{"id":34486,"date":"2023-12-05T20:32:56","date_gmt":"2023-12-06T04:32:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=34486"},"modified":"2023-12-05T20:32:56","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T04:32:56","slug":"better-stronger-faster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/better-stronger-faster\/","title":{"rendered":"Better, Stronger, Faster"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cAntifragility\u201d has been tumbling through my conscious and unconscious mind for the last few days. I pondered it this morning at the gym: is my workout antifragile, strengthening my muscles beyond the load I\u2019m placing on them or fragile, because the movements are repetitive and unnatural?[1]<\/a> \u201cAntifragile\u201d also led to some interesting conversations with friends and family who came up with antifragile examples such as: metal, because when you pound it, it gets stronger and can be shaped into durable tools; the Six Million Dollar Man, because following his devastating accident, scientists made him \u00a0\u201cbetter, stronger, faster;\u201d the French figure skater Surya Bonaly, who\u2019s fall in Olympic competition ultimately became her freedom.<\/p>\n

We also pondered \u201cantifragile\u201d in light of faith, the local church, and denominations. Are these things \u201cfragile, robust, or antifragile\u201d when exposed to the \u201cExtended Disorder Family\u201d of uncertainty, chaos, time, and the unknown?[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Nassim Nicholas Taleb\u2019s book, Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder<\/em>, has provided a wealth of information to contemplate. He writes with humor and boldness, organizing his thoughts into seven\u00a0 books within one, and presents his information through personal stories and parables interwoven with philosophy and science, saying, \u201cI write about probability with my entire soul and my entire experiences in the risk-taking business; I write with my scars, hence my thought is inseparable from autobiography.\u201d[3]<\/a> Focusing on the topic of incertitude Taleb proposes a road map for living in a world we do not understand.[4]<\/a>\u00a0 His term \u201cantifragile\u201d refers to those things that get better under pressure, as opposed to those things that remain static, which he calls \u201crobust,\u201d or those things that break under pressure, which he terms \u201cfragile.\u201d[5]<\/a><\/p>\n

Two ideas that particularly caught my attention in Taleb\u2019s thinking were his philosophy on global connectivity, specifically the structure of nation states and the global flow of information, and his approach to procrastination.[6]<\/a><\/p>\n

On Global Connectivity<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am interested in Taleb\u2019s idea that nation states, in order to weather Black Swan events, need to be politically and economically structured in ways that mitigate the damage and ensure accessibility to needed survival resources.[7]<\/a> For Taleb, this means \u201cencouraging the distribution of power among smaller, more local, experimental, and self-sufficient entities.\u201d[8]<\/a> In an interview with New Yorker journalist, Bernard Avishai, Taleb said, \u201c\u2026in short, build a system that could survive random stresses, rather than break under any particular one.\u201d[9]<\/a><\/p>\n

In this same interview, Taleb also communicated, regarding global information networks, \u201c\u2019The great danger has always been too much connectivity.\u2019 Proliferating global networks, both physical and virtual, inevitably incorporate more fat-tail risks into a more interdependent and \u201cfragile\u201d system: not only risks such as pathogens but also computer viruses, or the hacking of information networks, or reckless budgetary management by financial institutions or state governments, or spectacular acts of terror. Any negative event along these lines can create a rolling, widening collapse.\u201d[10]<\/a><\/p>\n

I find it interesting that our current global context promotes and values interconnectedness and Taleb brings caution to this matter. These are issues that will take time for me to digest more thoroughly.<\/p>\n

On Procrastination<\/strong><\/p>\n

On a smaller scale, I was intrigued by Taleb\u2019s thoughts on procrastination. My mind jumped to Steven Pressfield\u2019s presentation on procrastination in his book, The War of Art.<\/em> In comparing these two perspectives on procrastination I found interesting insights.<\/p>\n

Taleb sees procrastination, in non-life-threatening events, as a natural human tool for making good decisions, because it allows us time to gather and carefully process information. It also allows for events to develop naturally as opposed to intervening prematurely, which can be harmful. He notes, \u201cFew understand that procrastination is our natural defense, letting things take care of themselves and exercise their antifragility\u2026 and is not always bad.\u201d[11]<\/a> He gives an example from his writing experience and explains, by \u201cdeferring the writing of a passage until my body tells me that I\u2019m ready for it, I may be using a very potent naturalistic filter.\u201d[12]<\/a> Taleb suggests that we embed ourselves in environments and careers that do not force us to fight procrastination but reward it as a \u201cnaturalistic-risk-based form of decision making.\u201d[13]<\/a><\/p>\n

Steven Pressfield, also an author, presents equally intriguing thoughts regarding procrastination. As a writer, he overcomes resistance to his work through ritual, establishing a routine by which he sits down each day and writes for several hours, worrying not if it\u2019s good or bad, but faithfully doing the work. He says, \u201cAll that matters is that I\u2019ve put in my time and hit it with all I\u2019ve got.\u201d[14]<\/a> He also adds that procrastination can cause fear: \u201cThe degree of fear equates to the strength of Resistance. Therefore, the more fear we feel about a specific enterprise, the more certain we can be that the enterprise is important to us and to the growth of our soul.\u201d[15]<\/a><\/p>\n

In my own experience, I can see how procrastinating on writing or on completing a project can actually help me wrestle with, filter, and refine my thoughts. Because I\u2019ve chosen to be part of educational and career systems that implement deadlines, however, I sometimes just need to sit down and do the work with the knowledge I have at the moment.<\/p>\n

Pressfield\u2019s reflections on overcoming fear align with Taleb\u2019s presentation of antifragility. If we can withstand the pressure of fear, pressing through with determination to finish the work, we will most likely get better at the skills we\u2019re implementing and broaden the mindset from which we work. And, when our projects present us with fear, we can often assume it\u2019s because this project matters and is something in which we\u2019ve got \u201cskin in the game.\u201d Overcoming the paralysis of fear and fulfilling those callings that God has given us can bring new life to ourselves and possibly to those around us.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

In our current world filled with uncertainty, Taleb\u2019s Antifragile<\/em> provides wisdom on constructing both societies and life routines that represent our values, foster growth, and can withstand the pressures that will come through unexpected events of natural and human consequences. Daniel Lieberman, in a discussion with the DLGP cohort, mentioned that he is concerned about our current postmodern culture, because it is a \u201cdead end,\u201d leading to ruin.[16]<\/a> Perhaps Taleb\u2019s concept of antifragile offers us some hope. Can we develop personal, communal, and global systems that will not crumble with the inevitable, \u00a0\u00a0massive consequences of our \u201cprogress?\u201d The sooner we clearly define our context and take action in building flexible systems to withstand the coming pressures, the more likely we are to survive.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder <\/em>(New York, NY: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2012), 47, 64.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Taleb, 13.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Taleb, 18.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Taleb, 11.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Taleb, 20.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> J. Richardson, \u201cBook Review: Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb,\u201d World Futures Review<\/em>, 2013, 5(2), 219-221. https:\/\/doi-org.georgefox.idm.oclc.org\/10.1177\/1946756713491391<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Black Swan events are \u201clarge scale unpredictable and irregular events of massive consequence,\u201d Taleb, 6.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Bernard Avishai, \u201cThe Pandemic isn\u2019t a Black Swan but a Portent of a More Fragile Global System,\u201d The New Yorker<\/em>, April 21, 2020, https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/news\/daily-comment\/the-pandemic-isnt-a-black-swan-but-a-portent-of-a-more-fragile-global-system.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Avishai, \u201cThe Pandemic isn\u2019t a Black Swan but a Portent of a More Fragile Global System.\u201d<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> Avishai, \u201cThe Pandemic isn\u2019t a Black Swan but a Portent of a More Fragile Global System.\u201d<\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> Taleb, 122.<\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> Taleb, 122.<\/p>\n

[13]<\/a> Taleb, 123.<\/p>\n

[14]<\/a> Steven Pressfield, The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles<\/em> (Los Angeles, CA: Black Irish Entertainment LLC, 2002), vii-viii.<\/p>\n

[15]<\/a> Pressfield, 40.<\/p>\n

[16]<\/a> Daniel Lieberman, \u201cDLGP Online Chat with Cohort 1,\u201d Portland Seminary, November 27, 2023.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cAntifragility\u201d has been tumbling through my conscious and unconscious mind for the last few days. I pondered it this morning at the gym: is my workout antifragile, strengthening my muscles beyond the load I\u2019m placing on them or fragile, because the movements are repetitive and unnatural?[1] \u201cAntifragile\u201d also led to some interesting conversations with friends […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":157,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2411],"class_list":["post-34486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-taleb","cohort-dlgp01"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/157"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34486"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34486\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34487,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34486\/revisions\/34487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}