There is hope for our survival yet...
Critical Path by R. Buckminster Fuller
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In this podcast, I break down my favorite ideas and quotes from good ol’ Buckminster Fuller. If you are unfamiliar with Bucky he is one of the most prescient and clear thinkers of the 20th century.
Bucky is most famous for his Geodesic Dome (Pictured below), but this only scratches the surface of his genius.
Bucky believed that we could embark on a design revolution to save our planet, Spaceship earth and that we no longer needed the systems of the old world, which maintained power through a monopoly on violence.
4 lesson's learned from R. Buckminster Fuller's Critical Path
1. "What I am trying to do is discover why God added humans to the universe." - R. Buckminster Fuller.
How Bucky opens, this book signals how he views himself in the cosmic order. It is as an active observer rather than an actor being observed.
When I look at great leaders, historically, this is a common trait that I see.
Lee Kuan Yew had it, Deng Xiaoping had it, it is what @level5leaders calls Level 5 leadership.
It is a deep ambition, but for the group's success, not just the leader's ego.
LKY had it for the experiment that is Singapore.
Deng had it for the modernization of China.
Bucky had it for everyone on what he called "Spaceship Earth."
This comes from a podcast I just released that features 12 of my favorite quotes by R. Buckminster Fuller.
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2. "Evolution does seem intent on making humans a success." - R. Buckminster Fuller.
I view this as an acknowledgment of something that has been called, The Stockdale Paradox.
Jim Stockdale was the highest-ranking official in the prison camp known as the Hanoi Hilton.
The story of his grit and resolve to survive has been echoed through stoicism and personal development fans.
When asked who didn't survive, he said, "the optimists."
Here is the paradox.
You must retain faith that you will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties.
And at the same time, confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.
Critical Path is the brutal portrayal of the tragic facts that have led us astray as a species.
It is the poignant display of our ability to waste this opportunity we call life, and yet, Bucky believes that there is hope and that evolution seems intent on us surviving.
3. “By and large, I seem to have made more mistakes than any other of who I know. Still, I have learned thereby to make ever swifter acknowledgment of the errors and after that immediately set about to deal more effectively with truths disclosed by the acknowledgments of erroneous assumptions. - R. Buckminster Fuller
Bucky was a big fan of experimentation. He believed that today's specialization decreased the opportunity for investigation and a proper understanding of the world around us.
To learn, we must go out into the world and try.
This is very similar to the framework Ray Dalio uses for goal setting.
Moving towards reality as fast as possible is a crucial skill for creation.
And finally, I'll leave you with a north star question,
"What do I see that needs to be done that nobody else is attending to? What do I need to learn to be effective in attending to it in a highly efficient and inoffensive-to-others manner?"
I answer this question...
On the podcast, I would love to hear your answers.
You can write it in on the AMA section at skmp.supercast.com, tweet them at me, post them as an IG story, and tag me.
Seize the day!