The Stoic challenge is coming to a close; tomorrow, we will write up the last of the 21-day challenges and add a recap to the experience.  Sunday has invited several BIG THINKERS to the newsletter.  A masterclass on Strategic Thinking in less than seven minutes, another way to think about A.I. and how martial arts trains you not to fight.  Big thoughts ahead; enjoy your day!

There is peace in a funeral, in going to a cemetery to remember the lives lived.  The tradition and ceremony with friends and family aren't meant to reflect your own mortality but to celebrate the life of the person who passed.  I have always found sincere peace at a funeral.  This challenge is focused on your own mortality and goes into what the Stoics believed and how you can relate it to your life.  This one doesn't resonate with me for several reasons.  The primary reason is the need for actions I can take to change the process.  I accept that tomorrow is not guaranteed, but the idea that I will live every day like it is my last is false.  It is essential to reflect on your life and decide what's important and what you want to focus on.  That is the purpose of the super challenges in January '23; I am always looking for a way to learn, grow and do better.  I also reflect often on what I've been blessed with and what I've done with it.  I know from my regrets, but to carry them with me would slow the progress I'm trying to make. 

My interpretation of the challenge may be slightly off, but I like what it made me think about and what I wrote about it.  In that way, the mission was accomplished.

Changing the Night Journal post, ask yourself the same three questions, throw your answers into the comments, and we will highlight some of the responses.

One of the newsletters and media groups we follow is The Bulwark.  It's a group of journalists that left the Republican party over the last several years based on the continued slide from character, honor, and service.  The Bulwark is a strong group of journalists and political commentators; it is not necessarily the audience we are building at With A Shout, although all cross-overs will be welcome.  The article we link to hear is about Audience.  The Bulwark team went on the road to do a few live shows.  We saw the team from Smartless Podcase (Jason Batemen, Will Arnet, and Sean Hayes) do this last year.  Start a new media group, build up a following and an audience, take it on the road, and see how it goes.  Smartless road show was successful, and now The Bulwark filled up a legendary venue in L.A., the Avalon, to tape an episode of The Next Level podcast. 

This is the goal, build a following and audience based on quality, not quantity, and be lucky enough to have 'em show up for an evening of conversation and relationships.  Be true to your character, be consistent, and be patient – over time, you can build the kind of audience that will show up when your team comes to town to have a live chat and meet the other people who also relate and enjoy the thoughtful conversations you bring to the table.  This is what we will chase; this is the goal – if we get to the live show stage, there will also be music and art!

Ian Bremmer, a political scientist and frequent contributor to lots of stuff we've seen online and on YouTube, did a short video for a YouTube channel called Big Think.  In this video, Bremmer discusses how we can become great Strategic Thinkers.  The video is less than 7 minutes; here are the highlights we pulled out:

Strategic thinkers don't need cheerleaders; they need challengers.

Nik talks about Jet Li – a famous action movie star and world-famous martial artist.  He talks about how Li has never used martial arts to fight.  Nik talks about training and discipline and how physical exercise can help you avoid injuries and recover from injuries faster, depending on how you train. 

I started training in martial arts when I was in my mid-30s.  My oldest son and I signed up together and trained for over three years every week to achieve our first-degree black belts in Taekwondo.  At the time, I was a 30-something husband and father of three young boys, working at a tech company I started and living in the suburbs.  The likelihood of me ever needing to fight was slim.  Training in martial arts was about training and discipline.  It was a workout, it was mentally and physically challenging, and it required a lot of discipline to achieve the level of black belt. 

There is no shortcut to becoming a black belt.  You have to train multiple times per week and test for several belts throughout the training time, and the last six months of training before you can test for your black belt are the most rigorous and intense.  That's the point of training and working toward a high level of achievement.  You can't get a master’s degree in college without a 4-year bachelor's degree and acceptance into the school.  That's a minimum of six years of advanced-level education.

The saying goes, "If it's worth doing, do it right."

On Seth’s Blog today, he discusses the [perceived] overconfidence of A.I. and Google.  I will start with the end of his post and work backward.  He reminds us that using technology to find more information and answers is not black and white.  All the data isn't spam or conspiracy, nor is it all correct.  A theme discussed in this newsletter is how an informed, educated population is necessary for the technology to be optimized. 

W. Edwards Deming is quoted as saying, "In God we trust.  All others must bring data.”  Using Google or ChatGPT can be a faster way to build your data.  The person using the tech and the tools must know what they are looking for and how it can be verified. 

We talked about martial arts training, the goal is to train to never have to fight, but if you have to, you can.  Your intellect works similarly.  Train your brain; read, study, discuss, experiment, and read more.  Train your brain so you never have to take in information without understanding how to verify it.  Seth end's the piece by saying, "Our gullibility is one of the things we ought to keep in mind.”  You can reduce gullibility by being informed, educated, and involved.  Keep up the Informed fight!

Words | Music | Art | Unknown

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With A Shout newsletter is written by Johnny Christian with the support of a thousand idea bits and the help of many people.

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