Book 237 - A Year of Magical Learning (Part 4/5)

Reflection Title: It is true…if you don’t use it, you lose it!

Book – Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Part 4 of 5)

Book Description:

In The Black Swan Taleb outlined a problem, and in Antifragile he offers a definitive solution: how to gain from disorder and chaos while being protected from fragilities and adverse events. For what Taleb calls the "antifragile" is actually beyond the robust, because it benefits from shocks, uncertainty, and stressors, just as human bones get stronger when subjected to stress and tension. The antifragile needs disorder in order to survive and flourish.

Reflection:

“Is it true that if you don’t use it, you lose it?” – the character Andy from the movie The 40-Year-Old Virgin

I can’t ever hear that quote and not think that scene from the movie The 40-Year-Old Virgin when Steve Carell’s character, Andy, is at the sexual health clinic with his girlfriend’s daughter and decides to use it as an opportunity to ask his own curious questions about his own sexual health. He asked, “Is it true that if you don’t use it, you lose it?” It was hilarious because he was genuinely serious and concerned because he was, you know, a 40 year old virgin.

Well, it turns out that his question is warranted, because it is true that if you don’t use it, you lose it if you are to believe Nassim Taleb’s words.

In a lot of ways, human beings as a species are antifragile. Humans are endurance machines. Our minds and bodies have been fine tuned to be ready to adapt and evolve with whatever circumstances are thrown in our path. You name it, whatever this world has thrown at us thus far, we’ve been able to find a way to overcome. We thrive when we are stressed because it forces us to adapt, grow, and improve.

Don’t get me wrong, we aren’t bullet proof and there are probably an infinite number of ways in which this world can take us out in an instant if it wanted to, but it hasn’t yet. That said, we have a lot of options we’ve given ourselves to survive and thrive in this world. Whether it be where we live, how we live, what we eat, how we procure food, how we process food, how we collaborate, and how we create…humans are pretty incredible when we have to be.

A lot of what this journey has been about has been discovering who I am as a human and learning all the incredible reasons why we’ve been able to survive, thrive, and endure. What we’re able to do individually and collectively is nothing short of incredible! I’ve never been prouder in my life to call myself a human being!

That said, all these amazing gifts we’ve been given by our ancestors don’t last forever. In order for you to access all of your mind and bodies amazing abilities, it is on you to use it, to stress yourself (mind and body), and keep your endurance machine finely tuned.

It is hard to stress yourself in modern times because humans are so damn good at adapting. We’re so creative and innovative that we’ve designed and built an incredible world around us that simultaneously keeps us safe and protected from all the stressors of our ancestors, but also makes us fragile. Fragile is bad because fragility makes us vulnerable.

So, what do we do?

That answer is easy…USE YOUR GIFTS…EVERYDAY!

Use your mind to be curious and ask questions! Use your muscles and move your body! Get your body out into nature to stress it against the elements! Embrace your social nature and interact with others! Use your imagination to create a new world that best suits you! Use your words and communicate with others! The list goes on and on.

Bottom line…BE A HUMAN! If you don’t use it, you will lose it!

Question: How are you embracing your humanity?

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Links:

What is The Year of Magical Learning? - An Introduction

YOML Podcast Discussion - Coming Soon

YOML Bookstore - Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb