Mark Spitznagel of Universa, the guy that did a 2000% return on the start of the pandemic, has an interesting thought experiment, that he attributes to Fredrich Nietzsche.
It's about a curse (and a lion).
The curse is that we will freeze in a time-loop, being 5 years long (yes, there are a Hollywood clichés on this theme).
And the loop is there forever and contrary to the Hollywood clichés, there's no hope of escape. And we wouldn't know what would happen during those 5 years that would repeat forever.
What would be a wise strategy going into the time-loop, before we know the results?
In Nietsche's writing the answer to that question is represented by a lion, what else. And the lion turns "thou shalt" spend an eternity into "thus I willed it and thus I willed it for eternity".
Because, well, a lion doesn't much care what happens.
Would we be able to say, whatever fate has in store for us; "thus I willed it"?
We do plan to live longer than 5 years. But we are also interested in what will happen during the next 5 years. It's a liberating thought-experiment to try to look oneself in the mirror and think about one's own strategy for the next half-decade.
Is it a strategy that gives the confidence of a lion?
Are we so calm and confident with our strategy so we are able to, like Nietzsche's lion, say "Thus I willed it and this I willed it for eternity", whatever happens?
Or is something meeker looking back at us from the mirror?
Farewell,
//antinous&lucilius
Where to go now?
Try: Ergodicity: Anything that can hit us will, eventually, hit us
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