.
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
There is no fiction story with a greater, more powerful protagonist than Ayn Rand’s Howard Roark. (Ok. Maybe her next novel topped it.) Nevertheless, this novel does a fantastic job of delving into the life of a great man. Howard Roark is an architect living in New York during the 1920’s. He has a grand vision for an entirely new type of architectural design. But he lives amidst conformists who cannot see the validity of his new style. Rand wonderfully captured the life of a great man; his struggles and his achievements. It’s been a bestseller for over 60 years. This goes to two of my definitions of a classic. It must stand the test of time and speak to multiple generations.
Ego is the Enemy?—?Ryan Holiday (I interviewed Ryan for The Objective Standard here and wrote a review for his previous book, The Obstacle is the Way.)
This book takes a colloquial conception of “ego.” It is used synonymous with arrogance, or even, outrageous arrogance?—?what the ancients would have called hubris. Though it takes this broad conception of ego, it’s the practical strategies that are extremely intriguing. Each section is filled with dozens of stories that bring to life some strategy aimed at helping you gain objectivity in your work and in your life. In Holiday’s previous book, Obstacle is The Way, there were strategies on how to re-orient yourself to reality when an external obstacle is thrown at you?—?such as receiving divorce papers?—?and in Ego there are strategies on how to re-orient yourself to reality when you throw an internal obstacle at yourself?—?such as talking about writing a book rather than writing it. This is a must read book for anyone who grew up in the “gold-star” era of self esteem. And if you don’t know what that means, you might be safe.
Poetry:
For most of us today, poetry is a waste of time. But in the spirit of challenging our deepest beliefs, here is a poem that may help you appreciate the experience of poetry. The language of the poem is not complicated and the message is simple. Your mind is a kingdom, so treat it as such.
Visualize your mind as a kingdom. Who do you let into your borders? How do you treat those within? Is your mind a democracy or a dictatorship? Liberal or Conservative? at War or Peace?
My Mind to Me A Kingdom is
By Sir Edward Dyer
MY mind to me a kingdom is;
Such present joys therein I find,
That it excels all other bliss
That earth affords or grows by kind:
Though much I want that most would have,
Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
No princely pomp, no wealthy store,
No force to win the victory,
No wily wit to salve a sore,
No shape to feed a loving eye;
To none of these I yield as thrall;
For why? my mind doth serve for all.
I see how plenty surfeits oft,
And hasty climbers soon do fall;
I see that those which are aloft
Mishap doth threaten most of all:
They get with toil, they keep with fear:
Such cares my mind could never bear.
Content I live, this is my stay;
I seek no more than may suffice;
I press to bear no haughty sway;
Look, what I lack my mind supplies.
Lo, thus I triumph like a king,
Content with that my mind doth bring.
Some have too much, yet still do crave;
I little have, and seek no more.
They are but poor, though much they have,
And I am rich with little store;
They poor, I rich; they beg, I give;
They lack, I leave; they pine, I live.
I laugh not at another’s loss,
I grudge not at another’s gain;
No worldly waves my mind can toss;
My state at one doth still remain:
I fear no foe, I fawn no friend;
I loathe not life, nor dread my end.
Some weigh their pleasure by their lust,
Their wisdom by their rage of will;
Their treasure is their only trust,
A cloakèd craft their store of skill;
But all the pleasure that I find
Is to maintain a quiet mind.
My wealth is health and perfect ease,
My conscience clear my chief defence;
I neither seek by bribes to please,
Nor by deceit to breed offence:
Thus do I live; thus will I die;
Would all did so as well as I!