I found The Madness of Crowds to be thought provoking. Author Douglas Murray has chapters titled “Gay,” “Women,” “Race,” and “Trans”. He examines with a critical eye the current patterns that are occurring.
Murray had two discussions I have since pondered.
One thing he said is that the Internet has taken away forgiveness. He said that because the Internet does not “forget” anything, something you did 20–25 years ago can be brought up and used to destroy you today even though the social context of that time frame was different. And without forgiveness, we as a group of people cannot survive. Forgiveness is a key piece of being able to move forward and work together.
The other discussion is that increasingly issues are being cast in a “software – hardware” discussion. In other words, if it is a “hardware” issue, then it cannot be changed. To what extent are issues mutable or immutable? How does that issue influence the argument?
I will think about this book for a while.
The Formula, written by Ron Ferguson and Tatsha Robertson, examines the research they did on the parenting of exceptional children. What they found is that parents of exceptional children fostered three key qualities: a sense of purpose, agency, and smarts.
The book makes a distinction between a prodigy and a high achiever. The authors identify the “eight roles of the formula.” The roles are the negotiator, the model, the GPS, the early learning partner, the flight engineer, the fixer, the revealer, and the philosopher.
If you are wondering how to parent your own child, this is a great read.
