I thought I was crazy until I found Richard Feynman.
Feynman was not only among the most brilliant people on earth, but he transmitted something I've never seen in others.
Thread with some lessons from his peculiar way of being:
While reading and thinking, there were moments when I felt I was having actual fun.
But I doubted myself: "How could I be having fun doing this? Maybe I don't understand fun."
It was not until I saw the joy Feynman transmitted that I understood this profound emotion.
Feynman never did anything for the prestige he might get out of it.
He didn't even want to receive the Nobel Prize.
Richard felt he had already gotten what matters.
The prize is the pleasure of finding the thing out.
People think beauty is only about aesthetics.
But Feynman believed that there's something beautiful in depth,
in understanding processes.
Knowledge contributes to beauty. It doesn't subtract from it.
Richard Feynman embodied deep curiosity.
You don't understand what "first principles" really mean until you listen to a physicist reasoning.
It's about going to the end of the world chasing a chain of 'whys'.
"Where does fire come from?"
You have enough time to pursue other interests.
Don't listen to people who say you need to do only one thing to excel at it.
Feynman got a Nobel Prize in physics, but he still pursued other interests to a state worth of admiration.
Let's explore a very peculiar one.
Richard didn't know how to express a profound feeling about the beauty of the world through a set of equations, so he began drawing.
"It's a feeling of awe -- of scientific awe .. which I felt could be communicated through a drawing to someone who had also had that emotion. I could remind him, for a moment, of this feeling about the glories of the universe"
Feynman drew for over 20 years and even sold some of his work.
Charles Darwin was a giant of a man who greatly advanced mankind.
But he had one huge regret:
Not cultivating his appreciation for poetry and music.
"The loss of these tastes is a loss of happiness."
It might be more about imitating Feynman in this aspect.
There is another real loss in life: The loss of one's sense of humor.
It doesn't matter how many labels, prestige, and wisdom you may have.
You don't want to go through life without laughing.
Feynman was especially known for this.
This book compiles some of his funny anecdotes.
How did he get away with all of this?
Feynman's ethos was rooted in independent-mindedness.
He developed great respect towards his mind and heart.
Not caring about what others think is a superpower.
Hope you found this thread interesting and feel free to share if you have!
I post about books and interesting things I read.
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Lee Kuan Yew was one of the most extraordinary leaders in history.
He turned a tiny island into a modern civilized powerhouse, in the face of all the troubles you can imagine.
Thread with how Lee Kuan Yew took Singapore from third world to first:
Lee Kuan Yew's genius was in systematically picking the correct system to fix huge societal issues.
Singapore's GDP per capita increased from $500 in 1965 to $83,000 in 2023.
We'll go over how he laid the foundations for such a crazy outcome.
The whole ethos of Lee Kuan Yew's government was very simple:
-Figure out what works and do it.
-Don't be a prisoner of an ideology.
-Avoid what didn't work for others.
-Give a sense of fair play to society.
-Align interests towards Singapore's success.
-Learn from mistakes.