Although some of this was interesting, this on the whole was not the best reading this year. I like lots of Sheldrake’s ideas, but this was probably the wrong book of his for me to read.
Worldview
Daring Greatly
This book is definitely on my wish list. I have been very impressed and encouraged by the author’s TED talks on vulnerability and would like to read more. There is little doubt that the topics covered here are in many ways central to the way that I feel about my ‘connections’ to others.
It is, of course very closely linked to the next book down – “Being Wrong” – since the ability to admit to wrongness is an admission of vulnerability.
Being Wrong
This book almost perfectly matches my own world view – now, perhaps that is simply an instance of one of the dangers warned against in the book – confirmation bias – but I would like to think that it is more than that.
Games People Play
We all do it – whether it is keeping something a secret or “putting on a face” when we are feeling down or slapping on the makeup to make us look better than we do (NOT something I indulge in personally 😉) or dressing for dinner – its all an act – a game we play to hide the ‘reality’ in one way or another from someone or other.
Its Not Just The Big Picture
The devil is in the detail
Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves
Big things come in small packages
The longest journey begins with one step
The Great Partnership
This book by the Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, is one of the most compelling on the subject of science and religion that I have read in a long time.
Understanding Backwards
It was Søren Kierkegaard who said that (and I paraphrase) life can only be understood backwards however we must live it forwards. Although I have been aware of that quote for quite some time it is only recently that I have begun to understand the real nature and truth of it.
Cognition and Things
Living in Parallel Worlds
Reading the book Anathem by Neal Stephenson has got me once again thinking about the many different worlds that we each live in. I have briefly mentioned this in a previous post, however now is a good time to expand on some of those ideas as well as to pull together what that means in terms of some of the other aspects of friendship and mental models that I have talked about.
The Thin Grey Line
The colour is largely arbitrary but the important point is that often we need to be aware that there is more than black or white. So often we find ourselves looking at shades of grey when making decisions – so often when asked by a client whether he should do X or Y my answer must be “it depends”. Yet so often we continue to almost expect there to be a ‘right’ and a ‘wrong’ answer.