Month: December 2017

As most guides to successful business presentations and elevator pitches recommend you should be succinct and clear. My point is this: We are missing personal ethics in this day and age. There you have it!

We can safely say that in the last 70 plus years the size of government has increased tremendously in the developed world, and in the rest of the world also.

Just to use few data points, in the US the government budget in 1950 represented a little over 23% of the GDP, 27% in 1960, 29% in 1970, 32%in 1980, 34% in 1990 and is 36% in 2017. In 2016, Governments in the EU have budgets that represent 56% of GDP in France, 44% in Germany, 42% in UK and Spain. Between 1 in 3 dollars or 1 in 2 euros are appropriated by the government in such countries.

The government takes more and more of our money, this has three major impacts on our society:

• The first influence it has in our economy. Decisions on economic matters, should I work more hours or not? should I make this investment or not? Should I work for this company or for the other?, change depending on how much it costs you to make a profit, be it in monetary terms or otherwise.
• The vast amount of resources the government appropriates from individual citizens produces another problem, those resources have to be allocated (euphemism for “spend”). This represents the second influence on our economy, the government can pick winners and losers by awarding contracts to individual companies.
• There is a third influence of the government in the economy and that is the shaping of personal behavior. Even though this has nothing to do with immediate economic production it is the most relevant and dangerous epiphenomena of the interventionism a behemoth government has on its citizens.

How is it that changes behavior? The first decision government makes is where the vast resource it appropriates come from. More and more, due to a weak political class more interested in old class warfare than in telling citizens what good citizenship means, a smaller portion of the population pays the vast majority of taxes (which is the main source of government revenue). In 2012, the top 1 percent of the filers paid 37.8% of all income taxes, whereas the bottom 90 percent combined paid 30.2%. In 2015, it was estimated that 45.3% of American households paid no federal individual income tax.

You started talking about ethics and just vomited numbers for half a page! You are right, but I am building my argument, so bear with me!

We have a system where a great portion of our income, which comes for our work (sweat and tears), is appropriated by government (an amorphous entity, massively powerful and difficult to identify) and at the same time those resources are allocated by a logic that escapes general understanding of the public. But only a portion of the population contributes to such entity, and is getting smaller, whereas the vast majority benefits from “the system” (as I said before it is an amorphous entity). This set-up is the perfect recipe to milk the system. It is on the best interest of such political class (an interest group by itself) to have a massive government, that makes them the deciders, who wins and who loses. Such decisions are made based on a very nebulous set of principles that are summarized in “political correctness” and a vague idea of resource redistribution that inherently assumes the economic system is unfair.  As a result of such unfairness the “wrongs” of the system have to be made “right”, and the government is the one to do it.

These ideas have led governments to appropriate more and more resources, as described before and have taken away the responsibility of their own lives to many individuals and layers of society. There is always some wrong a politician can find to make it right, and it is never an issue of individual personal responsibility. It is ”The system” which is to blame. By taking away personal responsibility and replacing it with a government action, there is a “de facto” outsourcing of morality. It is the government who based on some vague definition of morality (rights and wrongs without any specific moral logic) takes away the individual and most fundamental action of freedom, morality.

This principle is not only intellectually despicable, it is also morally corrupt. As J Dorn states “in a free society people are entitled to what they own, not to what others own”. It is interesting that this is a recurrent topic under different circumstances. In 1944, Hayek published “The road to serfdom” where he made the argument that there is a danger of tyranny that results from government control of economic decision-making through central planning. Nowadays, it is the size of government and the massive appropriation of resources that creates that risk of oppression, not the central planning. However, the results are the same an empowerment of the state over the individual.

 

References

https://www.usgovernmentspending.com/spending_chart_1950_2022USp_19s2li111mcn_F0t

https://taxfoundation.org/summary-latest-federal-income-tax-data-2015-update/

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/45-of-americans-pay-no-federal-income-tax-2016-02-24

Hayek, F A (1944) The road to Serfdom

EL Quijote, always a good read

Estos son los libros que he leído este año y merecen ser reseñados, los demás no los he terminado, quizá por vago o porque no me gustaron. Este año he decidido hacer una breve nota nada más acabar el libro. Quizá acabe siendo un panegírico insoportable. Si es así …manda el mail a la basura, la vida es corta para perder el tiempo.

1- “Y yo que creía que todos los diplomáticos eran unos mamones” (2016) Autor: Inocencio Arias

Este libro fue un regalo de un grandísimo amigo. Le voy a dar la razón a Chencho. Es un libro ligero que se lee fácil. Tiene capítulos interesantes de cómo era la vida en la España de franco (que he oído contar). En general es un libro muy mesurado en sus juicios. Se echa en falta quizá un análisis más profundo de muchos hechos de estos últimos 40 años en los que él ha ocupado un asiento de primera fila. A la vez es un “rara avis” porque ha servido a su país con lealtad en distintos gobiernos. Eso no es frecuente en nuestro país, cainita por antonomasia. Solo por eso, ¡Gracias!

Las páginas del Real Madrid y otros regodeos de estilo ausente … se podían haber evitado. En definitiva, un libro interesante.

2- “Trabajos del reino” (2003) Autor: Yuri Herrera.

Me gusta leer autores nuevos y ver como evoluciona el lenguaje y los temas en escritores de hoy. Este es un escritor mejicano a caballo entre el español y el inglés. Es un relato algo mágico del mundo del narco. Está bien, sin más.

3- “Señales que precederán al fin de mundo “(2015) Autor: Yuri Herrera

Siguiendo con Yuri Herrera, este libro me recuerda de alguna manera al realismo mágico de los 60 …. “Pedro paramo”, o “Cien años de soledad” y no tiene nada que ver con ellos. Es un paisaje onírico, con referencias claras a la miseria de los inmigrantes indocumentados en USA, con momentos brillantes. Es curioso el español que utiliza …. es un idioma de frontera … de mezcolanza con el inglés (trocas y otros vocablos). Tiene dos momentos muy certeros al describir la levedad de la emoción de la vida al norte del rio, y al describir al emigrante (privilegiado como yo o no tanto). En definitiva, interesante, y un ejemplo de literatura en español de vanguardia … a veces me parece que estamos en España en una burbuja …… o a lo mejor me ha pasado ya como al soldado del libro.

4- “Las letras entornadas” (2015) Autor: Aramburu

Perdona que te tutee Aramburu, pero es que eres ya uno de los que me gustan sentar a la mesa. Ya te había leído hace tiempo en “Años lentos”, que me pareció estupendo, pero este libro me ha encantado. Es un lenguaje sobrio y directo. Tocas muchos temas, te agradezco todos los autores que me has descubierto y sobre todo ese juicio certero sobre nosotros mismos. Es más fácil juzgar desde fuera…. Pero es muy difícil hacerlo desde fuera, sin arrogancia, y con la humildad del que está dentro… así es como te ha salido. Es cierto que en España “el plebeyismo y la zafiedad en sucesivas variantes han encontrado, incluso en las capas cultas de la sociedad, terreno propicio desde hace varios siglos”

5-“Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work”  (2016) Autores: Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal

Este libro es muy muy interesante, hacen un recorrido por todas las técnicas para alcanzar estados mentales superiores. Describen como la tecnología permite alcanzar esos estados de una manera más rápida y fácil, como un switch on-off. Este es un buen resumen de esa línea de investigación…. Creo que nos debemos montar en este vagón, con cuidado. ¡LECTURA NECESARIA!

6- “Los nuestros: cien vidas en la historia de España” (2000) Autor: F J Losantos.

Libro fantástico, es un recorrido por personajes españoles en un estilo periodístico, ágil, corto, fácil de leer. Dan ganas de saber más de estos personajes y de la historia de España. Muy recomendable

7- “Historia del franquismo “(2012) Autores: C Vidal y FJ Losantos.

Otro libro corto, claro y fácil de leer. Es curioso que, aunque viví los últimos momentos del régimen en el colegio no nos dieron mucha información sobre la etapa franquista. Aprendi muchas cosas en este libro.

8- “A Philosopher’s Notes: On Optimal Living, Creating an Authentically Awesome Life and Other Such Goodness” (2017) Autor: Brian Johnson

Un libro divertido, lleno de “buenismo” sincero. Buena lectura para un viaje en avión camino de una reunión que no te apetece nada.

9- “The author of himself. The life of Marcel Reich-Ranicki”

Esta es una autobiografía del crítico literario mas importante tras la segunda guerra mundial en la antigua República Federal Alemana. Ironías de la vida, el pope de la literatura alemana tras la guerra era un judío superviviente del gueto de Varsovia. Es un libro que comienza describiendo un mundo pasado, que desapareció repentinamente, sigue con la descripción de la tragedia (la vida en el gueto corta la respiración y transmite un miedo telúrico, primigenio, desasosegante) y acaba como la crónica de la posguerra en la que la necesidad de olvidar y obviar es necesaria para seguir adelante. ¡Pero el hilo conductor es la literatura alemana por la que el autor destila una no disimulada pasión, 300 páginas de gran literatura!

10-The declaration of independence. (1776)

Yo creo que es una lectura obligada para cualquiera que lea el periódico y tenga un mínimo interés en nuestra organización política.

11-“Common sense”  Autor: Thomas Paine (1775-76)

Técnicamente es un panfleto publicado en 1775-76 con el ánimo de argumentar la necesidad de independencia de las 13 colonias con respecto de gran Bretaña. Escueto y lleno de sentido común y grandes argumentos.

12-The Seventh Sense (2017) Autor: Joshua Cooper Ramo

Este es un libro que hay que leer (“must read” como dicen aquí). Es un periodista que ha vivido en china, ha asistido al nacimiento de esta sociedad de redes, es presidente de Kissinger associates y viaja por el mundo hablando con personas de poder y otras que tienen cosas que decir. Es un análisis muy profundo de los cambios que vienen, pero sobre todo del hecho que va a haber un gran cambio (estamos en el inicio de una nueva era) y las incertidumbres que ello acarrea. Lectura obligada. Mientras escribo esta nota, hay una polémica en internet entre Elon Musk y Zuckerberg. Tras leer el libro entiendo esa polémica mejor y me apunto a la visión de Elon Musk. Tenemos que tener cuidado con el mundo que vamos a crear, no hay vuelta atrás … pero debemos estar atentos.

13-The age of the unthinkable by Joshua Cooper Ramo (2010)

Fue interesante leer este libro después de haber leído “el séptimo sentido”. La edad de lo impensable es un libro en el que las incógnitas son presentadas, de una manera muy interesante y articulada. El tema fundamental es que el paradigma en el cual el mundo occidental se ha basado en los últimos 60 anos, tras la segunda Guerra mundial está cambiando y no sabemos dónde vamos exactamente. Utiliza conceptos de sistemas no -lineales, muy interesantes y cercanos a lo que yo hice hace casi 20 años en uno de mis proyectos médicos (y tema que discutiré en uno de mis próximos blogs). La idea principal es que podemos aprender de muchos otros lugares para aplicar sistemas de predicción en nuestro comportamiento. En cualquier caso, acaba con unas generalidades vacuas que desmerecen respecto al resto del libro. Libro recomendable, especialmente junto con el anterior, esta es la pre-cuela.

14- Networks A very short introduction  Guido Caldarelli/Michelle Catanzano

Libro fantástico, una breve introducción a la teoría de redes para ignorantes como yo.

15- “Altered traits” (2017) Autores: Daniel Goleman y Richard Davidson

Desde que hace alrededor de 50 años, la tradición de meditación y auto -descubrimiento fue traída a occidente desde Asia de una manera masiva ha habido un gran debate sobre si es un montón de tonterías o hay algo profundo o transformador en esas prácticas. Mas allá de mis propias valoraciones, es te es un libro que será citado con frecuencia en el futuro por su rigor científico. Desde el advenimiento de técnicas de imagen como la resonancia magnética funcional, somos capaces de distinguir patrones de actividad en el cerebro y relacionarlos con actividades específicas. Este libro es un relato riguroso del estado de esas investigaciones y como la práctica de meditación produce distintos patrones de actividad cerebral. Así que… es cierto la practica continuada de meditación tiene impacto fisiológico en nuestro cuerpo y quizá puede explicar cambios de actitudes.

 

Today I pick up this theme because it is our basic premise when we go to bed (we will get up tomorrow) and our basic premise when we wake up (we will live another day). Well… except if you are a suicide bomber in a rush to meet your 72 houris or if you decide to apply a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Not funny!

The first principle of economics is that resources are limited. In our case, time is limited, and that is at the core of all our endeavors.

If we look at life expectancy at birth in roman times it was between 20-30 years, late medieval times in Great Britain you could expect to live to your 30s, and in the mid-50s of the twentieth century it went up to 48 years (worldwide). Today life expectancy at birth in developed countries is around 75 to 80 years.

We have a limited amount of time, that is a fact, but it might be said that time has been provided in abundance in our day and age. So, why are we in a rush to do things, see things, try things …?

In Aristotle, time is fundamentally linked to change and movement. He explains time in terms of change. Following that logic, if there is little change there is not much time, regardless of the measurement in days, months or years. Four hundred years later, Seneca talks in his book “On the shortness of life” about “it is not that we have so little time but that we lose so much. … The life we receive is not short but we make it so; we are not ill provided but use what we have wastefully” This follows the Aristotle logic of making time count through meaningful change. St Thomas Aquinas a thousand years later identifies the same concept in his first way. Things do move, change is passing from potency to act; there must be a first mover, this first unmoved mover is God. God is pure act, no change is possible, so God is immortal. In Buddhism tradition, enlightened sages are often silent. They have achieved a state of mind where stillness is a permanent state. This is a somewhat timeless state.

We might say that these three schools of thought converge in the same definition of time through change and the pursuit of an ideal state of pure knowledge that is motionless and for that same reason timeless.

Well…let us come back to planet earth!

We have three elements at play. The irrefutable fact that we have a limited amout of time on earth, the quality of such time measured by the change we experience (the ambition to do as much as possible) and the goal to achieve a state of enlightenment that is close to stillness and permanence.

Let me start with the amount of change we experience in our lifetime. One interesting aspect of today’s world is the change of “topology”. In old times, the world was wide open and to a certain extent out of reach. We had wonderful stories of remote kingdoms with unthinkable treasures and beauties … that we decided to believe in. Change was slow, and the experience of time was different. Technology in transport made the world smaller even reachable. Regardless of how overwhelmed we were by cultures alien to ours, we began to have a sense that the world was finite. It took few months to come from Europe to the US or to India. In today’s modern world the time-space equation has changed dramatically.

The “annihilation of space by time” is a concept that already appears in Marx in the late XIX^th century, in that case linked to capital accumulation, increased production, exchange, circulation and consumption. Not only transport technology but also exchange and consumption extended our experience of the world. That concept was further developed by Janelle (1969) in the time–space convergence (TSC) concept. TSC refers to the decline in travel time between locations as a result of transportation, communication, and related technological and social innovations.

Today’s topology goes even further. Our world today is defined as a network structure with connectivity among its nodes. That connection and the mere change in nature that occurs when an object is plugged into a network (us humans included) makes our world small, even crowded and perfectly reachable. That fast connectivity creates a sense of proximity that changes the perception of time even more. Change and movement in this new topology is constant.

So we have been given an enormous amount of extra time by our high standard of life and the time we live is far richer and more stimulating than ever!

But how do we experience time? Science concludes that the perception of time is physically located in the insular cortex. This is a place the size of a small almond on the side of our brain which integrates body signals and forms the anatomical and functional basis for the sense of time and awareness in general.  But as anything physical, this little almond can be tricked to stop working…welcome immortality! This can be done by drugs (fast and furious) or by mediation (slow and mellow). When you slow down the parietal lobe, where the time-keeping system resides, the experience of time is modified.

So let us summarize, we are not immortal!

Well, I already knew that without the need to go from Aristotle to Buddhism or St Thomas Aquinas along with Marx and the internet!

You are right, but let me try to bring it together and … tell me what you think.

We have more time today than we have had in any time in human history, the quality of such time is also much better. We have access to a vast amount of information and access to many more experiences both physical (travel) and intellectual (mix of cultures in this global world of people and ideas). All those elements convey a sense of constant change and high speed counteracted by our need to slow down and reflect. Yes, to cultivate our soul. If we are able to learn from all that wide variety of worlds and ideas that we have access to while cultivating our inner self, we can achieve a sense of stability and balance (the motionless being identified with God in the first way). Then, we may get a little closer to immortality. In that state of balance, time is not so important any more.

Reading list

• Marx…. A waste of time after 150 million people were murdered in the name of his “philosophy”
• St Thomas Aquinas, definitely
• D Janelle google him, very interesting
• El Quijote, always a good reading no matter what
• Aristotle YES YES YES
• How Enlightenment Changes Your Brain: The New Science of Transformation by Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman