Very few issues worthy of debate are black and white. That’s why we need to grapple with the gray areas of life, of which there are many. It’s always tempting to reduce issues to binary choices between right and wrong, good and evil, beneficial and destructive. But it’s ultimately self-defeating; binary thinking discourages complex reasoning while... See more
I wanted to share my most memorable VC pass email of all time, Maple back in the fall from @schlaf. Thoughtful and empathetic:
"I've been wrong more than I've been right so take this all with a grain of salt. I hope you prove me wrong and make me regret this decision."
We often raise issues of justice and equity not to advance meaningful social causes but to generate positive attention for ourselves by denigrating others. Sometimes this involves piling on—joining a Greek chorus of reproachful replies without contributing anything new—or exaggerating one’s moral outrage for dramatic value. In doing so, we dilute the impact of critical ethical issues and foreclose the possibility of productive public discourse. The goal is not to understand but to win.
An interesting thing about communication is that most people assume everyone speaks the way they do, when in truth we all come into a conversation with our own language. It takes time, context, intentionality and framework to have a shared language, ease in communication. 1/
A fantastic insight by Lisa Feldman Barrett: When someone expresses anxiety, the first thing you should do is ask: do you want empathy or do you want a solution?
Will 100% use this phrase going forward.
L.M. Sacasas on Instant Messenger Over Instant Messenger
an interview about instant messenger that takes place on instant messenger. the lesson is simple: writing is hard because it forces us to improve our thinking.