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I finally finished reading the Black Swan by Nassim Taleb. (By ‘read’ I mean listened to on audible).

Working my way through this book was a huge chore. I’m not sure whether it was the author or the narrator’s tone that conveyed such frustrating arrogance. Definitely could’ve used a different narrator. Anyway, the book had some good points and I am glad I forced myself to read it. It was recommended to me by a mathematician friend as well as various business gurus.

A ‘black swan’ is the authors metaphor for extremely rare events. The corona virus definitely falls under this category. I am not sure which is more rare, a virus of this nature, or the economic fallout from the reaction and handling of the event. We will see which is worse. The health and death toll from the virus itself, or the health and death toll resulting from the economic destruction.

The best reason for finishing this book is the last chapter is full of gold. I will probably reread the last chapter several times. It is like a poem filled with sage wisdom regarding choices

Another great takeaway is the author’s disdain for the bell curve. You know the saying, “if the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail”. Well… basically he is saying that the bell curve is the main tool for many economists and statisticians and it leaves out a variety of variables. In this way the bell curve model is misused and misapplied to many data sets.

Here is a post I wrote pontificating on the book many moons ago

laceration

worst cut ever

I was simply ducking down to walk underneath of my tanker trailer and I caught my head on a sharp piece of metal holding a turn signal on.

I didn’t think it was too bad at first. didn’t really hurt. couldn’t tell how big the wound was. when I stood up and blood was just gushing out, forming a puddle in my hand… I knew there was a problem.

The representative at the customer asked if I was all right… lol. I replied very calmly… “no…no… I don’t think so”

he said, “Ill go get a first aid kit”

I sat down on the pavement to steady my breath and control the blood flow. Don’t even remember getting dizzy because I passed out without any notice.

When I came to, I was looking up into a bunch of faces and my head was on some amazing woman’s knee. She was holding a wet towel to my head and praying to Jesus. she said, “I’m not letting go until the ambulance gets here.”

The ambulance arrived very quickly and rushed me to the closest Nashville hospital. They did CT scan to make sure my skull and brains were ok. I kept asking for water because I was thirsty. They would not give me any in case I needed brain surgery.

When I the nurse finally walked in with a cup a water for me I breathed a sigh of relief because I knew they decided I did not need surgery. They placed sixteen stitches in my head and sent me on my way.

They didn’t have a bandage big enough so they left my stitches free for the world to see. So, I grossed everyone out at the Chinese restaurant and book store that evening when my stitches were leaking blood streams down my head without my knowledge.

wear you’re hard hats people

I am gonna eat and sleep in mine now

head wounds bleed a lot.

I am talking… a lot.

I can’t believe I did it!

This is an extraordinary and satisfying accomplishment.

I fasted for three days straight

So… while everyone else was eating turkey I went without food or water for three whole days.

I have been practicing various forms of fasting for over twenty years now. The method that I find most beneficial is a dry fast. No food or water, usually only for one day. I have done this one-day fast many times, but never for three days. I always feel amazing after a single day fast so I figured the benefits only increase if I did it longer. Since I had some extra time out of my truck over thanksgiving, I decided to practice then.

I know… I’m contrary and inclined to do the opposite of everyone else. While most people are eating to excess I am going without both food and water entirely.

As you can see in the time lapse video I spent a decent amount of time napping. Most likely my blood sugar was fluctuating and my body was going into hyper preservation mode. This happens during caloric restriction. It is a genetic evolutionary trigger. When there is no food the body goes into hyper preservation mode. The important thing is, from this process, all the cells become extra fortified. Stronger cells increases longevity.

As I mentioned I napped a lot. During a fast is one of the only times I feel completely justified to take extra naps. I feel that it is the most productive sleep and the body is getting the most pure rest.

Also you can see I performed a lot of standing meditation. I have incorporated this a lot over the past decade. At the beginning it was to help heal leg injuries but then it dawns on me that there are important chakras in the legs. I experience different benefits to the legs and spine while standing rather than sitting. While sitting you can focus solely on the spine. However while standing the spine becomes more an extension of the legs. If there are imbalances in the legs, those imbalances will transfer into the spine while walking around in daily life.

After experiencing a good amount of lethargy during the first three quarters of this experience I got a blast of energy and could hardly sleep on the final night. As you can see I kept getting back up, packing up my bed roll, rolling out the yoga mat and turning the camera back on to practice. My mind was clear and my energy was great.

My roommate later speculated that that blast of energy was my body pumping out adrenaline saying “you need to find water or you’re gonna die!” That is a possibility. I, however, think I was tapping into a great fountain head of cosmic energy that goes beyond metabolizing food.

Clarity of mind

One thing I experience is a very clear and focused mind. While the body may struggle a bit during a fast the mind has clarity. One theory is the body is processing and regulating all the chemicals in attempt to arrive at some homeostasis and the mind is left with this amazing sharpness

I am not recommending anyone try a three day fast. I am very strong and have prepared a lifetime to be able to survive this. I am recommending experimenting with various forms of lighter fasting. It could be as simple as skipping one meal. Try a juice fast or only water for a day. See how you feel. Gradually increase the difficulty as your body gets stronger.

I wrote and recorded the music in the video

Available on Spotify

I just broke this woman’s poor heart…

Or maybe not.

I was ordering my sandwich at Subway and the nice lady was grumbling to her self as she was making my sandwich behind the counter. I could only hear bits and pieces of what she said to herself.

Then she looked up at me.

“Do you belive that?”

“What?” I asked

“That everything happens for a reason.” She said

I told her, “no I do not.”

Sure… everything happens as the result of other circumstances. But are the ‘reasons’ always good?

No

The reasons are whatever you want them to be. If you want to find the good from tragedy, that’s up to you. If you want to be a sour-puss and always find the negative, that’s on you.

So… basically… I believe that everything is neutral. How you color your experiences is personal and subjective.

In the great immense expanse of the universe every occurrence is relatively neutral and insignificant. Every occurrence has the meaning that you ascribe to it. So if something “bad” happens to you and you want to find the good in it… What lessons can be learned etc.… Then that’s up to you as an individual.

No I don’t think everything happens for a reason.

What do you think?

I respect your opinions and choices

Of course, in my interaction with the sandwich designer in subway, I said, “My father died of cancer, and that didn’t happen for a good reason.”

She went on to describe how her husband suffered and died of cancer.

So… becoming thoroughly depressed she offered me a free cookie. The irony is I really wanted to decline the cookie because the root my fathers illness was diabetes, which is the result of sugar consumption.

Attempting politeness, I accepted the cookie.

Overhearing despondent conversations with the next customers, I feared I had upset her. After I ate, I profusely thanked her for the excellent job she did constructing my sandwich.

I wished her blessings and went on my way