I know, I could have chosen to tell you to be kind, to be forgiving, to trust your loved ones, or to feel generous.
Those are very important, I agree with you. So, yes, do that too.
But let me tell you what I've learnt in 2021. Humanity has lost critical thinking, and we might go toward our own extinction 😁.
I know, writing this sentence and smiling at the same time, makes me a potential Dexter, you're probably mad at me now, thinking you've wasted your time clicking on that dexter picture, and wonder if I am just trying to troll you.
But truth is, this year, more than any other years, I got smarter than the year before (+1%), and learnt about the importance of thinking. How did it work?
Well, I decided to trust my guts, my instinct, and always be a few steps ahead of the game, something politicians and chess players have in common.
You see, I've spent many years, trying to prove to people that I was smart, and at the end of the day, I wish someone would have told me that it's a waste of time.
The problem is, we live in the eyes of our peers, and very often, we are looking for acceptance, and praise.
I have also stopped doing this, because I realize that most people are really lazy, and don't research anything, don't read, and are just waiting for the end of their lives to come.
That's pathetic, but you cannot save everyone. Save yourself first, that's the lesson for today! Thanks!!
Hahah ok I am not done, far from it.
I have a confession to make. I am a doer. Not a deer, not a dork, a doer.
I do things, I think afterwards, and while it has been beneficial in some situations, truth is, I could have yielded much greater results with a little more planning, a little bit more thinking.
So this year, and we started doing this approximately 12 months ago, we started making outrageous plans, like we had the cheat codes for this "video game".
e.g: Learning how to fly a plane, learning coding, learning how to edit videos, growing as a homesteader, learning about new herbs, becoming a better artist, learn about our own psychology and countless other subjects, that have always interested us but we were too scared, too intimidated to even pull the trigger.
Some "projects" stuck to the wall, some didn't, but what was important is that we have many conversations with my wife, about the type of person we want to become, and again, be a few steps ahead of institutions, establishments, we started seeing the world completely losing their minds, going into a mass hysteria, but we already knew what was the end game, so it didn't matter to us.
You know what makes you a real idiot?
Fear.
It's actually the best way to control you, and make sure that you stay that way.
Have you noticed that every time you are asking questions, or argument with someone, they will ask you "Oh, you're an expert now?"
You know the feeling, right? Well, this year we learnt the so called experts make mistakes, and that researching a subject, isn't a bad idea.
That maybe won't make you an "expert", but it will help you to prepare.
"To prepare for what Ed"?
For whatever, be ready to move if you have to, be ready to stay if it's for the right reasons, but you...Cannot...Give...Up on yourself.
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
So my advice for you this year, leave your preconceived thoughts on the side, about what you know and you don't, and learn.
It starts with opening one tab, one book, listen to a podcast on a subject you've always wanted to know, but you cannot become complaisant, not now, because the outcome might be irreversible.
If you still don't understand what I am talking about, well it actually varies from one person to another, so I tried to keep it as broad as possible, and not going political 😄.
We are losing the battle for common sense, critical thinking and I have a feeling that this year will test our strength, our courage in ways that we cannot imagine yet.
Trust me, you want to be on the side of humanity that thinks for themselves, especially this year, and for this, you cannot surrender the most precious tool that we've been gifted with: Your thoughts.
Being smart, might also mean for you, to work smart. It's the second day of the year, how are you going to plan your strategy for this year?
Are you going to rush into things, and burn out, or will you have the wisdom, to work in ways that accommodate your life, and make sure you don't lose the fire?
If you decide to keep your eyes closed at night, who will make sure the fire doesn't run out?
I am supposed to tag someone for this, but there is only a few hours left before it ends, anyway I nominate @fermentedphil that always has great reflections.