#123: Choosing an Arch-Nemesis, Apatheia & the Exit Strategy
#123: Choosing an Arch-Nemesis, Apatheia & the Exit Strategy
3 Ideas in 2 Minutes on Having Enemies
I. Choosing an Arch-Nemesis
What would Sherlock Holmes be without Professor Moriarty? Or Seinfeld without Newman? According to physicist Eric Weinstein, we should all treat ourselves to the “luxury item” of an arch-nemesis. To keep you on your toes and motivate you to reach great new heights. Here are his three criteria for selecting the perfect foe:
Pick someone you’d want to be around in the long term. You’ll benefit greatly from having an arch-nemesis so they should last a lifetime.
The feeling must be mutual. Your arch nemesis must know you exist and should reciprocate your passionate hostility.
Probably the hardest criterion is your willingness to accept defeat should your arch-nemesis come out on top eventually. On the flip side, the glory will be all yours if you win.
Weinstein chose theoretical physicist Garrett Lisi as his arch-nemesis. Who will you choose?
II. Apatheia
Apatheia, meaning without suffering or passion, puts a positive spin on apathy. In the philosophy of Stoicism, it’s a noble goal to react to external events rationally and without emotions. Feelings such as anger and hate cloud our judgment and cause us to rush into irrational decisions. So if we want to win over our arch-enemies we must be able to detach and master our feelings about them.
III. The Exit Strategy
Weinstein’s last criterion for choosing the perfect arch-nemesis hints at the importance of having an exit strategy — and being self-aware enough to use it. Robert Greene, author of The 33 Strategies of War, explains:
You are judged in this world by how well you bring things to an end. A messy or incomplete conclusion can reverberate for years to come, ruining your reputation in the process. The art of ending things well is knowing when to stop, never going so far that you exhaust yourself or create bitter enemies that embroil you in conflict in the future. It also entails ending on the right note, with energy and flair. It is not a question of simply winning the war but the way you win it, the way your victory sets you up for the next round. The height of strategic wisdom is to avoid all conflicts and entanglements from which there are no realistic exits.
—Robert Greene, The 33 Strategies of War
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Have a great week,
Chris
themindcollection.com