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The Observe and Rapport Newsletter
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A weekly guide of my favorite books, articles, products, and lifestyle habits.
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June 7th, 2024 | by Kyle Brennan
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Thought of the Week
Dr. Ellen Langer, Harvard's renowned 'Mother of Mindfulness' was recently on the Rich Roll podcast. One theme she posed struck me:
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Rather than waste your time being stressed about making the right decision, make the decision right.
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With the overwhelming abundance of choices we are offered in everyday life, it's no wonder we often face analysis paralysis.
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But there's no such thing as the "Right" decision.
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There's no way of knowing that Option B would have been worse, better, or the same. That's why regret is so mindless; you're presuming the choice you didn't take would have been better.
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I often think about the Cormac McCarthy line from No Country for Old Men: "You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from."
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No matter what option you choose - which college you attend, which job offer you accept, etc. - your efforts to support its success will be far more important than the initial guesswork that led to your choice.
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It’s what happens next (in the days, months, and years that follow) that ultimately determines whether a given decision was “right.” While randomness plays a role in every outcome, our locus of control resides in our day-to-day activities more than in our one-time decisions.
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Instead of regretting your decision, pour your effort into creating an alternative, superior outcome.
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What I'm Reading
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"A plant can obtain its food from the soil in which it grows. An animal has to hunt for it. Man has to produce it."
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My original intention was to read Atlas Shrugged, considered one of most popular (and controversial) novels of all time, and Ayn Rand's magnum opus in the realm of fiction writing.
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I bought a used copy from the Hampton Bays Library for $1, however, when I sat down to start the 1,100-page novel, I realized that the first 52 pages were ripped out... Luckily, I found a copy of a much shorter Ayn Rand book in my dad's garage.
I remember seeing the paperback edition of The Virtue of Selfishness around our house for years when I was growing up and thinking, "How could a book claim such a thing?' How could selfishness possibly be considered a virtue?"
Ayn Rand was not afraid of turning conventional wisdom on its head. For millennia, one of the few ethical principles that prevailed across cultures was the value of altruism, i.e., sacrificing your life for the benefit of others. But Rand thought that was a load of crap.
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The Virtue of Selfishness is a 1964 collection of philosophical essays by Ayn Rand and Nathaniel Branden. The essays cover ethical issues from the perspective of Rand's Objectivist philosophy, which she described as "the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute."
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I almost gave up on this book at about the 100-page mark since she often comes off too dogmatic and rigid for my taste, but then I came upon two of the best chapters I've ever read in any non-fiction book - Man's Rights, and Collectivized "Rights" - and her whole idea of individualism started to make a lot more sense.
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In these two chapters, Rand outlines the revolutionary experiment and formation of the uniquely capitalistic United States of America - which was the first time in history that the government's function was changed from the role of ruler to the role of servant. The Founding Fathers spoke of the right of the pursuit of happiness - not of the right to happiness. It means that a man has the right to take the actions he deems necessary to achieve his happiness; it does not mean that others must make him happy.
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"Man has to maintain his life by his own effort; the values he needs - such as wealth of knowledge - are not given to him automatically, as a gift of nature, but have to be discovered and achieved by his own thinking and work."
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Ayn Rand is an event. She had one of the most astute and utterly confident minds of all time. Whether she's right about what she thinks is a different story. But make no mistake--Ayn Rand thinks about thinking. She is a true intellectual.
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What I'm Watching
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I absolutely loved Guy Ritchie's movie version of the same title with Matthew McConaughy, Charlie Hunnam, and Colin Farrell. This show is loosely based on the same plot in which a British royal suddenly inherits his family's estate and is unexpectedly thrown into a world of drugs, crime, and mischief.
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It's as much a comedy as it is a drama series. I'm three episodes in and I'm hooked.
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The series also features an actor I love - Giancarlo Esposito - known for his role as Gus Fring in Breaking Bad.
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Article I'm Reading
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Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the author of one of the best books I read this year, Infidel, writes an incredible piece about the idea that American society as we currently know it (mass protests, calls for intifada, censorship, and defunding the police) may all be the result of covert foreign subversion. This is no mere conspiracy. Although all recent social strife cannot and should not be easily explained away by mere foreign influence, this tactic was clearly outlined by former KGB agent Yuri Bezmenov in a famous 1984 interview, and there is no doubt some version of this plan has been deployed over the last several decades in this country.
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"One of the key insights Bezmenov expresses about a subverted society is that, for a while, there is only a passing sense that something is wrong. It’s a mood—a vibe. I believe that’s what many of us have been witnessing for several years now, maybe even as long as a decade or two.
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The pressure makes society rumble like a volcano, quiet one minute and flaring the next. Then, finally—and seemingly suddenly—the revolution bursts into view."
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Podcast I'm Listening To
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This was undoubtedly one of the best podcast episodes I've listened to all year. Although I respect Chris Cuomo for being willing to go toe-to-toe with Dave Smith, this debate illuminates just how out of touch mainstream media is in terms of public perception, trust, and our ability to interpret when we are being fed bullshit vs. fact.
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The crazy thing for me with this debate was that I don’t even think Cuomo was actively trying to lie about his actions and the actions of CNN; he appeared to be legitimately confused and startled when Dave repeatedly pointed out his bullshit.
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Cuomo comes from such an insulated and self-important world that he likely cannot overcome the false impression that he was a “beloved reporter” surrounded by “experts” that he simply assumed everyone else respected.
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Quote I'm Pondering
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Jung once said that the strongest passion in humans is not hunger, sex, or power, although these are quite strong; the very strongest passion is laziness. The longer I study human beings, including myself, the more I am inclined to agree.
— Marie-Louise von Franz
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Keith and Kyle sit down to discuss Adam Grant's book Think Again, which talks about the importance of keeping an open mind with regard to solidified opinions, ancient Sumerian tablets unveiling the existence of an Alien species that some believe may have birthed the Human Race, actor Terrence Howard's recent controversial podcast appearances, and their favorite cities that they've visited.
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Books Mentioned in this episode:
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Check Out My Amazon Favorites Bookstore
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Browse my favorite book selections hand-curated by me. I also earn commissions so if you buy anything, those earnings get reinvested right back into this fancy newsletter ;)
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Kyle's Published Work
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33 Life Lessons on My 33rd Birthday
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Thirty-three was a big one. Mostly because I became a dad. Our daughter was born on New Year’s Eve — a fitting arrival for a kid destined to reset everything. It’s been a beautiful, if slightly sleep-deprived blur ever since. I’ve only been “Dad” for less than ten months, but if I’m being honest, I’ve been preparing for the role for over …
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Depth Over Downloads: Why Spending Time with Books Still Matters
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Everyone wants faster information. But no one asks if faster information leads to better understanding — or a better life. In the age of AI and tweet-sized wisdom, we’ve confused information with transformation. But there’s a massive difference between knowing what a book says and being changed by it. The Delusion of Instant Learning In a recent interview, political journalist Ezra Klein admitted he once believed …
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The Jack Reacher Approach to Never Being Caught Off Guard
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There’s no difference between a pessimist who says, ‘Oh, it’s hopeless, so don’t bother doing anything,’ and an optimist who says, ‘Don’t bother doing anything, it’s going to turn out fine anyway.’ Either way, nothing happens.” —Yvon Chouinard, Founder of Patagonia I don’t read much fiction, but I’ve always been hooked on Lee Child’s Jack Reacher. He’s not your typical …
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