Reading
We are what we consume. I take that to mean habits of attention matter as much as habits of thought, and to ponder well, you need enough raw material to compare ideas honestly, and enough appreciation for craft and truth that what you take in can actually stick.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of the content I have found interesting:
Novels and textbooks I've found thought-provoking:
- The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri
- Norwegian Wood, Haruki Murakami
- The Children's Bach, Helen Garner
- Factory Physics, Wallace J. Hopp and Mark L. Spearman
Some essays that have shaped my worldview:
- How to Do Great Work, Paul Graham
- The Bitter Lesson, Rich Sutton
- bidngen, Maya Hodge
- The Red Plastic Chair is a Vietnamese Cultural Institution, and My Anchor, Amy Duong
Finally, some videos that guide my perspective:
- The Power of Vulnerability, Brené Brown · TEDxHouston
- Meaning is a Jumper That You Have to Knit Yourself, exurb1a
- and then we'll be okay, exurb1a