Arman's Antics (#062)
The latest from curious contrarian Arman Khodadoost
Hey friend!
Coming to you live from Austin, Texas. Here is your weekly dose of Arman’s Antics. Five things I’ve stumbled upon that will make you think, laugh, cry (or a nasty combination of the three).
Welcome to the seven new subscribers receiving this for the first time (352 total). I respect your inbox and don’t take your attention lightly.
Hopefully nobody is reading this, but if you are, please keep it to yourself.
Essay I wrote earlier this year
Losing your job stings. But being fired is devastating.
That is a fact of life.
Or is it? Could it be one of those unquestioned beliefs that many of us cling to without even knowing it?
I flipped the belief on its head and told myself it was a:
Forced sabbatical (#038)
My phone started buzzing on my desk. I didn’t bother to look at first because I figured it was another spam call. But I noticed a name pop up on the screen. It was my old boss. I answered and the first words that came out of his mouth were, “Dude, why didn’t you tell me?”
Book I’m rereading for the 5th time
When you discover a writer who finds a way to penetrate your soul with their words — you win the reading lottery.
So why wouldn’t you read some of their words daily?
That’s what I do with a little-known, deceased Jesuit priest — Anthony de Mello.
I’ve got four of his books on my shelf (with a fifth on the way) so I make sure to read at least a few pages of one of them every single day.
Currently enjoying The Way to Love: Meditations for Life.
Here’s part of the description: “…he implores his readers with his usual pithiness to break through illusion, the great obstacle to love. Love springs from awareness, de Mello insists, saying that it is only when we see others as they are that we can begin to really love. But not only must we seek to see others with clarity, we must examine ourselves without misconception…”
Online writer I’ve been enjoying for the past year
If books aren’t your thing because you have the patience of a ferret, but still want to read, I’ve got something for you.
My friend
wrote an essay that went viral last year called “I’ve Done Tim Ferriss’s Past Year Review for 5 Years. Here are 22 Lessons I Learned”.First of all, could there be a more clear title? You know exactly what to expect before you click.
Check it out if you’re tired of the same old new year’s resolutions routine that you know you won’t stick to after January 22.
My wife and I did our first past year review last year after reading this and we’re excited to keep the tradition going.
Why do we put up with ads?
The modern advertising industry started in the late 1800’s and things have gotten progressively more invasive with each passing year.
Neil Postman noted that the average American will be exposed to 2 million television ads by age 65. But that didn’t include billboards, radio, or newspapers and this was in 1991 so people weren’t even on the internet yet.
Now that number is likely closer to a gazillion.
What is curious to me is this — why do we accept ads as a necessary evil on TV, radio, podcasts, and social media? But not in books?
Imagine starting a novel and being interrupted every few pages for a quick word from our sponsors at Ford or Forever 21. Would you keep reading?
If you have any respect for yourself, you’d politely shut the book and toss it into the fireplace.
You would refuse to be disrespected like that, and rightfully so, yet why do you put up with ads in just about every other medium?
Random thought
Are pharmaceutical companies in the business of inventing pills to match diseases OR inventing diseases to match their pills?
That’s it for the 62nd weekly edition of Arman’s Antics.
I really hope nobody made it this far, but if you did, prove it by clicking the link below.
Now back to your regularly scheduled nonstop scrolling.
Have a terrific Tuesday!
Cheers,
Arman
Is the pharma question rhetorical? 🤔
Ads are so comically evil....I refuse to watch anything on youtube without an adblocker. Just in general it can’t be healthy to be bombarded with so much information all the time!