There is an old saying which goes "the way a person does one thing is the way they do everything". I encountered this saying twice this week, once in a positive light:
there's an ancient Chinese saying "the way a person does one thing is the way they do everything". the best way to conquer this is to ask "if i had to do everything in a single way, what would i want it to be?" - finding your answer will feel like compounding magic over time
And once in much less favourable terms:
Mario Gabriele is collector and teller of stories, and he argues that they are the foundation of how we understand the world. I talked to @mariogabriele about writing, what motivates the heroes he is most interested in (founders), and how to see the story underneath the story Show more
Mario doesn't hold back.
"Even hearing you say it, I find it so stupid. It's obviously incorrect, but it sounds like something that has the rough shape of wisdom, so people have attached themselves to this idea."
And yet when I saw David's tweet, it made me think. I could see how this ancient proverb had been useful to him.
I think it highlighted to me that wisdom is actually in the ear of the beholder. The same words can be "obviously incorrect" to somebody, and quite helpful to someone else.
If I was to guess why they disagree in this case, Mario seems to be assessing it as a descriptor, and finding it wanting, while David is using it as a prompt, and finding it useful.
This variety in reception doesn't just exist between people, I also observe it in myself over time, as ideas which were once bewildering or opaque become clearer, and ideas which resonated lose their lustre.
So when I encounter something that I don't understand, which is deeply meaningful to someone else, I try to be curious, rather than dismissive. Easier said than done.