Author: Craig Constantine

Opinions everywhere

May 17, 2023

Secondly, I say something like this: “I’m sure you’ve heard the expression ‘everyone is entitled to their opinion.’ Perhaps you’ve even said it yourself, maybe to head off an argument or bring one to a close. Well, as soon as you walk into this room, it’s no longer true. You are not entitled to your opinion. You are only entitled to what you can argue for.”

~ Patrick Stokes from, No, you’re not entitled to your opinion

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Stokes is a professor, and I rarely find myself in a teaching context. When I hear someone express an opinion, I make an assessment of their argument. Did they actually give a coherent argument? Did they give a sketch of one? Do they seem the sort of person who could give an argument in support of their opinion? To be clear, I’m not judging the person, but rather I’m trying to judge the ideas espoused.

Surprising to me, it’s become clear it’s often not obvious when something is a fact versus an opinion.

On the flip side, I try to signal my level confidence in my opinions. I’m trying to banish the phrase, “I think…” because it carries no meaning. Instead I try to say, “It seems obvious to me that…”, “I read somewhere that…”, “So-and-so told me that…”, or “It happened to me that…”

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Garrett Moore | Parkour & Politics

May 16, 2023

On Castbox.fm — Garrett Moore | Parkour & Politics

How does Parkour intersect with politics, and how can its principles be used to navigate divisive conversations and societal challenges?

Self-interrogation emerges as a tool for understanding societal conflicts through Parkour.

Very rarely are you ever going to convince someone to take your exact view. Oftentimes, the best outcome…is for folks just to consider your viewpoint.

~ Garrett Moore (17:24)

This conversation explores the intersection of Parkour and politics, particularly how movement philosophy can provide a lens for addressing societal and political challenges. Garrett discusses how divisive politics impact communities globally and the need for spaces to reflect on individual values. The conversation emphasizes that Parkour practitioners are a diverse group, challenging stereotypes that they are uniformly liberal. Exercises such as resource distribution scenarios are highlighted as methods used to engage participants in introspection and values clarification.

The discussion also focuses on tools for navigating contentious topics, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and emotional readiness. Garrett highlights the futility of trying to convert others to one’s viewpoint, instead advocating for fostering understanding and finding common ground. The concept of self-interrogation is central, with participants encouraged to reflect on their motivations and beliefs while engaging with the broader societal context.

Takeaways

Parkour as a political lens — Parkour offers a framework for understanding individual and societal challenges.

Community diversity — Parkour practitioners hold a wide range of political beliefs.

Navigating divisive issues — Tools like self-awareness and emotional readiness are essential for difficult conversations.

Role of self-interrogation — Reflection on personal motivations and values is key to engaging with society.

Exercise in resource distribution — Practical activities reveal underlying values and foster dialogue.

Value of dialogue — Genuine curiosity and understanding are more productive than debate.

Resources

@garrett_moves — Garrett Moore on Instagram.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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Never reaching the sea

May 16, 2023

What I do now is think up a problem and a resolution to that problem. I then begin the story, making it up as I go along, having all the excitement of finding out what will happen to the characters and how they will get out of their scrapes, but working steadily toward the known resolution so that I don’t get lost en route.

When asked for advice by beginners, I always stress that. Know your ending, I say, or the river of your story may finally sink into the desert sands and never reach the sea.

~ Isaac Asimov

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Resources and technology

May 15, 2023

But the deeper reason is that there’s really no such thing as a natural resource. All resources are artificial. They are a product of technology. And economic growth is ultimately driven, not by material resources, but by ideas.

~ Jason Crawford from Can Economic Growth Continue Over the Long-term?

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A few years ago my thinking shifted. I used to think of something, simply by its existence, as being a “natural resource.” More recently I’ve begun to pay attention to which, and how much, technology has to be added for something to be a resource. Anything in the ground has no special value until someone adds the mining or drilling, the refinement, distribution and so on. That makes it clearer how to evaluate the trade-offs.

It becomes easier to visualize, and realize, that the constraints are not the amount of the natural resource (the raw stuff) but rather that the limits are all the expense, destruction, energy, transformation, and ideas that have to go into making that raw stuff usable. And sometimes, it’s just not the right trade-off to make a something into something useable.

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Human collaborators

May 14, 2023

And so we did the math, and it was really at the same time that I had lost [my idea] that she had gotten [her idea]. And we like to think that the idea jumped from my mind to hers during our little kiss that we had when we met. That’s our magical thinking around it. But it’s — there is no explanation for that other than the one that I’ve always abided by, which is that ideas are conscious and living, and they have will, and they have great desire to be made, and they spin through the cosmos, looking for human collaborators.

~ Elizabeth Gilbert from, The Muse Strikes Again

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Obviously that’s not how any of it really works. But it is a sublime, inspiring idea! I know that if I focus (or worse, fixate) on where some idea came from it’s easy to lose the delight of the overall thing. This cosmic perspective from Gilbert reminds me to simply take things and run with them. If I can. If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.

If I can’t run with it, well, that’s okay too. It is simply okay. But, if I still need some self-convincing, that cosmic perspective gives me the comfort I need to let go.

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Enhancing relationships

May 12, 2023

HomeNet could be (and has been) interpreted as an indictment of the internet, or screens, or modern communications technology in general. In truth, it illustrates a much simpler truth about love and happiness: Technology that crowds out our real-life interaction with others will lower our well-being and thus must be managed with great care in our lives. In order to reap their full benefits, we should use digital tools in ways that enhance our relationships.

~ Arthur C. Brooks from, Technology Can Make Your Relationships Shallower

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I’m reminded of some comments by Rafe Kelley.

If junk food is flavor divorced from nutrition, then pornography is sexuality divorced from the context of relationships. Video games are thrill divorced from physicality. And so you take these boys who have this inherent aggression and you let them play Fortnite, and they can play all day without any self-regulation from having the physical demands of actual rough and tumble play. The problem is that it so easily out-competes the actual thing that we need, which is the real physical play.

~ Rafe Kelley from a video short from an Instagram post, so I’ll just link you to his Evolve. Move. Play. project.

Brooks and Kelley are talking about different technologies, but I think they’re both pointing toward the “divorce” being the actual issue. The arrival in the living room (mentioned by Brooks) divorced [I’ll say] the mental stimulation from the other people in the house.

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Which are necessary

May 10, 2023

Real wisdom is not the knowledge of everything, but the knowledge of which things in life are necessary, which are less necessary, and which are completely unnecessary to know. Among the most necessary knowledge is the knowledge of how to live well, that is, how to produce the least possible evil and the greatest goodness in one’s life. At present, people study useless sciences, but forget to study this, the most important knowledge.

~ Leo Tolstoy

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What scales

May 10, 2023

efficiency scales but isn’t memorable

inefficiency is memorable but doesn’t scale

~ “Gaping Void” from, «https://www.gapingvoid.com/blog/2022/09/20/core-human-motivations-thoughts-inspired-by-kunal-shah/»

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This post over on Gaping Void is a great tour of their illustration style. There are several fun and interesting take-aways from a podcast episode from a different favorite site of mine, Farnam Street.

The point (from Shah, in the podcast) about what scales and what doesn’t has always fascinated me. If I try to imagine how to build something (whatever it is) in a way that it will scale up to “huge” it never works out well. Planning for scale up front, involves huge amounts of time, and then huge amounts of building. Instead, I like to think of technology (or any system) as a force multiplier; can I, by my own linear work, do something whose affect can be multiplied through technology?

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Eric Rossi | Preschool Parkour

May 9, 2023

On Castbox.fm — Eric Rossi | Preschool Parkour

What is the significance of integrating child development principles into Parkour coaching for preschool-aged children?

Parents and preschoolers alike discover the deeper benefits of Parkour beyond physical activity.

From birth to five years old, we are growing the fastest that we will ever grow in our lives, we have the most malleability in our minds and our bodies in that time.

~ Eric Rossi (2:39)

This conversation highlights the intersection of Parkour coaching and early childhood development, focusing on preschool-aged children. The discussion explores the physical and cognitive growth that occurs from birth to five years, emphasizing the unique opportunity for Parkour to provide children with movement role models. Eric describes how Parkour gyms can incorporate specialized sessions for young children, such as open play times, which offer developmental benefits through exploratory movement.

The conversation also addresses the importance of engaging parents in the learning process. Parents who observe and interact with these sessions gain insight into their children’s development and become advocates for their growth. Additionally, Eric shares his own journey and challenges as a movement educator, underscoring the need for coaches to grow their confidence and understanding of child development principles.

Takeaways

Movement role models — Coaches provide crucial examples for young children during developmental years.

Role of parents — Parents can become active participants and advocates in their children’s growth.

Value of early years — Birth to five years is the most critical period for cognitive and physical growth.

Recess programs — Structured free-play sessions offer significant developmental opportunities.

Coaching skills — Coaches must build confidence and expand their understanding of child development.

Resources

@coach.eric.ok — Eric Rossi on Instagram.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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Then you read

May 8, 2023

You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was reading books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who ever had been alive. An artist is a sort of emotional historian.

~ James Baldwin

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Not forever

May 8, 2023

At some point in our lives we realize that we aren’t spring chickens anymore and we become a bit less interested in looking good naked and more interested in feeling better and making the most of the rest of our lives. It’s a hard thing to slowly realize you aren’t going to live forever.

But once you accept it, you can start to address it.

~ Jarlo Ilano from, How to Live Forever (or at least stay healthy for a really long time)

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I talk a lot about movement, and the people over at GMB are top-notch. If you’re looking for something (to inspire you, get you moving, solve a specific issue, etc.) then go there.

I also talk a lot about sleep. In recent months I’ve decided my mattress is done. I’ve been refusing to spend the insane amount to replace it (and yes, I’ve heard of that brand you’re considering telling me about.) Instead I chose to lean into sleeping on really hard surfaces.

I’ve been sleeping on a 2-inch-thick air mattress, on the floor, for a week. Thoracic extension— delightful. Hip extension as an antidote to desk-sitting— delightful. Even lying on my side requires new adaptations— delightful. As it happens, I already have a platform bed with Tatami mats. Based on my week’s experiment (and countless nights sleeping on my air mattress on host’s floors) I’ve shoved the western-style mattress off the platform and ordered a traditional “floor mattress” which goes atop tatami mats. We shall see.

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