I am grateful to God for my life, family, and friends. Here are a few memorable things about my life in A.D. 2020.

Book – Range – David Epstein 

Forbes called it, “The most important business—and parenting—book of the year.” Epstein examined the world’s most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters and scientists. He discovered that in most fields—especially those that are complex and unpredictable—generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel. Generalists often find their path late, and they juggle many interests rather than focusing on one.

 

Meal – Oaxaca, Mexco

Oaxaca, Mexico is the culinary capitol of Mexico. Mary and I spent four days there, feasting at many excellent restaurants. The meals, Colonial architecture, pre-Hispanic ruins, and local artisans make this a destination I want to take my friends to.

 

Bottle of wine – my own wine

Three years ago I planted a small vineyard. On July 17, 2020, I harvested 123 pounds of Blanc Du Bois grapes at Brix 18, specific gravity – 1.085, PH – 3.2, TA – .75. I raised the Brix to 20 by adding 381 grams of sugar. I used .176 Premier Classique Montrachet yeast. The wine was bottled on September 18, 2020.

 

 

 

Travel experience -Israel

Every two years Chuck and Cynthia Swindoll lead a tour to Israel. It is an incomparable experience. I am blessed to lead worship on these trips. We went in March of this year, returning to the U.S. just 24 hours before international travel was shut down. Chuck’s next trip to Israel is March 6-17, 2022. 

 

Person of the year – Wayne Stiles

Wayne Stiles is a wonderful friend and colleague. He is a pastor, teacher, writer, entrepreneur, and friend to many. Five years ago he helped me start my blog site – Think With Me – and continues to come to my aid on technical issues. He has been posting spiritually refreshing devotionals online for many years. His newest project—Walking the Bible Lands—takes you on a virtual tour of the Holy Land through video and audio. You must check it out.

 

Most intriguing thought – How you think is more important than what you think.

I enjoy finding an interesting and challenging phrase and thinking deeply about it. I’ve been cogitating on this thought for years: How you think is more important than what you think because how you think will ultimately determine what you think. In 2021, I’m going to write a book about how to think clearly. I’ll address things we need to avoid (herd mentality, confirmation bias, brainwashing, illusory truth effect, false causality, etc.) and mental skills to develop (critical thinking, dialectic thinking, cognitive dissonance, analogical thinking, etc.). Many of my posts in 2021 will address this topic.   

Music concerts – Christmas at Stonebriar Community Church

This December, adhering to COVID safety protocols, my church split our choirs and orchestra into smaller ensembles, so we had multiple Christmas concerts this year. The musicians rose to the challenge. See the December 6, 13, and 20 concerts online.

New family member – Sunsage Huckleberry Fen

Four-month-old Fen (English Cocker Spaniel) joined the Clarkes’ family (my son-in-law and daughter) in December. He’s a bundle of energy, joy, and hope for the future.  

 

 

 

 

COVID-19

2020 was a difficult year for the human race. I am grateful that, so far, no one among my family and close friends has perished from the virus. My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones and to those who have been adversely affected financially and in their careers. Hopefully, in 2021 the virus will be controlled and we will adjust to the new normal. God will see us through this pandemic.  

 

I’ll end with this…

 

Those who do not read have no advantage over those who cannot read

We’re teaching my six-year old grandson, Benjamin, to read. We started by teaching him the alphabet using the brilliant and famous A-B-C Song. Then we taught him how to write the alphabet using capital letters, then lower-case letters. Next came phonics. Then, we worked on ten sentences a day until he mastered each one. Finally, we reached the ultimate goal—Ben started reading. This was a three-year project.

I wanted Ben to learn to read early and well because we can learn anything in the world by reading and thinking deeply about what we have read. If we can read, all the knowledge of the world is available to us. What an incredible gift.

But the incredible gift is squandered if we don’t read. Mark Twain’s observed, “The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” 

Said another way, those who are literate, but don’t read, have no advantage over those who are illiterate.

There was an extended time in my life when I didn’t read  books. I finished my Ph.D. when I was 27 years old and for the next 20 years I didn’t read anything except newspapers and magazines. Perhaps I was burned out (graduate degrees require a lot of reading), or lacked curiosity.

About 20 years ago I decided to start reading books regularly, and I’ve sustained that commitment since.

Here’s a list of books I read in 2020. At the bottom of the list I’ve enumerated my top five books of the year.  

The numbers in brackets represent how I rate each book on a scale from 1 (not good) to 10 (exceptional).

January

1. 1. Superbugs – The Race to Stop an Epidemic – Matt McCarthy, 2019, 258 pages [8] – A fascinating journey into the world of medical scientists who develop bacteria-resistant antibiotics. Who would have thought that this topic would become the most talked about subject in the world in 2020.
   2. Educated – Tara Westover – 2018, 332 pages [9] – Tara was born into an ultra-fundamentalist religious family in which medical doctors and formal education were anathema. At age 27 she received a PhD from Cambridge. This is her story.
   3. The New Medicine – What Is Helpful? What Is Hype? – 2019, 96 pages [7] – A compilation of articles from the New York Times. An update on CBD, mindfulness, exercise, food, etc.

February

1. 4. 10% Happier – Dan Harris – 2014, 242 pages [7] – Harris, a news correspondent for ABC News, tells the story of his discovery of the benefits of meditation. Colorful writing, but if you primarily want to know more about meditation, there are better books.  
   5. Probability for Dummies – Deborah Rumsey – 2026, 360 pages [7] – I had not studied statistics since college, so I wanted to refresh my thoughts on probability.

March

1. 6. Wave – Sonali Deraniyagala – 2013, 215 pages [6] – The author experienced the 2004 tsunami that hit Sri Lanka. She lost her parents, husband, and sons.
   7. White Fang – JackLondon – 1992 Wordsworth Edition [6] – I read this as a child, and it still speaks to me as an adult. It makes me love my dog, Buddy, even more.
   8. The Art of Thinking Clearly – Rolf Dobelli – 2013, 306 pages [8] – He describes 89 faulty ways of thinking that we all succumb to. 
   9. Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart – Mark Epstein – 1998, 181 pages [7] – Lessons on how meditation and psychotherapy can help manage our powerful emotions and our lives.

April

1. 10. A History of the World in 6 Glasses – 2005, 290 pages [8] – A fascination history of the world centered around beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola. 

May

1. 11. Grapevine Disorders – A Pocket Guide for Growers in Texas – 2019, 165 pages [7] – My vineyard is now three years old; I need help in keeping the plants healthy. 
   12. The Splendid and the Vile – Eric Larson – 2020, 501 pages [8] – Focuses on Churchill’s leadership during several years of WW2. Well written and engaging.
   13. Range – Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World — David Epstein – 2019, 291 pages [9] – A deeply impactful and well-researched book. It affirmed my desire to be a generalist in life. A must-read.

June

1. 14. First You Have to Row a Little Boat – Reflections on life and living – Richard Bode – 1993, 182 pages [7] – Bode grew up in New England and learned to sail as a child. Later in life he wrote this book about life-lessons learned from sailing. 
   15. The Backyard Vintner – Jim Law – 2005, 164 pages [7] – A practical book that is helping me plan my first harvest. 
   16. The Fire Next Time – James Baldwin – 1962, 106 pages [6] – Written during the Civil-rights movement, the book offers a historical context for the current Black Lives Matter movement.

July

1. 17. The Precipice – Toby Ord – 2020, 460 pages [8.5] – Ord discusses the existential threats that could cause humanity to become extinct, both natural causes and anthropogenic causes. Very readable and engaging.
   18. Blueprint – how DNA makes us who we are – Robert Plomin, 2018, 200 pages [7.5] – 99% of our DNA is the same for all humans. Plomin focuses on the 1% that makes us who we are. By necessity, there’s a lot of science in the book which makes it challenging for a lay-person.
   19. Transcend—The New Science of Self-Actualization – Scott Kaufman, 2020, 309 pages [8.5] – Part biography of the famous psychologist – Abraham Maslow – and an update on the principles he espoused. It’s not an easy read but well worth it.

September

1. 20. A Universe From Nothing – Lawrence Krauss – 191 pages [8] – A succinct update (as of 2012) of what physicists and cosmologist know about the universe.
   21. Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind – Shunryu Suzuki, 1970, 148 pages [6] – I want to know more about mindfulness, but I had difficulty understanding this book.
   22. The Falcon of Sparta – Conn Iggulden, 2019, 433 pages [8] – Iggulden writes historrical fiction focusing on the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Persians. I learn a lot from his books. If you want to read his works, start with The Emperor Series book one – The Gates of Rome. 

October

1. 23. Caste – The Origins of our Discontents – Isabel Wilkerson – 2020 – 377 pages [8] – The Pulitzer-winning author advances a sweeping argument for regarding American racial bias through the lens of caste. Drawing analogies from the social orders of modern India and Nazi Germany, she frames barriers to equality in a provocative new light.

November

1. 24. Borges And Me – Jay Parini – 2020 – 299 pages [8] – In 1970, while a Ph.D. student at St. Andrews in Scotland, Parini spent two weeks with the great writer/scholar from Argentina – Jorge Luis Borges. This is the story of their time together.
   25. Arguing with Zombies – Economics, Politics, and the Fight for a Better Future – Paul Krugman – 2020 – 414 pages [8] – The left-leaning Nobel Prize winning economists shares insights into a broad range of topics: Obamacare, the Euro, macroeconomics, tax cuts, trade wars, climate change, media, and others. 

December

1. 26. Deepfakes – Nina Schick – 2020 – 222 pages [7] – Good insight into our current age of misinformation and disinformation. Fake news is just the tip of the deception-iceberg.
   27. A History of the World In 100 Objects – Neil MacGregor – 2010 – 584 pages [7] –  McGregor is Director of the British Museum. He tells the history of the world using 100 objects from the museum. A clever and insightful approach to history.

The best books I read in 2020 [See above for a description of each book]

• • • Range – Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World – David Epstein
    • Transcend – The New Science of Self-Actualization – Scott Kaufman
    • The Precipice – Toby Ord
    • The Splendid and the Vile – Eric Larson
    • Educated – Tara Westover 

Warren Bennis says, “One of the marvelous things about life is that any gaps in your education can be filled, whatever your age or situation, by reading, and thinking about what you read.” 

 

An analogy is a comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification. An analogy shows how two things are alike, with the ultimate goal of making a point about the comparison.

Analogical thinking is any type of thinking that relies upon analogy. It is the practice of recognizing conceptual similarities in multiple domains or scenarios that may seem to have little in common on the surface. Analogical thinking takes the new and makes it familiar, or takes the familiar and puts it in a new light, and allows humans to reason through problems they have never seen in unfamiliar contexts.

For example, the ubiquitous Velcro was invented using analogical thinking. 

Since the beginning of time humans have walked through fields of weeds and had cockle-burs stick to their clothing. It wasn’t until 1941 that a Swiss engineer, George de Mestral, while on a hunting trip, wondered how the burs attached to his clothes and his dog’s hair. When he got home he looked at one under a microscope and saw that it had multiple hooks that would attach to loops in fabric.  

It took de Mestral eight years to develop his invention, which consisted of two strips of nylon fabric— one strip containing thousands of small hooks, the other strip containing small loops. When the two strips are pressed together they form a strong bond. He patented his invention in 1955 and soon turned it into a useful product – Velcro.

De Mestral used analogical thinking to use information from one domain to help solve a problem in another domain.

Here’s another example of analogical thinking, this one from the business world, that demonstrates how an organization in one sector can learn lessons from an organization in another.

Throughout the mid-1990s, Intel had resisted providing cheap microprocessors for inexpensive PCs. During a 1997 training seminar, Intel’s top management team learned a lesson about the steel industry from Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen.

In the 1970s, upstart minimills established themselves in the steel business by making cheap concrete-reinforcing bars known as rebar. Established players like U.S. Steel ceded the low end of the business to them, but deeply regretted that decision when the minimills crept into higher-end products. Intel’s CEO at the time, Andy Grove, seized on the steel analogy, referring to cheap PCs as “digital rebar.” The lesson was clear, Grove argued: “If we lose the low end today, we could lose the high end tomorrow.” Intel soon began to promote its low-end Celeron processor more aggressively to makers and buyers of inexpensive PCs. [From HBR article titled How Strategists Really Think: Tapping the Power of Analogy, April 2005.] 

Analogical thinking is often spawned in conversations among people from different areas of expertise. Sometimes our expertise works against us—it creates tunnel vision—so we need help seeing things from a new perspective. This explains why one of the best ways to solve a difficult problem in one particular domain is to get input from people who specialize in other domains. For instance, when stymied by a challenging problem, a group of engineers might benefit from the input of an artist, historian, and anthropologist because they “see” things differently. Analogical problem-solving occurs when a solution to a known problem is applied to solving a structurally similar problem. 

Often, a complex problem has already been solved; we’re just not looking in the right places for the solution. 

When I’m with my grandson, Benjamin, I always try to say “yes” to his requests. “Papa, will you take me fishing? Will you play with me? Can we go swimming?” Unless it’s impossible or imprudent to do so, I usually say yes.

I do the same at work; when a colleague or direct report makes an appeal, I try to respond in a positive way. 

This approach has helped my marriage. For years, both Mary and I suffered from a “no-mentality.” She would ask me to do something and I would demur. I wouldn’t necessarily say “no” (I’m more cunning than that) but I would hesitate, postpone, ignore, or offer an alternative. In essence, I declined. Mary often did the same to me. Now we try to say “yes” to each other, or at least craft a positive response such as, “What an interesting idea; let’s talk about that tonight.” But if it’s a simple request (Would you clean your study?) I should simply comply.   

In your interpersonal relationships, which word do you tend to say the most: yes or no? What is your default response? I’m not recommending you be a “yes-person”—someone who agrees with everything that is said and endorses or supports without criticism, every opinion or proposal. I am encouraging us to have a positive, permissive outlook on life, particularly when responding to people’s requests. The alternative is to be oppositional; quick to resist or dissent.

Sir Richard Branson once said: “I have enjoyed life a lot more by saying yes than by saying no.” And I’m sure those around him have also enjoyed that persuasion. 

Here’s a good article from Fortune magazine titled “Five Reasons Why Saying “Yes” Is The Best Decision For Your Career.”