Synthesized key learnings from conversations with Fatima
On conversations and socializing
follow the breadth first algorithm unless invited to do deeper dives into specific topic
allow room for others to signal interest or lack thereof
understand the inter-subjective frames (social norms and rules) you are dealing with when stepping into specific crowd/circles
treat them not how you want to be treated or how you think they should be treated but how they need to be treated
on frameworks and intellectual pursuits
they are generally useful because they provide an simplified and ordered way to organize reality (analogue data) for easy analysis
beware of love for over simplifications
be cognizant of the limitation imposed by choice of frameworks
When making decisions, beware of and avoid the zero or one syndrome. Allow room to intellectually accommodate inconsistent complexity which is the very nature of reality
A loosely defined system though somewhat inconsistent and hard to comprehend that can accommodate uncertainty, ambiguities and inconsistent complexities will be more robust when stressed under the pressure of reality as compared to one that is elegant, consistent and well-defined
keep time aside to keep up to date on current affairs to understand trends and latent social forces
when negative impact is observe assume it is acted out of ignorance (of the necessary context) instead of attributing intention to personal flaw of character
be cognizant of narratives and predisposed biases. Take them into account when making decisions but let not decisions be severely skewed
