CDOQ

There are more boundaries in my head than in the physical world. 

We notice a change in our surroundings before we know what the change is. 

Romance is inversely proportional to efficiency and luxury is inversely  proportional to utility. No wonder luxury is considered romantic. 

Framing is how we look at the world. Everyone has their own frame. In business, framing is how we look at problems. Often, reframing a problem results in better decisions because you get a deeper understanding of the problem. Like Charles Kettering said, "A problem well-stated is a problem half-solved."  How do you reframe a problem? Deconstruct the framing into three elements - assumptions, optionality, and constraints - and analyze what can be changed in the three elements to create a new way of looking at the problem.  The three elements of framing are defined as follows:  1. Assumptions: What assumptions are embedded in the framing and how are they leading to conclusions?  2. Optionality: What are the other possibilities?  3. Constraints: What are the constraints embedded in the framing and how they can be changed?  Thinking through and analyzing these elements with a diverse group of people often results in reframing and better decisions....

Earlier today I finished reading, Range (by David Epstein), an interesting book that makes a case of learning about multiple disciplines (becoming a "generalist") vs. specializing early in life (becoming a "specialist"). I found the case to be compelling probably because I am a generalist with broad experience.  Charlie Munger has talked about the same idea for decades. The study of complex systems is based on breaking the boundaries of academic disciplines.  The world needs both specialists and generalists. A lot more specialists than generalists.  Regardless, one has to pursue disciplines one is curious about. Some people are curious about a lot of things. 

Illogic in others can be used logically. 

I spent years finding myself and when I did, there was nothing there. 

Logic is a function of knowledge. For a long time, it was logical to believe that the Earth is flat and it is the center of the universe. 

If you haven't figured out that love is the answer then you have been asking the wrong questions...

Valentine's day fixed-menu restaurant meals have a lot in common with romantic relationships: loss of choice, increase in unnecessary expenses, and temporary happiness with the illusion of permanence.  Happy Valentine's day! 

How do we know what leather tastes like? Does the mind confuse smell with taste? Or, can we taste things through the nose? Or, does consistent exposure to something gives us a sense of taste for that thing? 

Joy is the absence of thought. 

Last month, I attended a workshop in Ojai, CA on Krishnamurti's teachings. He is my favorite philosopher and I find his ideas on thinking fascinating. Krishnamurti gave talks under an oak tree in Ojai from 1926 to 1986. Ojai is a beautiful place and the workshop was held at Krishnamurti's former residence which is a public library now.  Following are my random notes from the workshop: Krishnamurti teaching under the oak tree in Ojai 1. Knowledge makes you less attentive. See and listen without knowledge.  2. What is attention if it has nothing to do with thought?  3. Desire is the essence of will. 4. Attention = hearing + seeing + learning  5. Attention is not concentration because the idea behind concentration is to build resistance to all other thought except the one you want to concentrate on.  6. Awareness without choice (i.e. no comparison) is required for attention. In that attention there is no "me".  7...

Opinion without understanding corrupts the mind. 

Creativity and effort towards a goal is inversely proportional to the appealing available alternatives. 

Shared adversity makes better friendships. 

Psychiatrists are very good at defining and explaining things that, for the most part, are made-up  Hence, consistently increasing their market size. Brain is probably the least understood thing in science today. And somehow, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) has hundreds of disorders with subcategories explained in around thousand pages. 

Childhood is not the cause of all adult romantic relationship problems. Social conditioning, fiction, and media may have more to do with it. Attachment theory might be too attached to itself. 

Last month, I was in Victoria, BC, to attend a workshop on Awareness based on teachings of my favorite philosopher, Krishnamurti (K). The workshop was held at the Krishnamurti Education Center of Canada . It is a beautiful and calm place, perfect for introspection. Following are my random notes from the workshop: 1. What drives our actions? The general understanding is that thought drives action. Hence, we try to control our thoughts with meditation. The idea is that if you control your thoughts then you will control your actions and if you control your actions then you will be happy. Everybody is looking for happiness and the cause for happiness or unhappiness is thought. However, K says that what you think is result of the state of your mind. And, the state of mind is influenced by one's unconscious. So what one thinks is caused by one's unconscious and thought becomes the effect and not the cause of one’s actions.   2. The Mind, which always wants to sati...

Loss is more memorable than gain.