What a puppy taught me about philosophy
How the dichotomy of control helped me deal with an unexpected drama
Hey friends,
What would you do if your key tool broke? That’s what happened to me this week.
My parent’s dog decided my Apple Pencil made a great teething tool — puppies eh! I honestly thought that was it for my sketchnotes for a while.
Anyway, this is all relevant for today’s visual meditation below.
But now the links
Interesting links.
4 ways to draw hiring by visual thinking school
This is a great little challenge to test yourself. Take a word you often draw and see how many variations you can come up with.
World Sketchnote Day was on the 11th of January. Take a look at some of the sketchnotes people shared.
- of shares a sketchnote of the new Rabit R1. A new kind of AI-powered device. I love Andy’s style (plus he uses concepts which I’m always curious about using!)
Change what you can
The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived — Robert Jordan
There’s an idea in Stoicism called The Dichotomy of Control.
It states that there are things you can influence and those you can’t. You shouldn’t worry about the first lot, but you should care about the second.
Simple and obvious, right?
So obvious many other schools of philosophy and religions have similar ideas.
And yet how rarely do we live it? Sometimes it’s that we don’t realise we don’t have control. More often we don’t want to admit we don’t have control.
And sometimes we just want to get angry and complain.
Remember the Apple Pencil this week?
Normally I would have got angry. I might have blamed the dog for chewing it, but probably I would have blamed myself for leaving the Pencil where the dog could chew it — in the middle of a desk, away from the sides, in a room with a closed door.
As you can see, neither of those reactions would have made any sense or changed anything.
And this time I didn’t react that way. Instead, I accepted it.
I made more sketchnotes with pen and paper, something I haven’t done for a while, and launched a kickstarter on the suggestion of a friend.
In the end, I got to use skills I wouldn’t normally and I got most of the money to finance a replacement.
Too often I’m like the oak tree, but being like the willow tree is far better.
Maybe you don’t have to worry about that thing that’s on your mind.
Actionable takeaway: Keep your tools safe, and dogs away from them!
I hope your week was less dramatic than mine.
Did you do anything for World Sketchnote Day? I’d love to know what.
See you next week,
Chris
Thank you so much for the mention!!
The R1 sketchnote was essentially my World SketchnoteDday sketchnote.
Sorry to hear about your Apple pencil's poor fate. I hope you get a replacement soon.
Love your work!! Keep going!