“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” - Mark Twain
There’s a reason I don’t smoke Lucky Strikes, eat at MacDonald’s, or watch hair-on-fire-us-versus-them cable ‘news’. I prefer to avoid cancer, obesity, high blood pressure, and being played by idealogues. Subcontracting one’s thinking to politicians, TV personalities, or friends that do so can be hazardous to one’s health. But in today’s world, with too many choices and so little time, it’s hard to figure out what’s what. As a result, people usually defer to what’s easy, what feels good, and what aligns with the tribe. But … what if the tribe is wrong? After all, it’s happened before …
“I’m good at destroying my own best-loved ideas.” - Charlie Munger
I love it when I find out I’m wrong about something. Why? There’s a difference between being wrong and staying wrong. Success, according to Charlie Munger, is a function of knowing what works, what doesn’t, and why. As an avid reader, over the years I’ve become familiar with many extraordinary thinkers. In my never-ending pursuit of ‘what’, the following two writers never fail to make me go hmmm … and are always a joy to read. I strongly recommend you give them a try:
Kevin D. Williamson / National Review - A brilliant, witty, and prolific wordsmith who gets to the core of all things social, cultural, and political. An iconoclast beholden to no one, Williamson uses his keen intellect to skewer wrongdoers and enlighten the curious. Click here.
Morgan Housel / Collaborative Fund – Taking a longer-term view, Housel provides out-of-the-box insights on human thinking and behavior. Click here.
As the new year kicks off, ‘be curious … not judgmental’.*
*Ted Lasso, season one, episode eight
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