Tag Archives: npr

<3 of the week: Reason follows intuition and existential crises

5 Apr

Textures from the fashion collection "Outpost " by Jessica O'Connor

  • Sascha Dichter this week eloquently posts on how reason follows intuition. You will always, always, always find evidence to support your point of view, if that is what you are looking for. “This means that we make decisions and form opinions with our intuitive minds, and then use our power to reason to support our intuitive decisions.  In Jonathan’s words, the intuitive (or emotional) dog wags the rational tail.   This is why we find it so incomprehensible that people with different moral outlooks don’t “just respond to the facts.”  We think that people look at facts to make decisions, when in fact they make decisions and then look for facts that support those decisions.”
  • Anyone who knows me well knows I often in the midst of some existential crisis about my life – thinking about some big question that I will never be able to actually answer. It made me feel less alone to hear this from Robin Hilton on NPR’s Listeners Picks of 2011 about Fleet Foxes ”Helplessness Blues”: ”I love growing old… every year I’m glad that my 20s are behind me. My 20s were one long existential crisis - what is the meaning of anything, what is all this for, what does work matter, and this song is all about coming to the understanding that your life doesn’t have to be remarkable to be fulfilling. This song has the passion and urgency of someone in their 20s who wants to live an amazing life … but the narrator comes to the understanding that he wants to serve something greater, even if he’s a small part of whatever that is”. I also really liked Civilian by Wye Oak; their whole album is described as an ode to “the pursuit of a normal life, to be comfortable in your own skin”.
  • A good friend’s sister recently scored a fashion contract with the Australian store Sportsgirl. I previously posted about my reaction to her clothes  (mid-existential crisis). Amazing what someone can do with their university thesis. You can check out Jess’ collection “Outpost” here.

Image Credit: Sportsgirl

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<3 Links, quotes and comments of the week

22 Dec

Is the world a more violent place?

From my readings this week:

  • Is the world a more violent place than is used to be? Joshua Goldstein says a big no in this piece in the Sept/Oct 2011 issue of Foreign Policy. The last decade has seen fewer war deaths than any decade in the past 100 years – despite a growing global population. And interestingly “the decline of violent behaviour has been paralleled by a decline in attitudes that tolerate or glorify violence – so we see today’s atrocities – though mild by historical standards – as signs of how our behaviour can sink, not of how high our standards have risen.” He also writes on how peace keeping has improved, why democracies don’t attack each other (but do attack non-democracies), and how China is “hands down the most peaceful great power of its time. China’s military hasn’t fired a single shot in battle in 25 years.”
  • On the music front – I recently found NPR’s tiny desk concerts. I love this one from Gabriel Kahane  – described as “rigourously crafted songs that fall somewhere between classical and pop.” Like all classical music, it’s worth persisting through the full 15 mins before judging.
  • And finally, some shameless self-promotion. Check out my guest post here on the brilliant House of Cards website. It’s on the UN’s International Year of Sustainable Energy for All in 2012 and ways you can get involved.

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