Taleb popularized the phrase "fuck you money" and especially in this capitalist-driven world, there is a lot of truth to it. But most of the profound changes in the world happened because very few people had the courage to say "fuck you" without any money or power.
We all know names like Rosa Parks and Gandhi but every generation had few good unknown people who stood up for what is right. This has nothing to do with fighting wars or being a soldier. What matters most is standing up in everyday life for what is right so that nothing bad can grow into a monster in the future (which in turn causes future wars and terrors). These unknown faces have eradicated badness in its nascent stages. The world is still livable and a good place because of the courage and sacrifice of these unknown faces.
His goodbye salute with flair while exiting Langley gates always reminded me that one can live and say fuck you without any fuck you money if one has the right moral code for doing the right thing. And Redford makes it look so much easy, fun and stylish.
We all know names like Rosa Parks and Gandhi but every generation had few good unknown people who stood up for what is right. This has nothing to do with fighting wars or being a soldier. What matters most is standing up in everyday life for what is right so that nothing bad can grow into a monster in the future (which in turn causes future wars and terrors). These unknown faces have eradicated badness in its nascent stages. The world is still livable and a good place because of the courage and sacrifice of these unknown faces.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.One needs to constantly hone their practical wisdom in order to say fuck you without fuck you money. In Reclaiming Virtue, John Bradshaw wrote:
- Margaret Mead
Practical wisdom is the ability to do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason.In one of my favorite books (but lesser-known) Wisdom: From Philosophy to Neuroscience, Stephen Hall quotes Adam Smith:
In a lovely evocation of that timeless fork in the road between material and spiritual well-being, he spoke of two different roads - one of "proud ambition and ostentatious avidity," the other of "humble modestly and equitable justice" - that await our choice.
Two different models, two different pictures, are held out to us, according to which fashion our own character and behavior; the one more gaudy and glittering in its coloring; the other more correct and exquisitely beautiful in its outline: the one forcing itself upon the notice of every wandering eye; the other attracting the attention of scare any body but most studious and careful observer.
They are the wise and the virtuous chiefly, a select, though, I am afraid, but a small party, who are the real and steady admirers of wisdom and virtue. The great mob of mankind are the admirers and worshipers, and, what may seem more extraordinary, most frequently the disinterested admirers and worshipers, of wealth and greatness.In the movie Spy Games, Robert Redford on his last day at CIA spends every penny he has to rescue Brad Pitt while the bureaucrats at CIA refuse to do so.
His goodbye salute with flair while exiting Langley gates always reminded me that one can live and say fuck you without any fuck you money if one has the right moral code for doing the right thing. And Redford makes it look so much easy, fun and stylish.
Technology gets better everyday. That's fine. But most of the time all you need is a stick of gum, a pocket knife and a smile.
- Nathan Muir (Robert Redford's character)
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