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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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July 19th, 2024 | by Kyle Brennan
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Thought of the Week
There’s a model in behavioral psychology called Ironic Process Theory, which posits that sometimes our efforts to control our minds result in the opposite outcome of what we intended.
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- If you want a thought to get bigger, run away from it.
- If you want your fear to shrink, run towards it.
- If you want to relax, don’t try to relax.
Most things in life require less effort than we think. It’s just that the effort requires that split-second feeling of being terrified.
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We want to run and hide from scary things. It’s natural.
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But if you can teach yourself to be unnatural, to face those scary things and say "watch this", you will be unstoppable.
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The faster that you do the hard things that you want to avoid, the faster you will receive the goods things you actually want.
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What I'm Reading
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I'm a massive fan of Tim Urban's blog, Wait But Why. He writes some of the most insightful articles about life and philosophy, and his drawings put you in the mind space of a classroom, led by an eccentric teacher.
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My favorite article of his is The Tail End. I re-read it at least once a year.
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His book, which is only available on Kindle, unfortunately, has been on my to-read list for a while. I haven't started it yet, but if it's anything like his lengthy blog posts, I'm sure I'll come out of it with tons of new concepts and ways of thinking.
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Description from Goodreads: The book provides an entirely new framework and language for thinking and talking about today’s complex world. Instead of focusing on the usual left-center-right horizontal political axis, which is all about what we think, the book introduces a vertical-axis that explores how we think, as individuals and as groups.
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Malcolm X is a historical figure, who I was embarrassed to admit, I know almost nothing about. This book has been on my radar for a while as it is typically listed high in a number of 'Best Nonfiction Books of All Time' lists.
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Malcolm X was truly brilliant. He revolutionized the concept of black people as inferior beings and helpless victims in a predominantly white world, particularly in America. While in prison, he was introduced to the Nation of Islam, where he transformed from a street hustler astray into a disciplined messenger of Allah. He read voraciously, devouring the entirety of the prison's library to form the basis of his education on history, science, religion, and philosophy. He used his acquired reading, writing, and language skills to organize debates and become a dominant and persuasive speaker among the other prisoners. Once out of prison, he organized black urban centers into communities of self-reliant, proud, healthy, and strong individuals - touring the country and converting black brothers and sisters to the Nation of Islam, founded by Elijah Muhammad.
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Martin Luther King preached full integration of the races as a way to combat racism. Malcolm X wanted the opposite; not integration nor segregation - but separation from white society altogether. Eventually, Malcolm visited the Muslim countries in Africa and the Middle East and saw that races can overcome their hatred of one another through faith. He returned to the US with a new message of brotherhood and hope for the Black Muslim community.
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Among the many things I admired about Malcolm X was his thirst for knowledge. He is a great advertisement for autodidactism and how effective and transformative self-education can be:
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“As I see it today, the ability to read awoke inside me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive.”
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This book, more than any other I've read, opened my eyes to see how the innate racism in our country works and affects the people it is most sharply targeted at: African Americans. It's one thing to understand that it exists and empathize with its victims, but quite another to see it through their eyes.
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Malcolm X changed the way black people saw themselves. While his earlier speeches were (understandably) delivered with anger and vitriol toward the "white devil man", his message later in life combined pride and ownership with peaceful revolution. Like MLK’s, Malcom X's message was extremely threatening to the establishment. Ultimately all the leaders assassinated in the 60’s were change agents for a peaceful, equalized world.
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The strength of his words and the power of his ideas continue to resonate more than a generation after they first appeared. Even today, Malcolm X is a contentious figure, but he is a man who must be studied to be understood. Hearing his words and his anger is not enough. We need to know where it came from and why it was justified. This autobiography is honest, brutal, and, above all, simply an outstanding piece of writing. There’s so much to be gained from reading this.
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Soap I'm Using
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While I've always valued the importance of what we put into our bodies, I've recently become more conscious of what we're putting onto our bodies.
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Our skin is our largest organ, and yet, we tend not to think about the number of unknown chemicals and ingredients we're blindly applying to it via soaps, sunscreens, bug sprays, and other ointments.
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This soap was recommended by Tim Ferriss on an AMA when a listener commented on his lack of wrinkles and smooth skin. I've been using it for six months or so and noticed a difference.
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If anyone has good sunscreen recommendations, hit a white boy up.
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What I'm Listening To
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Every album Sturgill Simpson puts out is entirely different from the last - psychedelic rock, blues, honky-tonk country, or alternative grunge. He continues to redefine himself, create awesome music, and then go away into hiding.
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Sturgill took some time away from music and came out with a new album, called Passage du Desir, under a new stage name: Johnny Blue Skies.
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Rock, blues, country, island music, pop - this album has it all. Scooter Blues is my favorite - definitely some Jimmy Buffett influence. Take a listen
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Quote I'm Pondering
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“Competence is how good you are when there is something to gain. Character is how good you are when there is nothing to gain. People will reward you for competence. But people will only love you for your character.”
— Mark Manson
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Keith and Kyle sit down to discuss the assassination attempt on Donald J. Trump, other infamous assassinations carried out throughout American history, the importance and life-changing benefits of becoming an exceptional communicator, and why the American Government should consider engaging in a more transparent and honest dialogue with the people of the United States.
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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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