💌 IL # 32: Past, present, future
On time travel, sustainability, edginess, and why work/life balance is BS
“Four things do not come back: the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life and the neglected opportunity.”
Arabian Proverb
I came across this quote in a short story by Ted Chiang, The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate. The short story is about an alchemist who created devices that can make you travel in time and stories of the people who went through it.
Given that I cannot change anything in my life, would I rather travel in the past or in the future? Would I allow myself to witness the best moments experienced by my younger, youthful self?
Or would I rather go to the future and learn from my older self and preview what's in store for me?
For now, I'd want to go back to the past because I regret not relishing some moments of my life. It'll be nice to somehow relive it again even as a spectator. I'll be able to add more color to my stories when reminiscing.
Even if I'd rather go back in the past, I'm also excited about the future and how it's unfolding. AI technology such as ChatGPT and art generators have been in the limelight lately because of the issues of intellectual property and ethics surrounding their use. While some of the use cases can be disturbing, it's no use to regard them as complete threats and disregard their benefits for humanity.
What's more threatening as a whole is the climate change issue. One of the things we have to integrate into our lives is sustainability. For the upcoming year, I'll do my best to share my thoughts about how should our two lives integrate: the ones we live in the digital space and the ones we live as our corporeal selves. How can we balance the risk and rewards of everything we do as individuals and as part of the community? That's what an Invested Learner aims to achieve.
Before I share this week’s links, I’d appreciate it if you share what comes to mind whenever you hear the phrase, “Invested Learner” by replying or leaving a comment!
This week’s links:
What the smartest people do on the weekend is what everyone else will do during the week in ten years | Chris Dixon | ⏱ 4 mins
If you’re often busy catching up on work and errands during the weekends, read this.
About Green Bonds and Greenwashing | Aditi Tiswala | ⏱ 5 mins
Green bonds are emerging investment instruments focused on reducing climate change. This is a good primer about what it is and the potential downsides.
Content Moderation Double-Bind Theory | Evan Armstrong | ⏱ 12 mins
Don’t let the academic title fool you. If you’re in the social media/marketing/moderation business, this is a must-read. Here’s an excerpt:
Our research suggests that no matter where we draw the lines for what is allowed, as a piece of content gets close to that line, people will engage with it more on average [emphasis added] — even when they tell us afterwards they don't like the content.
'Work/ life balance' is a capitalist myth & rejecting it is a liberating practice | Ayesha Khan | ⏱ 15 mins
If you’ve already seen Severance (or not), this is an eye-opening read especially if you’re into the work-life balance narrative. The show is so surreal but it’s one of the best reflections on what happens to us when we succumb to trying to achieve the goals dictated by society and capitalism.
That’s it for this week! There will be no issue next week so I can enjoy our first family out-of-the-country trip ✈️ See you next year!
In the meantime, you can also check out other issues here.
Bituin 💫