“There are no shortcuts to expertise. The only known exceptions were Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Rain Man, and Barry Bonds.”
— TheBigHenry's Expertise Rule
Cover of Wolfgang Amadeus MozartRelated source » Why Smart Drugs Don't Work Like NZT
[This related source is recommended in its entirety.]
“What are smart drugs? Pills that are supposed to enhance a person's cognitive abilities in some way. Anything from Ritalin to Amphetamines to Provigil might qualify, as well as a wide range of lesser known "nootropics." […] All of these drugs -- past, present, and future generation -- are relative sledge-hammers compared to the intricate workings of the human brain. But the real reason smart drugs won't work like "NZT" (from the movie "Limitless") is because none of them can make the necessary changes in both function and structure, to turn mediocrity into brilliance. To do that it is necessary to tweak gene expression at multiple levels. NZT is an idea whose time has come. But ideas can only take you so far. Converting this idea into a dynamic reality will take more than a little thought.”
— Al Fin, 27 MARCH 2011 (alfin2100.blogspot.com)
Typical. D'you wanna be smart? We got a pill for dat! D'you wanna hit 73 homers in the bigs? We got an app for dat! Hey, it worked for Bonds.
The road to expertise is paved with blood, sweat and tears, mofo. You can quote me. There are very few exceptions, AKA genius, savant and god-given talent. But the typical fast-buck mentality is, "Find the edge that will enable my natural superiority to flow flawlessly from every pore of my specialness. I'll try anything." Except hard work.
In the progressive nirvana of the American-Idol mindset, there are only winners. Everyone, without exception, is above average. Everybody gets a trophy. All you have to do is show up. Work? That is so yesterday, dude.
Liberal morons.
Post 1,592 The Distillation of Hard Work
The expertise pavement can also include a heavy dose of joy (even ecstasy) if we challenge our curiosity and bring into play our inventive faculties. More and more studies support the idea that we enhance our cognition by actively engaging with our environment. If you want to become a smarter person, then get athletic, get musical, have a conversation with another person in real space and real time, try to listen to what they're saying and how they're saying it, observe your surroundings. Get out of your own head and you may experience the tensions and triumphs of discovery. After all, experience (unlike "smart drugs") is proven to promote both structural and functional change in the human brain.
ReplyDeleteAs you suggest, stemming the flow of ego inflation and the search for the ultimate short cut will help enormously. Also of potential use, for all of those who are addicted to excuse-making--instead of devoting your efforts to devising ever more elaborate excuses for not doing X, Y, or Z...try devoting yourself to devising less elaborate excuses for doing X, Y, or Z. Pound the experiential pavement. Just do it, just enjoy it.
Hear, hear.
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