Issue 2 - Fast & Slow

Hello and welcome to the second edition of my new weekly email newsletter, Deep Life Reflections: Friday Five.

Each Friday, I share five things I’m enjoying and thinking about, which I hope you find useful on this journey towards a more balanced, intentional, and fulfilling life.

Here’s my Friday Five this week.

1. What I’m Reading

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

A book that transformed how I thought about thinking. Kahneman is a renowned psychologist and economist. His central concept is that the human mind operates using two systems: System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional (but prone to errors and biases), while System 2 is slow, deliberate, and effortful (more accurate but also more easily fatigued).

This is Kahneman’s life work and he won the Nobel Prize in 2002 for Economic Sciences. There’s many fascinating chapters based on his decades of research, including our evolutionary aversion to loss, our overconfidence, our tendency to replace a difficult question with one which is easy to answer, and jumping to conclusions based on limited thinking. The book reveals where we can and can’t trust our intuitions, and how we can tap into the benefits of slow thinking.

2. What I’m Watching

Mad Men

Mad Men is, in my humble opinion, the greatest television series of all time. Set in the world of New York advertising in the 1960s, it’s a cultural and philosophical commentary on the twentieth century and our search for what brings happiness and meaning in life. It’s brilliantly written by Matthew Weiner and in his leading character, Don Draper, we have one of the greatest complex personalities ever written, sitting right alongside Tony Soprano and Walter White.

I first watched Mad Men during its original air from 2007 to 2015, but returning eight years later (and being fifteen years older since it started—I’m older than Don now!) I appreciated it from several new perspectives. The accompanying Notes From The Break Room blog series also added to the experience. Brilliant music too.

3. What I’m Contemplating

How our frantic pace of life is reducing our ability to slow down and savour the things we enjoy. We often see people “binge” something and wear it as a badge of honour. Binge is defined in the dictionary as “an act of excessive or compulsive consumption.” It does not have positive connotations and seems to tie in with our desire to get through something as quickly as possible, discard it, and move on to the next thing. When I rewatched Mad Men, I wanted to savour the experience, watching only one episode every day or second day. It made me appreciate it even more. I’m ok with slowing things down.

4. A Quote to note

“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.”

Socrates

5. A Question for you

What are the things you enjoy doing most and do you take the time to slow down and savour them? Even something as simple as a meal, slowing down to taste and enjoy each unique flavour. Food for thought.

Thanks for reading and please share any feedback.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the journey.

James