A few books on the go again....
Party of One, The Loners Manifesto by Anneli Rufus
http://www.amazon.com/Party-One-Manifesto-Anneli-Rufus/dp/1569245134/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220750915&sr=1-1I belong on that continuum of lonerism somewhere, somewhere between the pure misanthropic on one side and the philanthropists on the other. Somewhere in the middle with all the other loners, but we'll never meet and party, because that's not what loners do. So, I've been looking forward to reading this book about kindred spirits, and importantly, about shared experience.
Rufus sets out what it is to be a loner and how the world views loners. The loner would not have existed in the days before urbanisation as village societies were communal where all is shared in an effort to subsist. In those days most loners would probably have been burnt at the stake or taken up being a hermit. Thus, the loner is a product of urbanisation.
Rufus goes on to note that today's Mass Media portray loners as either:
A: dangerous and moody gun nuts, sexually depraved deviates or some kind of eccentric Machiavellian political sociopath/religious nuts. (Amen, copped some of those..).
B: The tortured loner as artist, rock star, novelist, Evangelist.. (think Kurt Cobain, JD Salinger, Picasso, Buddha..).
Like I said this is an incredibly interesting book for kindred spirits you will get a lot out of this. My criticism lies in the fact that A: I did not find it a happy book, just the way it is written I suppose, and B: it tended to degenerate into an us against them type story which was very disappointing.
As it says in the book non loners (I hate the word loner) find loners as mysterious/scary because a non loner can't sit in a room by themselves for five minutes without having to reach for the mobile phone and start texting, constant reinforcement is needed. Therefore in the eyes of the non loner all that time spent alone means the loner must be up to something devious. In reality its just called privacy... which brings me to the big question. Why doesn't the loner need that constant people contact? The next book I'm reading answers that question.
The Introvert Advantage, by Marti Olsen Laney.
http://www.amazon.com/Introvert-Advantage-Thrive-Extrovert-World/dp/0761123695/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_bI prefer the word introvert (thank you Dr Jung). I could never understand why, when I'm talking to someone I would sometimes not be able to think of a particular everyday word that I wanted to say? Why was it so hard to give up nicotine? Why do I get tired when attending social engagements? Why do I tend to zone out in a group situation? Why do I need that private space? Its called temperament.
Marti Olsen Laney is a psychologist specialising in introverted people and this is a great little book. Olsen Laney's research indicates that temperament defines the introvert/extrovert and that in turn is derived from physiological makeup. Apparently the extroverts sympathetic nervous system is dominant which means the dopamine system is used. The dopamine system requires shorter processing time and therefore leads to good short term memory recall. Essentially extroverts think out loud. It also requires that the brain be searching externally for stimuli to bring on that next dopamine "hit", which is why extroverts crave outside stimulation (bloody dopamine junkies.;). Extroverts burn out due to constant dopamine "hits". In a panic situation extroverts will react spontaneously.
Introverts are dominated by the parasympathetic nervous system which uses the acetylcholine system. Which essentially means that the processing time is longer for recall of memories as different pathways are used (why I often can't find the word I want). The brain is essentially buzzing all the time therefore introverts appear aloof or distracted. Because of constant processing introverts need to compose and then speak. May start talking mid thought or think they have told you something that they have been thinking. Introverts get there "hit" through neurotransmitters that fire as they are relaxing in pensive contemplation. Hence the need for outward stimulation is reduced and the need for time out is increased. Introverted physiology finds an occasional dopamine "hit" fun but very tiring. Introverts tend to regenerate energy therefore live longer. In a panic situation introverts will tend to freeze, assess and then choose a course of action.
After the first few chapters this book takes off into self help mode for the introvert in overcoming situations where you are likely to encounter groups of extroverts. The first three chapters are a great read for anybody the rest is a great read for my parasympathetic brethren. Highly recommend.
John Maynard Keynes by Hyman Minsky
http://www.amazon.com/John-Maynard-Keynes-Hyman-Minsky/dp/0071593012/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220760588&sr=1-2If you ever delve into economics you will inevitably encounter the name Keynes somewhere along the line. I've tried to read the General Theory several times but keep falling asleep, despite what some people will tell you, Keynes was not a good writer. But, its a technical book not a novel. I've relied on other peoples interpretations of Keynes, however, I've often been suspicious that other economists I've read don't know much about Keynes either. Not so Minsky.
Yes, for a non economist I've had to concentrate hard to read this, but, if your interested its readable for the business literate but economic neophyte. Another recommended read.
Keynes genius lay in the fact that he introduced uncertainty into economics. The classical models did not account for uncertainty. The result was that Keynes presented a model underpinned by capital investment. Keynes realised that the net cash flows resulting from the investments were uncertain hence the model described the different states over the business cycle. Minsky points out that Keynes model was only partially formed and therefore resulted of the absorption of Keynes important observations into the classical models. Minsky then argues that Keynes, as a monetary economist, did not fully expand on the financial sector as part of the model, which he had described in great detail in previous works. Minsky then picks up these threads and fleshes out the workings of the model with the finance sector included, from Keynes inferences contained in the General Theory. The last part of this book is really about Minsky's contribution to economics, his instability hypothesis. Anyone remotely interested in markets should read this book.
Regards
TheBagwan
