Hacking into the mind: Grasping opportunity and patience in a fast paced word.
The pace is quickening, change is happening so fast that people can no longer keep up with it. Today’s expert is tomorrows novice as a new invention breaks over the horizon just as the previous one fades into obscurity. There is so much technology that even with more time people would still not be able to master it, because the use of each new technology affects the way we see older technologies as well as newer technologies and their interactions.
These create interesting situations where people who have stable jobs and have a set career path are suddenly confronted with a myriad of options relating to new career choices, skill sets and experiences which were previously unheard of. Thus, a disparity between their known reality and the future possibilities is created, with which they engage with on various levels.
Therefore, they are much more likely to have a battle in their mind between whether or not to act on these opportunities. Moreover, how long should they wait before acting on these opportunities? This includes asking how much planning should go into these opportunities and what is the degree of patience that is required to bring these opportunities to maturity?
In order to answer these questions and investigate these statements there are too quotes that shout for the loudest attention when considering these questions:
Quote 1:
“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift.”
Albert Einstein
In a world where everything is based on assessment we have lost much genius and natural potential to lead and change by putting learners, teens and adults in to neat little boxes and labelling them based on their performance or occupation. In focusing on assessment people have lost the ability as a collective to think intuitively and creatively, to problem solve and to take risks. This is in part due to making the rational mind the master, while forgetting the intuitive mind. We have created a society of mindless zombies that do not know how to follow their dreams, intuitions and passions. This is the missed opportunity of society, there are so many diamonds in the rough that will never be polished because of peoples logical fears about why something is impossible.
Quote 2:
System 1 is the brain’s automatic, intuitive, and unconscious thinking mode. It requires little energy or attention, but it is often biased prone. System 1 is more influential and guides our day-to-day decisions. System 2 is a slow, controlled, and analytical method of thinking where reason dominates.
Daniel Khaneman-Think fast, think slow
In order to understand this, think of the difference between trying to solve for the answer of 354+654, immediately your brain may give suggestions. This is system 1, but getting to the right answer requires focused thinking, which is system 2.
In his groundbreaking book Daniel Khaneman introduces the idea that our mind has 2 systems. System 1 which is intuitive, while system 2 which is more logical. These are similar concepts to Einsteins quote however it allows us to have a different discussion around patience and opportunity.
With the idea of system 1 and system 2 we are also looking at the intuitive versus the rational yet in this case we see the intuitive mind is bias prone, or in other words it favours ideas we already have in our head. It follows that the intuitive mind needs work and research for the intuition to be of value. Furthermore, it shows us that the rational mind has a place, as it allows for patience and planning. Intuition alone will not enable you to take advantage of your opportunity, there is a need for long term analytical thought.
Therefore it is clear that both intuition and logical thinking are required to be successful in the modern fast paced world. The intuitive mind understands opportunity and risk, while the logical mind aids with planning and patience. With these two mindsets, one is fully equipped to deal with the rapid pace of change of technology and innovation in society.
“Getting on the bus is easy, knowing where you are going and how to get off requires mindfulness and concentration”.
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