One of the greatest books on political thought is Machiavelli’s The Prince. In it he asks a great prince to possess three virtus:
1. clementia : The quality of mercy
2. liberalitas : The quality of geneorsity
3. fides : One who honours his words
Even today, these are three virtues that everyone must possess.
…except that he never took written notes.
A form of conversation, which Socrates owns copyright for, is called the Socratic method. To use the method one must aim to have a conversation with no holds barred and find things out by merely talking. Such conversations often end up being between two individuals each defending their positions. But the eventual aim ought to be to collaboratively learn something new about the world, and, if possible, come to a commonly agreed conclusion.
As a journalist in training, I was taught to interview scientists with just this aim (no one mentioned Socrates though). Ask questions, lots of them, but with an aim to arrive at a conclusion together. No other form of inquiry will help you learn as much as this form would, and it may even help you find a good story.
…just different ones.
There is only so much information that one can, at any given moment, comprehend and act upon. The inability to appreciate everything around us, along with our human biases, means that all of us end up living in bubbles.
Thus when choosing where you want to be in life, consider which bubble lets you be your best self and allows you to contribute the most to the world. Also, while you are at it, try to always be aware of what bubble you live in.
Akshat Rathi 