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👤 Rebel of the Week
When Nietzsche said ‘become who you are’, this is what he meant
Behind the philosopher’s cryptic phrase is an invocation to sculpt your ideal self out of the hard stone of your psyche.
📚 Light Reading
The human identity crisis
We want to fit in with current trends, and we want to be noticed as the unique individuals we take ourselves to be simultaneously. The two are mutually exclusive.
Is it better to be a little fish in a big pond or a big fish in a little pond?
Understanding the Big Fish, Little Pond Effect (BFLPE) can help you better position yourself (and your kids) for success.
The myth of the 25-year-old brain
A powerful idea about human development stormed pop culture and changed how we see one another. It’s mostly bunk.
🔎 Study of the Week
False memories for ending of events
Memory is often less dependable than we'd like to believe, largely because our brains have a tendency to impose a coherent narrative on the past. A recent study sheds light on how we fill in the missing pieces in incomplete stories, effectively constructing memories of events that never actually occurred.
📺 Video of the Week
Why are so many American boys hooked on Adderall? (7 min.)
🎙 Podcast Episode
Think about the last time you did something you knew was wrong. How did you explain your actions to yourself?
All of us tell stories about why we do the things we do. We justify our failures and come up with plausible explanations for our actions. Elliot Aronson explains the mental processes behind this type of self-justification, and shares how he helped develop one of the most widely-known concepts in psychology: cognitive dissonance.
🗣 Words to Live By
👀 Perception Watch
Close your eyes slowly…
😲 WTF
A small percentage of the static you see on ‘dead’ TV channels is actually residual radiation from the big bang. It is literally the afterglow of the universe’s creation.
😁 In the Memetime
📖 Book Club
In the Malaysian jungle, the endangered Sng'oi people live a way of life that might hold the key to our survival. Psychologist Robert Wolff, after immersing himself in their world, shares their wisdom in Original Wisdom: Stories of an Ancient Way of Knowing. This book reflects their intuitive, trusting, and joyful existence, prompting us to rediscover our own humanity in today’s fragmented world.
🤔 Contemplation Corner
When Pew Research asked members of each generation what made their generation unique, here’s how they answered:
While the Silent Generation took pride in its honesty, the Boomers in their values, and Gen X in its work ethic, Millennials define themselves in terms of music, technology, and clothes—all consumeristic status markers.
🎧 The Song of the Week
Ike & Tina Turner — 3 O'Clock In the Morning Blues
Listen to the Rebel Intellects playlist on Spotify.
🧠 Become a Rebel
Elevate your thinking, one maverick at a time. Each month, our membership community explores a different philosopher's wisdom. Click here to find out more.
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👍 Thanks for Reading
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Live well, and I’ll see you next week.
John