Arman's Antics (#090)
Latest from the curious contrarian
Howdy amigo,
I don’t know why you’ve come. But I’m glad you’re here.
Coming to you live from Austin, Texas.
Here’s your weekly dose of Arman’s Antics — five things I’ve been exploring or pondering that will give you a good think, laugh, cry (or a nasty combination of the three).
Give it up for the twenty-five new subscribers receiving this for the first time (753 total). I don’t take your attention lightly.
My hope is that no one reads this, but if you do, please keep it to yourself.
Essay I wrote this week
Plenty of personal finance nerds can tell you their investment returns down to 1/100th of a percent if you asked them.
They’re obsessed with tracking their ROI (including yours truly).
But how many of us have ever considered tracking our ROS?
It may be the most overlooked asset we own:
Return on silence
You’ve probably already heard the line from 17th century mathematician, physicist, inventor, and philosopher Blaise Pascal — All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone. And if you haven’t, you’re welcome. I’m even willing to go out on a limb and include women as well.
Book I couldn’t put down
Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life by Luke Burgis.
Mimetic desire is an idea that once seen cannot be unseen.
None of our desires are ours. Everything we want is only because someone we admire has it.
Here’s the description:
Gravity affects every aspect of our physical being, but there’s a psychological force just as powerful―yet almost nobody has heard of it. It’s responsible for bringing groups of people together and pulling them apart, making certain goals attractive to some and not to others, and fueling cycles of anxiety and conflict. In Wanting, Luke Burgis draws on the work of French polymath René Girard to bring this hidden force to light and reveals how it shapes our lives and societies.
According to Girard, humans don’t desire anything independently. Human desire is mimetic―we imitate what other people want. This affects the way we choose partners, friends, careers, clothes, and vacation destinations. Mimetic desire is responsible for the formation of our very identities. It explains the enduring relevancy of Shakespeare’s plays, why Peter Thiel decided to be the first investor in Facebook, and why our world is growing more divided as it becomes more connected.
Wanting also shows that conflict does not arise because of our differences―it comes from our sameness. Because we learn to want what other people want, we often end up competing for the same things. Ignoring our large similarities, we cling to our perceived differences.
Why didn’t anyone tell me about this sooner?
Comedy + Music
Bo Burnham is a comedic genius. He’s also a damn good singer (rare combo).
And he finally answers one of humanity’s most pressing questions that has puzzled us for millennia — why did the chicken cross the road?
Enjoy.
Why do placebos get such a bad rap?
Ever wanted to enrage those closest to you?
Simply ask them if their cherished routine, habit, belief, or pill they swear by could just be a placebo. Speaking from personal experience(s).
This has always puzzled me. Because I love a good placebo.
For example, I know glasses don’t make me a better writer, but every time I put them on I feel like I can write better.
Placebos are wonderful because they don’t have any side effects and they work.
Just not in the way we might think they do.
If you tell yourself with deep conviction that some little ritual or pill makes you feel good and pumps you up for what you need to do, then who cares if there’s any hard evidence to prove it?
It works in the opposite way too.
If you convince yourself that something won’t work for you, even if its worked for millions, it probably won’t.
Random thought
If you simply wanted what you already have then you’d already have everything you want.
That’s it for the 90th edition of Arman’s Antics.
Most people aren’t curious enough to make it this far. But you’re not most people.
Now back to your regularly scheduled nonstop scrolling.
Cheers,
Arman
I wrote a nice comment and put it under the wrong thread. Then deleted it immediately. Which was silly because now I can’t copy paste lol. Wanted to say thank you for sharing. Really made my morning.
Mimetic desires, wow what an interesting concept. I'm trying to think if there's something I want that no one else has. May have to put that book on my to-read list! Thanks for the tip