39 Comments

I'm normally on the other side of the fence. I think people jump to conclusions too much. Cao Cao didn't over think, he didn't think broadly for secondary and tertiary order effects. I think people who we say over think auger too deep into a myopic 'problem' The right kind of over thinking is to step back and look at things from a systems perspective with Insiatiable Curiosity, Humility, and Reframing.

More on systems thinking here:

https://www.polymathicbeing.com/p/systems-thinking

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Good point. I think it's more about thinking too much about one thing. That's a better thesis.

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I once saw someone wearing a black tshirt with “LET ME OVERTHINK THAT FOR YOU” Written in giant white Helvética. Never have I seen my personality so perfectly expressed through fashion.

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author

That's incredible!

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Apr 20Liked by Andrew Smith

m currently overthinking the line about getting my thinking cap on. Where oh where did l leave that thing? Since Im on vacation, and can t find it anywhere, maybe I left it at home? Did I forget to pack it? Can I find one at a tourist shop? Will it fit? Will it mess w/my hair (um..priorities) Will it be too hot? What if it short-circuits? What if it’s accidentally a MAGA hat while I’m in red country? Does it need to be made out of tinfoil? How could I have forgotten to pack it? Is it under the bed? Did it get confiscated as contraband in the airport? Just showing for some of us, it’s easy to overthink anything at all. Now I’m overthinking this post. Is it too much? Does it make the point? It is ironic how overthinking can easily lead to indecision, making it impossible to solidify anything bc over-thinking causes irrational procrastination on decision making. Guess I’d be curious to hear what DIDNT happen because of overthinking? I’ve got a list 🤣

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Let me think about this for a few days and get back to you.

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I remember people losing their shit over New Coke. I never got it. I was a Dr. Pepper guy. Then Dr. Pepper dropped the prunes from their recipe and I WAS ENRAGED.

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author

Wait! When did the prunes go away?!?

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After looking up the specific year, it may or may not ever had prunes… but that was the taste of the primary sweetener until the mid 1980s when they went full chemical. My understanding is that the exact formula varies slightly by distributor so I definitely prefer it in certain parts of the country.

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I remember getting a Dr. Pepper at a Dodgers game in LA with my dad and being very disappointed. The merchant explained the formula had changed and mentioned something about prunes but I’ve heard other claim that prunes were the secret ingredient.

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author

could be an urban legend. These things happen. Wikipedia claims they never had prune juice in them at all, but you know, that's Big Information talking.

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All I know is that you used to be able to taste SOMETHING that was prune juice like in it before Big Soda intervened and I had to switch to RC. RC?!!!

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I am starting myself down a journey of nostalgia that includes the likes of RC cola, IBC root beer, and Shasta. Let's talk generic and off-brand sodas.

I mean, you could get like 8 cans for a dollar, right?

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I remember New Coke, too. It tasted terrible.

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author

Kinda like Tab, right?

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Blech! Thanks for reminding me!

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Sorry about that, but shared agony seems better for some reason.

Misery loves company? Is that why they say this?

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Apr 20Liked by Andrew Smith

@Andrew Smith It's always fun when you pull me into thinking about something I had no intention of thinking about and then find things I really do want to think about. Am I over thinking this?

My question, though, is how to avoid the Cao Cao or Coca Cola (did you deliberately chose CC examples?). It's easy in retrospect to chide the cola execs ... but, I can imagine myself going down that same rabbit hole. And, I don't know but what I'm in a rabbit hole of some sort right now.

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author

Joyce, I think that is the central question. I hope to avoid some of these traps by studying the mistakes of the past, but I'm not sure that's enough....still, it's about all I know how to do!

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Apr 21Liked by Andrew Smith

Well, I'm following along, hoping to learn something in your wake. ;-)

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author

We can figure a few things out together!

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35 years later, did I make the right decision to leave my husband who neglected me and our three children? I still wonder if I should have stayed to continue my peace maker roll. I am much happier, more me, but my children suffered. I still have nightmares about my staying. 🦕

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author

Those are really difficult scenarios to game out! I think it has be left to uncertainty, unfortunately.... but that doesn't mean your mind will stop going down these pathways!

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Apr 20Liked by Andrew Smith

"Thinking too much at night can keep you awake. You can lose out on sleep, and that can really mess you up."

That's me, pretty much every night. If I wake up around 5AM, there's a 75% chance I won't fall asleep again.

Granted, I'm yet to catch on fire along with my entire apartment. So, you know, it could be worse.

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author

I think that only happens to folks who wake up at 4 AM.

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Apr 20Liked by Andrew Smith

Greed also comes into the "mix".

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Like ambition leading someone to think too much about stuff they could have, and not appreciating what they already have?

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Apr 20Liked by Andrew Smith

Yes. The rat race... more, more, more... instead of sticking with what is really good and proven. Just for another dollar.

Every month ( I'm exaggerating ) a new phone, robbing the planet, 3rd world countries and so forth..

The Industries have become a detriment to human kind and the planet.

The systems that are supposed to protect us, medical, judicial, education and so forth have all been bought and sold... Big oil, big pharma and big food ( wich is basically big pharma these days ) are in charge.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/16/magazine/cdc-covid-response.html

Just one example...

We have been betrayed and sold out by social parasites. For decades.

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author

Yeah.

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