[antifragile 4 🔥] Blaise Pascal on humanity’s problems, a rant on secrets behind the curtain, potty training wisdom, little voices
#38: a weekly 4-item newsletter created to inspire dads to use the challenges of fatherhood as fuel for building an incredible life & an antifragile mind.
Welcome to the 38th edition of the antifragile 4 🔥.
It’s a weekly 4-item newsletter created to inspire dads to use the challenges of fatherhood as fuel for building an incredible life & an antifragile mind. Some weeks will have a theme, others will meander. Expect it every Friday.
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We were supposed to be in Portugal for two weeks starting Sunday…but due to a sick kid the day before our flight, we’re not.
We cancelled the trip (got refundable flight + hotels like true veteran parents) and moved our vacation to the beach instead.
Frustrating? Sure. But we’ll go to Portugal eventually. Not worried about that.
But we needed a reset. Badly. And we got one. It’s turned out to be a gift.
Sometimes you get what you need.
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Here is this week’s antifragile 4 🔥:
a quote from Blaise Pascal 📖 on all humanity’s problems
a short rant 🗣️ on secrets behind the curtain
life wisdom 🚽 from Oh Crap! Potty Training
a habit 🎤 I’ll be grateful for when my kids leave
+ AI Image of the Week 🤖 🎨 (it’s really good)
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1.) a quote from Blaise Pascal 📖 about all humanity’s problems
All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.
Blaise Pascal
This is one of my favorite lines.
And one I was mercifully reminded of after weeks of filling every free moment with distraction.
That constant stimulus feels (so) good in the moment. But over time, the endless barrage erodes your well-being until your days start to be colored more by hopelessness, anger and sadness than they do by excitement, curiosity, and kindness.
In our modern world, inhabiting the body of a modern man, sitting quietly, alone in a room feels like a f*cking waste of time.
But I assure you, it’s the opposite. When you quiet your mind, time seems to magically appear. Plus, your days get brighter. Your ideas get better. Your actions become more effective. You love more easily.
Finding quiet for yourself is one of the greatest gifts you can give the world around you.
2.) a short rant 🗣️ on secrets behind the curtain
There are no secrets hidden behind paywalls, Twitter threads, Instagram posts, or anywhere else that will guarantee your happiness or success.
Can you learn from people? Absolutely.
Can you be inspired by their process? Definitely.
But will they do the work for you? Never.
Do not outsource your agency to strangers on the internet. Gather data. Find your own solutions.
The responsibility for your life lies with you. No one else.
You are not one course, one podcast, one hack, or one guru away from the life you want.
The tools can help. The insights can guide.
But it comes down to you - creating the life you want, or not.
3.) life wisdom 🚽 from Oh Crap! Potty Training
We’re using Oh Crap! by Jamie Glowacki to embark on our potty training journey - and if you’re a millennial parent, I’m sure you did too.
Whether it works or not is TBD. But there was some banger life wisdom in the first chapter:
Having no boundaries or rules is like a free-fall through life.
Jamie Glowacki
As someone who places such value on “freedom” day-to-day, I often forget the value of boundaries and rules.
It reminds me of this quote:
Art is limitation; the essence of every picture is the frame.
G.K. Chesterton
Limitation is what gives life meaning. Freedom everywhere is a cage in which nothing is accomplished.
Whatever the context, giving yourself a frame allows for meaning. For art. This one doesn’t come naturally to me. But it’s one I’m continuing to mull over.
4.) a habit 🎤 I’ll be grateful for when my kids leave
I’ve heard from a lot of veteran parents that they wish they had done a better job documenting their kids’ earliest years.
Not just with video, but with notes - and even voice recordings.
I’ve hopped on this last one big time. Voice records are the best.
Here’s one of my older son saying “flamingo” (and then “cactus”). Try not to melt 🫠.
Even now, sometimes I’ll listen to recordings of the boys babbling when they were babies. There’s something about having audio-only that allows your mind to paint wonderful pictures.
When my boys leave and I’m undoubtedly having a rough time, I think I’ll spend a lot of time leaning on things like this.
AI Image of the Week 🤖 🎨
Blaise Pascal chasing around a potty-training toddler.
Worthy of the National Gallery 🖼️
Two last things for you this week:
Find a quiet room and sit in it alone for a while. See what happens.
Be fire and wish for the wind 🔥
With love,
Chris
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