6: Notes from a Commonplace

On practice, habits, dysfunctional communication, and Independence Day

Author

Carson B
July 06, 2024 • Reading Time: 5 minutes

3..Notes from the Greats

Roger Federer on practice behind the scenes:

"Effortless is a myth…I had to work very hard to make it look easy."

Friedrich Nietzsche incisive perspective on habits:

"Look at your habits: Are they the product of innumerable little cowardices and laziness…or of your courage and inventive reason?"

Napoleon on what and who to study:

"Read over and over again the campaigns of Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar...make them your models.

This is the only way to become a great general and to master the secrets of the art of war."

2..Notes to Know

Communication as a symptom of dysfunction: A team of Amazon executives were huddled around a board room table. Each recommending a variety of techniques and solutions to facilitate dialogue between the various business units.

Then Jeff Bezos grabbed hold of the room. “I understand what you’re saying, but you’re completely wrong. Communication is a sign of dysfunction. It means people aren’t working together in a close, organic way. We should be trying to figure out a way for teams to communicate less with each other, not more.”

Bezos’ contrarian insight was simple: coordination among employees wastes time and is often a band-aid on underlying inefficiencies. Where in your work or personal life are you over communicating?

High Agency Ignorance: In a world flooded with cheap information, high agency ignorance is a way to fight back. High agency ignorance is the intentional avoidance of information that does not serve a strategic goal. This approach proactively seeks high value sources. It has guardrails against endless doom and drama found on cable news and social media. This is a particular type of information diet that leverages strategic focus.

1..Note From Me: On Independence Day

Thomas Jefferson closed himself into the upstairs room of a rented Philadelphia apartment. An unusually hot July made wore by the tension between the American Colonies and the British Empire.

Jefferson was tasked with speaking on behalf of the all 13 colonies in addressing the British Crown. The resulting document became the most important piece of writing of the last 300 years.

Jefferson not only made a practical case for where the British Crown went wrong, but also made an argument for independence from first principles:

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed

Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence

Immediately, Jefferson asserts that (1) Natural law supersedes British law therefore legitimizing their rebellion, (2) Rights are given by God at creation not any government, and (3) Governments only exist to protect these rights

This act solidified revolution. Both in practice and philosophically, the Declaration represented a crossing of the Rubicon for the Founders. The status quo of the European world was mainly despotism — appointed via the divine right to rule rather than the consent of the governed. To shake off this status quo meant independence, or death.

This week America celebrated the 248th anniversary since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Why the Declaration Matters

The Declaration is often criticized for being too idealistic. And The United States criticized for not living up to these ideals.

Both are partly true. The United States then (not yet formed) and now have consistently fallen short of these ideals. But the objective has never been perfection.

Rather, the story of America is one of striving toward transcendent truths about how society should be governed. Despite any short falls, Independence Day should be a celebration of these ideals and a reminder to strive toward them.

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A commonplace book is a personal collection of quotes, observations, ideas, and other bits of information that an individual finds interesting or inspiring. It is one of the most tried and true methods for learning & compiling information. Famously, Leonardo da Vinci, Marcus Aurelius, and Thomas Jefferson all carried a commonplace book.

This newsletter shares the notes from my own commonplace book and will add highlights to yours.