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Sloww Sunday Newsletter 006 (February 23, 2020) — The Hedgehog Concept for Purpose, Life is a Sine Wave, The Universe is an Egg, & More
Happy Sunday!
Sloww Sunday is a new email newsletter sharing inspiration to awaken the art of living in all of us.
In a modern world focused on the trendy, here’s your weekly dose of the timeless.
1 // New on Sloww
“The Value of Voluntary Simplicity” by Richard Gregg (Essay Summary) — I’m kicking myself for waiting so long to read Gregg’s 1936 essay where he coined the concept “voluntary simplicity.” His personal story is also quite amazing. After graduating from Harvard and Harvard Law in the early 1900s, he sailed to India in the 1920s and was one of the first Americans to live and work with Gandhi.
Voluntary simplicity involves both inner and outer condition. It means singleness of purpose, sincerity and honesty within, as well as avoidance of exterior clutter, of many possessions irrelevant to the chief purpose of life.
— Richard Gregg
In Case You Missed It:
2 // Video I’m (Re)Watching
The Egg — A Short Story (YouTube | 8 mins) — This video about the nature of reality and the universe is based on Andy Weir’s powerful short story The Egg (original text here). Weir has said that it doesn’t reflect his own personal beliefs and that it’s just a story. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t look for some ways that the story can positively impact our day-to-day lives. That’s the beauty of storytelling after all.
I wanted to come up with some way to look at the world such that life was fair. A way where everyone came out even in the end. This is what I came up with.
— Andy Weir
Pair with my summary: 10 Mind-Expanding Thoughts on “The Egg” by Andy Weir for its 10th Anniversary
3 // Speech I’m (Re)Listening To
The Hedgehog Concept — Jim Collins (YouTube | 4 mins) — Are you familiar with the viral ikigai diagram for life purpose? If so, then The Hedgehog Concept will seem familiar. It was originally developed by Jim Collins in his 2001 book Good to Great. Collins guesses only 3-5 percent of everyone on Earth has figured out their hedgehog (life purpose). Could you imagine a world where it’s 30-50 percent?
There’s a big difference between what you’re good at and what you’re genetically encoded for…
— Jim Collins
Pair with my direct comparison of the Hedgehog Concept vs Ikigai and how to build momentum for your purpose with the Flywheel Effect by Jim Collins.
4 // Article I’m Reading
Simplicity and Longevity: Life Lessons Sine Wave Taught Me (Hacker Noon | 3 mins) — I’ve been theorizing lately that life could be like a sine wave/curve. Up and down and up and down. I did some searching and came across this concise article.
Remember that your attitude determines your altitude. So, develop an attitude where in you can handle the crests as easily as you handle the troughs.
— Gokul NK
Pair with this simple story about non-judgement.
5 // Quote & Question I’m Contemplating
Remain true to yourself, but move ever upward toward greater consciousness and greater love! At the summit you will find yourselves united with all those who, from every direction, have made the same ascent. For everything that rises must converge.
— Pierre Teilhard De Chardin
What we do may appear different on the surface-level of daily life.
But, why we do what we do gets us closer to each other.
And, the values that drive why we do what we do get us even closer (eg Maslow’s Being-Values).
Does everyone eventually converge?
Bonus // Something I’m Learning
Ephemeralization:
- The ability of technological advancement to do “more and more with less and less until eventually you can do everything with nothing.”
- An accelerating increase in the efficiency of achieving the same or more output while requiring less input.
- Coined by Buckminster Fuller, a fascinating human. Apparently he was expelled from Harvard twice. At 32, he was unemployed and contemplated suicide. Then he spent two years in deep contemplation about the universe and how he could best contribute to humanity. The rest is history!
- More on Wikipedia: ephemeralization and Buckminster Fuller
- Here’s a nice video explaining the concept of doing more with less:
Worth sharing? If you enjoyed this issue of Sloww Sunday, please share with a friend or two (or post socially). It’s easy for them to subscribe for free here.
Have feedback? It’s always appreciated! Please let me know by email or socially. Also, please let me know if you come across interesting content on the same wavelength as Sloww. I may be able to include it in an upcoming newsletter.
Have a contemplative week!
Go with the Sloww,
Kyle Kowalski
Founder, Sloww
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