1 1 month, spare time is mainly fitness and reading. Anti-Fragility is a difficult book to read. After reading many concepts, I have a little knowledge, but one of them has an enlightening influence on my life, that is, the world is a complex system with randomness everywhere. We cannot try to control this system. Only by treating randomness with a positive attitude can we get positive feedback in the system.
For me, there are many rules and regulations in my life, I don't like being casual and I don't like things out of control in my life. I often feel unhappy and irritable, but after reading Anti-Vulnerability, I have an enlightening new thinking about the randomness in this complex social system. It can't be said that a book that I haven't fully read and understood has had an earth-shaking impact on my life, but Taleb's point of view has planted a rational seed in my brain. Even though I still feel uncomfortable about some random negative situations in my life, I can feel the awareness of positive thinking and rational analysis gradually increasing, which is undoubtedly a good start.
Before summing up the greatest gains from reading this book, let me quote Zhihu Wu Heng's answer to introduce the author nassim nicholas taleb.
Taleb was born in a noble family in Lebanon. He was a reading fanatic (he studied for 30 to 60 hours every week since he was 0/3 years old) and a multilingual master (he can speak French, English, Arabic, Spanish and Italian, and he can also understand ancient Greek, Latin, Aramaic and ancient Hebrew). Best-selling authors, including Anti-Fragility, Black Swan, and Fools Walk Random. Scholars, full-time professors and numerous visiting professors.
Procrustes' bed
Procrustes' bed comes from a Greek myth. Proklastis is the owner of a small manor. He will kidnap travelers to his manor, give them a big meal and invite them to spend the night in a very special bed. He asked the bed to fit the guest's figure. If travelers are too tall, he will cut off their legs; If the traveler is too short, he will stretch their bodies. Procrustes finally got what he deserved. Theseus, the hero, meets Procrustes' estate. After eating a big meal, theseus forced Procrastus to lie in his bed and found that he was longer than the bed. In order to make Proklastis meet his own standards, theseus cut off his head.
This myth reveals that when we encounter something that we don't understand or know clearly, people usually solve it by "stretching" or "compressing" their outlook on life and world, forcing themselves to conform to secular, preset and artificially formulated concepts, categories and routines. Take Snow White's sister as an example. They fit themselves into glass shoes by cutting off their heels. They would rather endure great pain than find "glass shoes" that really suit them.
The bed of Procrustes appears very frequently in anti-fragility. In Taleb's works, people actually sleep in Procrastus' bed. We will use all kinds of "fallacies" to convince ourselves to believe the opinions given by some authorities, and at the same time encourage others to believe the so-called correct predictions or correct practices they agree with, even though these so-called correct predictions and practices are contrary to the laws of nature.
After learning about Proch Lestat's bed, I was horrified to find that there are too many such situations in my daily life. Take my grandmother for example. Old people believe in the health care methods introduced by some health care programs on TV and the grandiose maintenance function described by pyramid selling of health care products. Even though I found a news report about a health care product imported from the United States on the Internet-the product is made in China and has no health care function, my grandmother still doesn't believe it. She firmly believes that this magical little potion has a strange effect and medicine can cure diseases. Many people may say that if they were themselves, they wouldn't believe this kind of sales promotion, but it doesn't hurt for everyone to reflect deeply. For some stocks recommended by so-called "stock gods" and some skin care products recommended by online celebrities, can we really remain rational and sober and believe in the laws of natural things under the temptation of money and beauty?
I still need to read Anti-Vulnerability for the second time or more to learn Taleb's wisdom, but I think it is very worthwhile. Finally, a passage from the book is attached to encourage everyone, and more friends are invited to read Anti-Vulnerability and learn and discuss with you.
? "The world doesn't want us to know. Its charm comes from our inability to really understand it. Living in such a world, what should we do? Glass is a dead thing, and creatures like to fluctuate. The best way to verify whether you are alive is to check whether you like change. Remember, if you don't feel hungry, delicacies and game will become tasteless; If there is no effort, the result is meaningless; Similarly, if you have never experienced pain, you don't know how to be happy; Faith will not be strong without suffering; Being deprived of personal risks, a moral life is naturally meaningless. "
? -nassim nicholas taleb's Anti-Fragility