Friday Shots 7: The Brothers Karamazov, Gandhi, Professionalism and more.
In today's edition, I discuss the impact of "The Brothers Karamazov" on me, use Gandhi as a lens to understand tech, the importance of professionalism in a low-trust environment, and more.
1/ Internalizing Alyosha from The Brothers Karamazov:
A non-fiction character is great when they deeply influence and become a part of you. For me, Alyosha from The Brothers Karamazov is one such character whose compassion and moral strength make me ask, “What would Alyosha do?” in many situations.
In one episode, a former staff captain named Snegiryov was assaulted by Dmitri (Alyosha’s half-brother), who dragged him out of a bar by his beard. This incident made a deep impression on Snegiryov’s son, Ilyusha. In an act of revenge, Ilyusha bites Alyosha's finger, though Alyosha did not initially understand why.
Alyosha soon learns of the further hardships present in the Snegiryov household. He offers the former staff captain money as an apology for his brother’s actions and to help Snegiryov's ailing wife and children. Although Snegiryov initially accepts the money with joy, he soon throws it to the ground and stomps it into the sand before running back into his home.
Alyosha's compassionate approach to the situation made a deep impression on me. Recently, an auto driver blocked the road with his vehicle and went shopping with his son. When they came out, I initially felt furious, but then I remembered Alyosha’s example. I did not want to cause the boy emotional distress by insulting his father. Instead, I smiled and politely asked them to move the vehicle.
2/ Don’t request, don’t order, don’t manipulate—instead, propose a hypothesis.
When you want to discover and honor the truth in any human interaction, don’t request, don’t order, and don’t manipulate. Instead, propose a hypothesis to test.
Suppose you want your family to go to a new restaurant. Try saying, “If we go to Restaurant A, then we will get amazing ice creams because they add a special ingredient.” By providing a reason to support your suggestion, you present a hypothesis that your family can test, making them feel included in the decision-making process.
In business, the person with the better hypothesis often wins. They can imagine various possible future scenarios and test them to see what works. Hypothesis is the foundation of strategic thinking.
A good hypothesis should verbalize your intuition and gut feeling. A simple format for a hypothesis is, “If {this}, then {that} because {reason}.” As with any framework, feel free to break it once you’ve mastered it.
If you try this method, you will find your human interactions improve because people will feel heard and valued. 😁
3/ Using “Will Gandhi or Picasso use this technology” filter?
One filter I have developed for predicting the impact of a piece of technology is asking whether a social reformer or a humanities person would use it. This approach can provide valuable insights into the technology's lasting value and relevance.
For instance, ask yourself:
1/ How would Gandhi have used the internet in his freedom movement? How might the story of the Salt Satyagraha have changed with the internet?
2/ How would Picasso use generative AI in his art? What kind of prompts would he use to explore this technology?
The value of significant stories and art increases over time, whereas the value of technology often depreciates. For example, the Mona Lisa is more valuable today than it was 100 years ago, but BASIC, an early programming language, is no longer valuable.
For technology to have a lasting impact, it should add “real value” to the work of social reformers and humanities people. By considering how these influential figures might use new technologies, we can better assess their potential.
4/ If the pen (content) is mightier than the sword, are we giving away humanity’s greatest might to generative AI?
(above art is created by AI)
The pen (content) has the power to create war, inspire love, sell products, and much more. For example, constitutions guide, reward, and punish human behavior. Holy texts like the Gita and the Bible provide moral guidance. Amazing movies like Fight Club and Harry Potter have a major cultural impact.
As generative AI becomes increasingly visually and verbally articulate, are we giving away humanity’s greatest might?
5/ In a low trust high value market, professionalism is a moat:
I recently visited the Gold Souq in Dubai, one of the largest and oldest gold markets in the world.
I explored a few shops; gold was cheaper in some shops, and more expensive in others. Do you know where I finally made the purchase? In a shop with high professionalism. Women and men dressed in clean uniforms. They were trained well in customer interactions.
As a foreigner in a new country making a high-value purchase, the only antidote to my low trust was professionalism.
6/ Don’t use process as a substitute to thinking:
I have encountered a few individuals in my life who held high positions in process-driven organizations but faltered in chaotic 0-1 environments due to a lack of self-confidence in their ability to think independently.
They stopped thinking from first principles and used processes as substitutes for product development, marketing, sales, and everything else.
All great entrepreneurs (not business people) like Jobs, Musk, Bezos and many others warn about how an organization loses its innovative edge due to its reliance on processes. They become sluggish and boring.
As the saying goes, “Think deeply to move quickly.”
It was great read, enjoyed it very much