Nassim Taleb on embracing small fires

Small forest fires periodically cleanse the system of the most flammable material, so this does not have the opportunity to accumulate. Systematically preventing forest fires from taking place “to be safe” makes the big one much worse.

-Nassim Nicholas Taleb via Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder

 

Been thinking a lot about this gem buried in Antifragile. (Wrote about antifragility before. Read here.) I like this metaphor because both outcomes suck. You’re not choosing between overtly Good (no fire) and overtly Bad (fire). You’re choosing between less sucky (small fire) and more sucky (big fire).

Gets you into the habit of embracing small Bad things knowing there are always big Bad things out there. Typical stoic thinking, which Taleb is beyond familiar with.

Rejiggering your mental configuration to embrace Bad is the first layer. Actually subjecting yourself to the small fires is the second layer.

Those drug commercials pop into mind. Taking our pills keeps you pain free all day! 

But should anyone that’s been numbing their body day after day really be surprised when they need back surgery? Knee surgery? Hip surgery?

We live in an age that makes it real easy to ignore the small fires. Do you wear a brace of some sort every day to compensate for weakness? Overdose on caffeine to compensate for no sleep?

I like to think our body has small fires in hopes of preventing big fires. So the question, for me, becomes: how often am I {upset} or {ignoring} small fires when I should actually be {thankful} for and {listening} to small fires?

How much of what I perceive as Bad is actually Good? Like, amazingly Good? And how much am I missing out on because of my inability to see small Bad as amazingly Good?

Most importantly: am I on the verge of an inferno?

Are you?

 

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Image credit: sun