January 2013 – Page 5 – Patrick Rhone

Ideas and Agreements

Derek Sivers: Weird, or just different? | Video on TED.com.

I’ve been long fascinated by the thought that ideas only have value if there is agreement on them. In other words, that it is such agreement that really gives ideas true meaning.

The video is an excellent example of this. How something that has meaning in this country (a street name) does not have meaning in another simply because there is not agreement on the basic idea itself. In this case, that streets should have names.

Another example is the idea, the concept, of money. If you have a dollar and try to exchange it with me for something that is worth a dollar, the only way it can work is if we both agree on the value, the very idea, of what a dollar is worth. Furthermore, that dollars value to me is largely predicated on my faith that I can get someone else to agree to it’s value too. Entire economies have collapsed due to the failure of such agreements.

In order for us to have a discussion on the color of the sky, we first must agree on the name of that color (blue). If I decide that color should be called red, well, we have a fundamental flaw at the premise of our discussion. And if I call it red and everyone else calls it blue then, well, my ideas about the color of the sky will be written off as that of a crazy person. But, if I can convince everyone else to call it red, well, while the color of the sky has not changed the person still calling it blue will be in the wrong and not to be trusted.

The point here is that we must have some patience when discussing ideas. That in order to tackle a big problem or dispute it is important to get to the root of an idea and come to some fundamental agreements and understandings. It could be that the real problem is that we are talking about two different ideas entirely. That, by finding agreement on the idea itself, we may find that figuring out the rest is easy.

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Idea: The Amish Space (No Electronics Allowed)

Notebook & Pen

A thought occurred to me today as I was cleaning off my desk. As I removed everything from its surface, leaving only my MacBook, a notebook, pad of paper, and pen, an urge suddenly gripped me. The urge to remove the MacBook in order to have a space that is dedicated to writing with pen and paper.

Then, this has me thinking even further, what if one were to create an electronics free zone in their home or office? A desk, a small space, a room, or even a whole floor of the home where electronic technology was not allowed? No smartphones, tablets, tv’s, computers, or radios. Books, pen and paper, board games, and other such items were not only welcome in that space but championed. How would that feel? How would that change the nature of how we use that space or our home. How would it affect our perspective, habits, or dependence on these technologies that permeate so much of our lives? An Amish space, one where only the simplest of tools are allowed and every item has purpose and is considered carefully for the work or play to be conducted there.

You see, most Amish do not shun technology out of hand. They are just really careful about how it is adopted, when it is, to what extent, and where. It is not unusual for some Amish communities to have a shared car for those longer trips that a horse and buggy can’t make. Or a shared telephone in a central place where business can be conducted with those outside of the community.

Perhaps such an approach would be useful to adopt in our lives as well. Even on a small scale it could have tremendous impact. To know there is one space we can be to escape the distraction and expectations of a world insisting we react to every bell and beep.

I don’t know the answer to these questions. I have yet to implement this myself. It is just a thought for now. In fact, I’m not sure that this particular desk is right for it. It is made for use with a computer and an imperfect height for writing. That said, I now have the inclination to find a good old writing desk, one made in a time when pen and paper were the popular technology of their day. My Amish space.

Tools For Daily Learning

In my post yesterday about making note of at least one new thing you have learned each day, I did point to one or two suggestions for ensuring you have at least one thing to write down. That said, I wanted to give folks a nice list of my own that one could copy for such reference:

Random page on Wikipedia â€” Just what it says on the tin. Click on this link and it will take you to a random page on Wikipedia. Chances are, you’ll land on something you did not know before 99% of the time. I just learned about mathematician Artemas Martin (best known for his puzzle columns in ious periodicals) while testing this link for you.
Merriam-Webster Online Word Of The Day â€” Today’s word (as I write this) is inchmeal. An adverb that means gradually.
Wonders & Marvels â€” A Community for Curious Minds who love History, its Odd Stories, and Good Reads â€” A wonderful history blog with a bent towards historical literature. I learn something new with every post.
Random Facts | Fun Trivia | Interesting Insight â€” I sometimes have to check Snopes for verification because some of these facts seem unbelievable. No gotcha moments yet.
Caesura Letters â€” I know I have said this before but I will say it again, every morning, this arrives in my email inbox and I always, always, learn something new. These are daily reflections wrapped in huge, delicious, doses of knowledge.
Now I Know â€” A free daily newsletter;
you’ll learn something new every day. Suggested by K.H. Schumann

Now, my bet is that there are many more I don’t know about. I’ve only mentioned a few that I use personally. That said, I always welcome even more sources of knowledge and learning. Feel free to suggest them to me on App.net or Twitter. Perhaps I’ll even update this post with some of them to share them with others.

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