The Consciousness Paradox, Exploration v Exploitation, & More

Sharpening your thinking today:

• Makes-You-Think Tweet: Purpose of religion and kings

• Mind-Expanding Concept: The Consciousness Paradox

• Cool Quote or Question: Exploration v Exploitation

• High-Signal Content: Reality has a surprising amount of detail

Makes-You-Think Tweet

Mind-Expanding Concept

The Consciousness Paradox

The more consciously we do something, the less consciously we do it.

The more present we are, the faster we master any given activity.

When learning to play the guitar, we pay attention to everything the instructor says and does. We actively observe the mechanics of the strings and how to construct chords. You see a diagram of one. You try it out. It hurts at first but you reposition your fingers and it looks right. The sound is ok. You try something, it doesn't work. You try something else and it does. You save this information. And so on.

Focused attention is (in part) the difference between the deliberate practice of something and simply going through the motions. And focus requires presence.

Once we are proficient at something, our mind moves it from conscious to unconscious thought.

Our brains are always finding ways to spend less energy while keeping us alive. As you master something, you don't need to pay attention to every tiny step anymore. You intuitively know the motions. So you just do it. There's no conscious thinking.

Driving is an example. At first, we're overly conscious of every step of the process. After a while, you're executing several tasks without noticing them. You're so confident in the execution that you even venture to look at your smartphone (pls don't do it). Our conscious mind learns and our unconscious mind automates.

Carl Jung has this famous quote: 'Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will rule your life and you will call it fate.' Here, until you make the conscious unconscious you’ll spend too much energy and won't master it. We have a sense that the more we're interested in something, the easier it is to pay attention to it. But a corollary is that we shift certain activities faster to the unconscious (and hence master them) if we're interested.

Cool Quote or Question

Life is a messy tango between exploration and exploitation, skimming and deep-diving.

We explore the world looking for fun, meaningful, and exciting experiences. When we sense we've found one, we invest time and energy to enjoy it and potentially extend it. We shift to exploitation, in a non-machiavellian sense.

We explore less as we grow older

Growing up, we hunger for novelty. Trying things and taking risks comes naturally. We maximize exploration.

As we get older we move towards exploitation. We make commitments (read babies) and create roots. There are also diminishing returns to exploration (the 77^th trip is not as amazing). And maybe we just know ourselves and what we want better (tequila shots on Tuesdays are not worth it). Or maybe our backs hurt and exploring is tiring (let's just order from our favorite sushi place again?).

This shift seems natural. Since we've tried many things already, we double down on things that we know we value and like and want.

Our tastes change

One curve ball: the things we like change in surprising and unexpected ways. One day I woke up enjoying tea. I had tried multiple types many times before and had never enjoyed it. Now, I do. Any attempt to explain the change would be fruitless.

Another one: I grew up playing soccer and was a state champion with my hometown team. Watching soccer games was a sacred part of my weekly routine with friends and family. Now, I don't remember the last time I played or watched a game.

If we make commitments based on our current tastes but they change over time, are we building a future we won't enjoy? Should we never make the shift? Never...commit?

Do commit but save some room for wandering

Going through life only in exploration mode is not ideal. Some of the most meaningful experiences come from commitment. Going all-in. Burning the ships. But leaving some room for exploration is as important. Room for discovery, novelty, and serendipity. How much? Not sure. Join the tango and just dance.

Also, injections of exploration do not jeopardize the things we value and want to keep. On the contrary, it's by looking around and seeing the contrast that we reinforce them. By seeing what's out there we help cherish what's in here.

High-Signal Content

“Surprising detail is a near-universal property of getting up close and personal with reality.”

See you next week,

Filipe