Navigating Generational Concerns and Political Ideologies

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This chapter explores the generational anxieties surrounding technology use and the shift in political ideologies, discussing the just world theory versus the unjust world theory. The speaker reflects on historical structures aiding underprivileged individuals and debates the balance between equality of opportunity and outcomes, with a focus on affirmative action. They delve into the importance of open dialogue, the state of conservative politics in the US, and the significance of upholding democratic principles against authoritarian tendencies.

We push ourselves toward the highest-paying, most prestigious jobs, seeking promotions and public recognition. As Adam Gopnik points out, the result is not so much a rat race as a rat maze, with no way out. Except one: to choose accomplishment over achievement.

Achievement is the completion of the task imposed from outside.

Accomplishment, by contrast, is the end point of an engulfing activity one engages in for its own sake.

Shermer and Gopnik discuss:

mastering the secrets of stage magic (Gopnik's son worked with David Blaine and Jamy Ian Swiss)
accomplishment in music
family and mentors
the concept of the 10,000-hour rule vs. natural talent
Adam's new book All That Happiness Is, which offers timeless wisdom against the grain.

Adam Gopnik has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1986. He is the author of numerous best-selling books, including Paris to the Moon and The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery.

Sponor: brilliant.org/skeptic