We are pattern-loving animals. Noticing a face or a turtle in clouds, a story
in random data, and putting together unrelated events to weave a beautiful
conspiracy theory has become our favorite pass time. In other words,
we connect the dots when they aren’t supposed to be.

Once we are stuck in a pattern, it locks us to think in a certain way
and biases creep into the thought process. We can no longer see things
for what they are. Hence to get things straight and come up with new insights
we need to deliberately disrupt the existing patterns we have and do believe in.

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The best marketing strategy would be to project loss to a customer
instead of gains that he/she might accrue on account of using the product/service.
Tapping into the idea of loss aversion that humans inherently have is the perfect pitch.

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Being non-ideological pays off. Because every new idea, be it Darwin’s natural selection or
e=mc^2, opens up a novel reality that we haven’t experienced before and unlock the full
spectrum of life. Radical open-mindedness and high tolerance to accepting unorthodox ideas are critical
for the flowering of civilization and the human mind.

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Arranged and available information which can be used to analyze the situation
and the crisis associated with it is far more valuable than cluttered and scattered
information even if the latter’s amount is big. Sherlock considers a man’s brain
as an empty attic that needs to be carefully stocked with only the relevant
furniture that is useful. Taking in every sort of information crowds out
the beneficial and handy knowledge.

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Socrates portrayed himself as a midwife. It is someone who assists in the birth of a child, here of course
he aids in the birth of wisdom in the mind of the student. Any mentor at best can only do the job of
midwifery, nothing more or less. The mentee should remember this and undergo the labor pains
himself or herself.

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The mad subordination to authority, punishments, fear of deviation from a rule book, disciplining the body and mind,
being a good disciple and unfreedom to read/write differently from the status quo, love to control, putting shame
and guilt, emotionless for the pain of others in our school/college/university education prepare the
perfect ground for the rise of tyranny and totalitarianism.

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The true withdrawal from the materialistic life only happens when one has touched
the peak of materialism. A natural withdrawal happens when one gets vexed by
the pointlessness of the wolf-of-wall-street way. Any effort prior to that
is pseudo and a big fat lie we tell to ourselves.

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