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Sloww Sunday Newsletter 034 (Oct 4, 2020) — The Downside of Life Advice, Intro to Spiral Dynamics, Secrets to Fulfillment, & More
Hi friends!
Sloww is your guide to mastering the art of living.
Each week, I synthesize a little more of the world’s wisdom and share it in Sloww Sunday. It’s your gateway to the good life.
Here’s to the journey of becoming who you are and living fully alive.
1. Sloww Stuff
Daniel Schmachtenberger is a fascinating thinker. I’d personally describe him as a holistic systems thinker focused on civilization risk and design. Let’s just say the way his brain works is out of this world.
Premium Members get to go even deeper into my synthesis of all things Schmachtenberger (featuring content from 8 podcasts, his blog, and more). Since most of Daniel’s content is audio/video, this seems to be one of the few places where you can find this much of his thinking organized in one place.
🔒 Daniel Schmachtenberger Synthesis: How to Think Holistically about Civilization
2. Video I’m Watching
📺 The Best Life Advice You’ve Ever Heard is Probably Wrong
(14 mins | Pursuit of Wonder on YouTube)
The joys, dangers, and opportunities of seeking wisdom. A short, fictional story with a powerful conclusion about what it means to live a good life.
“I went out into the world claiming to seek wisdom. But what I really sought were answers. And it is now perhaps my only clear conclusion that wisdom is the ability to know the difference.” — Pursuit of Wonder
3. Presentation I’m Enjoying
🎧 An Introduction to Spiral Dynamics
(28 mins | YouTube)
Spiral Dynamics is a model of the evolutionary development of individuals and societies. I’m beginning to educate myself on the concept, and this video is one of the better intros I’ve seen to date. If you want to go back in time and hear from the originator, Clare W. Graves, watch this rare video. If you want to see a more recent video about how the model connects to economics, watch this video.
“The psychology of the mature human being is an unfolding, emergent, oscillating, spiraling process marked by progressive subordination of older, lower-order behavior systems to newer, higher-order systems as man’s existential problems change.” — Clare W. Graves
4. Article I’m Reading
📖 8 Secrets to a (Fairly) Fulfilled Life
(7 mins | The Guardian)
This article seems to be making the rounds—and for good reason. It’s not your average listicle article about meaningful living. My favorite is #2: “When stumped by a life choice, choose ‘enlargement’ over happiness.” How about you?
“Ask yourself of every dilemma, every choice, every relationship, every commitment, or every failure to commit: Does this choice diminish me, or enlarge me?” — James Hollis
5. Quote I’m Contemplating
We are the sole survivors of a world no one else has ever seen.
— John le Carré
😃 “The Hierarchy of Happiness” eBook (FREE)
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Free as a thank you to email subscribers! If you aren’t subscribed yet, use the form at the top or bottom of this page and you’ll receive the eBook in your welcome email.
“A reminder of what it takes to be happy. The Hierarchy of Happiness is a great visual aid but make some time to read the whole piece. A lot of thought has gone into this … The infographic alone is a powerful reminder of what matters.” — Carl P, Sloww Reader
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“I recently became a premium member … I now consider Sloww one of my core thinking sites, along with Tim Ferriss, Farnam Street, and Brain Pickings … Sloww is the equivalent of being more aware and appreciating the substance of our intellectual capabilities.” — Richard S, Sloww Premium Member
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Have an insightful week!
Kyle Kowalski
Founder, Sloww
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