Mad Hatter or Hammer
Panoptic Vision Or When Everything Looks Like Nail
To a Hammer, it is said that everything looks like a Nail.
To a Deep Thinker every thought needs analysis.
To a “Go Getter”, every possibility becomes something to be acted upon.
To a Programmer, its all just one giant algorithm.
To the Spiritualist, everything is suffused with the ineffable.
To the Christian, Jesus is everywhere.
I suspect you are seeing a pattern here.
To the Pessimist, all the world and everything in it, is doom.
The Optimist goes the other way. Pollyanna.
While to the Realist, a reduction to facts is the name of the game. The fact there are none, eludes him.
To the Playboy, everything that moves is a potential fuckable item… or an item that can be used to get something fuckable.
To the Entrepreneur, every idea is a monetizable product.
To the Politically Minded, all problems & solutions are sought in The Law.
Whereas to the Politician, everything is a deal in the play for power.
That’s a big difference…
To the Investor. Yield, Warren Buffet, Charlie Munger, blah blah…
To the Activist, triple “blah blah blah”, we hear you St. Greta.
When I was growing up there was a famous business guru and coach, who got very famous selling books, his name was Edward de Bono.
He wrote the book called “The Six Thinking Hats” or something like that. I can’t remember reading it, though I remember holding it in my hands many a time meaning to do it some justice.
And what I am saying here, like Mr. de Bono, is something rather similar, except it’s not a sales pitch for a management seminar.
It’s actually a pitch for just putting on Various Hats.
Often you can just put on a hat by reading a book by an author in a particular field or watching their videos but mostly, to really wear that hat in style, one needs to also make the motions.
Productivity Gurus, like Tiago Forte see life a process of information flow in which we capture, reorganize and then transform the knowledge around us in the most efficient ways. Its a good hat to put on once in a while.
Health Gurus invariably have the latest scam. A mix of age old knowledge mixed with the “latest science” and technology.
Linguists see the world through the lens of human communication and they are constantly learning the different systems used by cultures all over the world. Another wonderful hat to give a try. Multilinguality is more than just hype. It’s a paradigm shift.
Technologist look at the world as a problem that can be solved through functions and processes. Systems, systems, systems.
Industrialist see the world in terms of commodities and products. The world is a mine connected by factories. Looking at the world this way is extremely informative.
The General, on the other hand sees, mountains, lakes and armies. His world is a chess board and we are all pawns. Seeing through these eyes will actually sort out a lot of confusion.
A Mother sees the world in terms of her children. Without this insight, we miss half of humanity.
The Employee see Jobs and Bosses. Better Jobs around him and a bad boss in front of him.
Mathematicians see the world in terms of elaborate Logical Structures. He revels in their manipulation, transformation and is consumed by the patterns and interconnections they produce.
Seeing these patterns will change your world.
The Socialist sees the whole world as power struggle between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nota’, where those in power use unfair techniques to grow and maintain their position.
This insight alone will save you a lot of problems and manipulation by the powers that be.
Economists see the world as a type of allocation problem, there is demand and supply, energy and resources. You too can see these mystical flows and arrangements, if you so wish.
The Musician lives in a world of Rythmn, Melody and Harmony. A Sound and Vibration infusion. Producing it is far different from just consuming it.
Each position is another Hat (for you to wear).
Your job is to become either Hatless (the ideal) or to become a Mad Hatter (my personal choice), putting on multiple types of head gear to achieve panoptic vision.
Or else, you can remain a Hammer, everything will look like a nail and you won’t even know it - the choice is yours.
And that’s,
What about the White Hats?