From 600+ conversations with the world’s leading thinkers.
As children we experience a domestication process where rather than having our authenticity unlocked for us, instead we have put upon us layers and layers of rules about how we ought to behave and how we ought not to behave.
We have to recognise that if we ignore or downplay the human side, we could lose. That, I think, is really the key insight for why and how things should be done differently.
There's an adage, 'you don't ask? You don't get!' And in the curious world of humans, this applies more than you'd expect. You'd be astonished at how many people kick themselves after an event not having secured the contact they wanted to, or speaking to the person they had aimed for. In truth, this came down to not being bold enough.
Unlike a machine, which processes myriad data points yet remains detached from meaning, we humans instantly ascribe significance to our sensory perceptions. The colour red transcends mere visual data, morphing into a spectrum of experiences.
Empowerment means we are able to sustain hope in a situation that may – to many outsiders – look hopeless.
You're not going to be a warrior in battle unless you are a warrior in preparation. You have to be single-minded, you can't just show-up on the night.
Some call it resilience, but it's likely just escapism. When you keep moving, the wind moves behind you, and you leave behind who you once were and move towards something new.
The perspective of seeing the Earth from space has rewired our brain. We used to have a 2-dimensional view for hundreds of thousands of years. Now with space telescopes we have a 4-dimensional view of our universe.
I spent 20 years in executive search, and I was hired by my clients to call 'the most successful people' in the world. Bold face names in bold face organisations. However it wasn't that hard, because despite all the success, which is why I was calling them, they were not very happy which is why they were calling me back.
If you fall flat on your face, at least you're moving forward. All you have to do is get back up and try again!
I noticed trolling because I was a troll when I was a teenager. I was one of those guys who spent a lot of time on forums at the weekend – trolling people. Back then, it was more like pranking; sending people a dud-link that would send them to a weird cartoon or porn site.
Humanity, having never faced any serious competition or whole-species-threats, feels relatively safe from existential events and cannot conceive any threats it may be creating.