Figure It Out
This essay was sparked when I listened to a recent interview of famed investor Chris Sacca by Tim Ferriss. (FYI - Chris’s vocabulary is frequently spiced with the “F” word. If that’s an issue for you, perhaps don’t listen to the interview.)
I really appreciate Sacca’s viewpoint - both in this interview and others I have listened to over the years. Despite his financial success, he strikes me as a person well-grounded in many of the values that I also hold. The key thing that I was reminded of by this interview was just how different my childhood was from that of my children. I was pretty feral in comparison.
Somehow I had forgotten how many miles I put on my 10-speed bike, riding to friends’ homes that were many miles from my own. I was reminded of the tree houses my friends and I erected on property that wasn’t ours, spending entire days 20 or 30 feet off of the ground, playing imaginary games and talking about everything imaginable. It was a much less structured existence - one where I had to fill the vacuum without the internet offering endless distraction. Things could go sideways, in a Lord Of The Flies kind of way back then. Arguments would arise, and we would have to hash it out, both verbally and sometimes physically. In those moments, we were on our own. There was just a general understanding with my mom that I should return home some time around sundown. But this was about the only rule governing my days.
This is not to suggest that I wish my childhood experience was simply cut-and-pasted onto my childrens’ lives. I recognize that there were probably predatory people taking advantage of youngsters back in those days. But getting into (and out of) jams, navigating personal conflict or friction is a skill that can only be developed through engagement.
Sacca is right that today’s youth are rarely put in a situation where they have to figure things out. So if you have kids today, I encourage you to allow them to meander into such situations sometimes. It will do them good. When they leave the protective bubble of your home and its surrounding community, they will find themselves in weird situations. Microdosing on weirdness will help prepare them to live in the broader world.
If Artificial Intelligence is as disruptive a technological change as many predict, we all are going to have to strengthen our “figure it out” muscles. Change is coming, at increasingly faster speeds. One specific example worth considering: I have heard many predictions that AI is going to drastically reduce the need for lawyers. How do we maintain a solid roster of experienced attorneys if much of entry-level legal work is automated away by AI? This same basic issue appears to exist in the realm of software engineering too.
There is an answer, but we might only discover it by wrestling with the new reality when it arrives. So I hope we all have developed our “figure it out” skills. We are probably going to need them more than ever.
SUNDAY SUPPER
I made some great Beef Broth this past week, using bones purchased from the Copia Farm self-serve market. I froze some of it, using the rest to make a pitch-perfect French Onion Soup. You can make some today, if you use store-bought broth. This Broccoli-Quinoa Soup w/ Turmeric & Ginger looks yummy, as do these Braised Greens with Andouille.
SUNDAY MUSIC
This concert by the Avishai Cohen Trio is just wonderful. This performance by Bilal at the NPR Tiny Desk is super-groovy, too. Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! Offer support to others. Make good use of this day. And let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,