Category: Notes
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Edward Frenkel on the first person perspective and computation
The following is from Lex Fridman’s interview with Edward Frenkel on April 10, 2023. Edward Frenkel is a mathematician and author of the bestselling book Love and Math. I’m starting to question, why I am not giving as much credibility to my subjective understanding of the world…, the first person perpective… The observer is always…
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A test of ChatGPT
Introduction I tested ChatGPT today (April 17, 2023). I checked what the ChatGPT Mar 23 Version knew about Robert S. Hartman and his work. Below is an excerpt of ChatGPT’s answers to my questions, together with my comments. The comments are based on my reading of Robert S. Hartman’s two books Freedom to Live and…
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Learning from Masanobu Fukuoka’s philosophy
Masanobu Fukuoka (1913–2008) pioneered natural farming. I think we have much to learn from Masanobu Fukuoka’s philosophy. Masanobu Fukuoka’s approach to natural farming entailed minimal human interference with nature. He saw nature as interconnected and resisted the urge to impose structure. Instead of action, he experimented with inaction. Instead of adding work, he attempted to…
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Carol Sanford on Indirect Work
Carol Sanford writes in Indirect Work: A Regenerative Change Theory for Businesses, Communities, Institutions and Humans that her words are often misinterpreted as direct instruction. People want something they can do, something they can apply directly. This means that what she is describing is downgraded to tactics rather than as an invitation to go deeper.…
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Amy Mindell on Metaskills
Amy Mindell explores the ways therapists express their attitudes and beliefs about life in her book Metaskills: The Spiritual Art of Therapy. These attitutes permeate and shape the therapist’s techniques. The therapist’s values are expressed in the interactions with the client. Amy Mindell has seen many therapists “in action”, how their theoretical ideas and techniques…
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Doing little things with great love
I started searching for life-giving ways of working in 2012. I think Daniel Wahl and Satish Kumar capture the essence of it in their conversation on Feb 1, 2023. It’s about doing little things with great love. The following statement by Daniel particularly caught my attention: 41:16 >>Daniel Wahl: The old medieval guilds … have…
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My view on management dashboards
I have encountered many different kinds of management dashboards over the years. I’ve been there, I’ve done that! Let me share a story of what happened when one of my managers left the company. It turned out that he had protected his people. When my manager had left I learned that his manager wanted to…
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What is my meaning?
I just finished re-reading Freedom to Live by Robert S. Hartman. Hartman challenges the reader with questions for reflection on the meaning of one’s life and work. So, what am I here for in the world? I wrote in my 10 year summary that: My focus was initially on finding systemic answers…, but I ended…
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Are we working too hard?
Alfred Huang is the author of The Complete I Ching, The Numerology of I Ching, and Understanding the I Ching. I Ching is the book of changes. It is also a book of symbols. I Ching‘s symbolism is elegant, but sometimes I wonder if we humans are working too hard? As a technique, one should…
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Bill Plotkin on Purpose
The Journey of Soul Initiation by Bill Plotkin is a thorough description of the most essential things Plotkin has learned over the past 40 years about the journey to full maturity as a human being. Bill Plotkin has the following perspective to share on purpose (my emphasis in italics): Our Soul purpose is categorically different…