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Musings Report 2023-30 7-22-23 The Elevator Speech: My Work and Who I Am
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For those who are new to the Musings reports: they're a glimpse into my notebook, the unfiltered swamp where I organize future themes, sort through the dozens of stories and links submitted by readers, refine my own research and start connecting dots which appear later in the blog or in my books. As always, I hope the Musings spark new appraisals and insights. Thank you for supporting the site and for inviting me into your circle of correspondents.
Thank You, Patrons and Contributors!
Thank you longtime stalwart subscribers and welcome new patrons / subscribers charlescmt, rmhoperenton, Angela B., Robert S., Max J., Alan H., Kristi I., Wendell D., Judith G. and Richard G. -- thank you very much!
The Elevator Speech: My Work and Who I Am
I've been writing the blog for 18 years now (since May 2005) and recently realized I don't have an Elevator Speech, a brief description of my work and who I am. For me, the question boils down to "what do I write about?"
In the current lexicon, the Elevator Speech (your response to someone in an elevator who asks, "so what do you do?") has become the Elevator Pitch, your sales pitch for a job, investment, etc.
Some kinds of writing lend themselves to brief summary: for example, "I'm an investigative journalist." I write about the economy and markets, but I also write about society. But to say "I write about the economy and society" is so broad as to say nothing useful about Of Two Minds.
I toyed with describing my approach, as in "I'm an independent economic analyst." But this sounds like stock market analysis, which again doesn't accurately reflect what I write about.
I came up with an Elevator Speech that is thematic, outlining what I write about as "problems and solutions:"
Our global economic system is unsustainably out of sync with human life and the planet's biosphere.
This system severs the foundational links of human life between our work, agency, family, community, the natural world and the moral universe, leaving us unmoored, ill, anxious and deranged.
I explore these problems and solutions on four inter-connected levels:
Problems: Costs and Consequences: The system:
1. depletes resources and mindlessly destroys the bioshere to expand a "waste is growth" / Landfill Economy.
2. distorts and disorders society (inequality, social defeat)
3. distorts and disorders individuals (burnout, alienation)
Solutions: What we can do:
4. We can restore these links by withdrawing from the system and pursuing self-reliance, agency, ownership of our work, integrity, authenticity and autonomy.
It's too long for a real Elevator Speech, of course. In a real elevator I would say, "The status quo is unsustainable and I write about solutions."
My longtime collaborator Gordon Long recently performed a distillation of several dozen of my recent blog posts in what he called a process of Abstraction and Synthesis. He came up with these themes which run throughout my work:
Erosion of systemic trust.
Erosion of moral standards.
Systemic decay and breakdown.
Complacency/Denial.
Debt addiction.
Value and rewards of work.
Economic illiteracy.
Understanding change.
He then synthesized these into:
Society of Corruption.
Complacency, denial, then panic.
Democracy in name only.
Lost agency and autonomy.
A learning priority crisis.
In other words, in Gordon's distillation, my work is ultimately about learning the values, priorities and tools we need to navigate a rapidly transforming economy and society.
So my one-sentence summary becomes: "The status quo is unsustainable and I write about solutions--the values, priorities and tools we need to navigate a rapidly evolving economy and society."
Writing your own Elevator Speech is a useful way to recognize the evolution of who you are and what your work means to you. Our Elevator Speech is a work in progress, just as we are.
Highlights of the Blog
It's Mourning in America 7/21/23
Lessons from The Great Depression 7/19/23
Best Thing That Happened To Me This Week
A sharp-eyed reader noted the absence of insect damage in my garden photos. This doesn't mean there isn't an endless stream of insect / mite / fungal infestations here, so to balance the record here are some photos of insect / mite damage. I have to spray organic treatments for some infestations, but most of the crops we grow are hardy (for example, bananas). That's the good news.
From Left Field
NOTE TO NEW READERS: This list is not comprised of articles I agree with or that I judge to be correct or of the highest quality. It is representative of the content I find interesting as reflections of the current zeitgeist. The list is intended to be perused with an open, critical, occasionally amused mind.
Many links are behind paywalls. Most paywalled sites allow a few free articles per month if you register. It's the New Normal.
Minimum Viable Superorganism (via Ryan K.)
DANIEL SCHMACHTENBERGER (1:24 min., via Ron G.)
How to Build a Universe That Doesn’t Fall Apart Two Days Later (Philip K. Dick, 1978) (via Ryan K.)
The heat wave scorching the US is a self-perpetuating monster
Electric Vehicles for Everyone? If the Dream Was Met, Would it Help the Environment?
First major survey of doctors with Long Covid reveals debilitating impact on health, life and work (via Cheryl A.)
Have we reached peak fish?
Rampant heatwaves threaten food security of entire planet, scientists warn.
China’s Lost Decade for Investors Has Already Happened Any hope that postpandemic reopening would lead to a return to rapid economic growth has foundered
The Incorruptibles: A Requiem for a Civilization (via Ryan K.)
TRUE WEALTH (2nd Ed) (Nassim Taleb)
Worriless sleeping
Clear conscience
Reciprocal gratitude
Absence of envy
Foamy coffee
Crusty bread
Inexperienced enemies
Frequent laughs
No meals alone
No gym classes
Gravel bicycling
Good digestive functions
No Zoom meetings
Periodic surprises
Nothing to hide: financial and fiscal tranquility
Muscular strength & endurance
Ability to nap
Access to a hammock
Thanks for reading--
charles |
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