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> If this really is wisdom, it does not follow that it takes 300 pages to communicate. But I suppose the propounders have to make a living somehow. The article

> If this really is wisdom, it does not follow that it takes 300 pages to communicate. But I suppose the propounders have to make a living somehow. The article makes the point that the wisdom really does take much longer to communicate - a nugget of wisdom like ‘accept yourself’ seems trite when taken alone, but the examples (presumably filling the other 300 pages) are what makes the advice actually sink in.

foreverhere 7y ago
This is similar to secret societies of the 18th century. Using an initiation ceremony to convey simple ideas in alluring, romantic rituals.
afiori 7y ago
More than that it is about how different we all are, the parent poster would like no anecdote, I would like some, you would like some different from mines. 300 pages of filler could very well be the same message told 15 different times in 15 different format hoping that most people would gain that precious wisdom from at least one of them. I see this as a common fallacy of hyperrational people
ahoka 7y ago
The Enchiridion is like 60 pages and contains the wisdom a lifetime.
- zentiggr 7y ago
  And many read it and can't digest it, let alone put it into practice. A couple of very capable people I know can hear the story of something that happened to someone, and they get glazed eyes and can only say "Huh?" Then I rephrase it as "Imagine you were _______ and then _____ happened and afterward you were _____" and they're like "Well why didn't you just say that?" Or the exact opposite. Or like me. Give me an anecdote about something and I'll "Huh, interesting." Tell me about the reason you found it interesting, and I'm way more interested and engaged. Relate it to an event in my own life and now you've got me. But don't ever try to frame it that way for my wife, she'll get bored after the first five words. It's not the message, it's what the listener gets from it.
  - ahoka 7y ago
    "It's not the message, it's what the listener gets from it." I begin to think that if you don't understand the advice, you simply don't need it _yet_.
    - zentiggr 7y ago
      I've sen quite a few quotes around that very point, similar to "You'll get the teacher you need when you need them" or "You'll read it again and understand it on a whole different level" or "The people in your life are there because you need them now. Don't mourn the loss of an acquaintance, it's because you don't need their lesson anymore"

foreverhere 7y ago

This is similar to secret societies of the 18th century. Using an initiation ceremony to convey simple ideas in alluring, romantic rituals.

afiori 7y ago

More than that it is about how different we all are, the parent poster would like no anecdote, I would like some, you would like some different from mines. 300 pages of filler could very well be the same message told 15 different times in 15 different format hoping that most people would gain that precious wisdom from at least one of them. I see this as a common fallacy of hyperrational people

ahoka 7y ago

The Enchiridion is like 60 pages and contains the wisdom a lifetime.

zentiggr 7y ago
And many read it and can't digest it, let alone put it into practice. A couple of very capable people I know can hear the story of something that happened to someone, and they get glazed eyes and can only say "Huh?" Then I rephrase it as "Imagine you were _______ and then _____ happened and afterward you were _____" and they're like "Well why didn't you just say that?" Or the exact opposite. Or like me. Give me an anecdote about something and I'll "Huh, interesting." Tell me about the reason you found it interesting, and I'm way more interested and engaged. Relate it to an event in my own life and now you've got me. But don't ever try to frame it that way for my wife, she'll get bored after the first five words. It's not the message, it's what the listener gets from it.
- ahoka 7y ago
  "It's not the message, it's what the listener gets from it." I begin to think that if you don't understand the advice, you simply don't need it _yet_.
  - zentiggr 7y ago
    I've sen quite a few quotes around that very point, similar to "You'll get the teacher you need when you need them" or "You'll read it again and understand it on a whole different level" or "The people in your life are there because you need them now. Don't mourn the loss of an acquaintance, it's because you don't need their lesson anymore"