Book: 20200517 to 20200529, "The art of learning" by Joshua Waitzkin

20200517 - Introduction

This book tries to set up the bridge between instinct thinking and rational thinking.

Joshua Waitzkin is good at both Chess and Tai Chi, and he used the same learning approach to become a top level player. Since this book is recommended by the author of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", it must worth reading.

This book is a bit like extension of "Thinking, fast and slow".

PART ONE: THE FOUNDATION

20200517 - Chapter 1: Innocent Moves

Other people can only see the result. That's the strategy of AlphaZero. It only wants to win, and don't mind to become conservative once setting up the advantage. But I think the procedure is even more important than the result. For real life, it's not just win or lose, normally it's something between them. It's not a competitive game.

However, what if we set our ultimate goal as the reward of the game? The most important thing is, we need a ultimate goal. At the moment, I don't have that.

We need to figure out a way to keep our passion. This is even more important than other parts. But, how to keep our passion? We need some way to verify our progress. Sometimes, we need to have a real break.

20200517 - Chapter 2: Losing to Win

There are three types of thinking: slow thinking, fast thinking, no thinking.

AlphaZero is an example of perfect fast thinking: summarize all data and analysis, then turn them into fast thinking. This book also try to explain how to do that.

No thinking is at a different level. It's at the Budda's level, and we can get it through meditation.

Win or lose. Both are temporary stage. In other words: the current position is not important, the important thing is the next move. There is not relationship between current position and the next position. This is just like stock price: history cannot predict the future price fluctuation.

The key is still the formula: along the right direction, distance = time * speed. Direction. Time. Speed.

To figure out the right direction, we need correct perception of the world.

20200518 - Chapter 3: Two Approaches to Learning

Foundation is much more important than fast win and trophies. "Foundation" belongs to us, glories/fame is just illusion.

We need to master more skill, not to obtain more trophies.

I really like the metaphor that comfort zone to us is the shell to hermit crab. When we stay in our comfort zone, we are not likely to grow fast. And once we get used to life without shell (comfort zone), we will be really strong and grow really fast.

One further question: the purpose of our life should not be "getting bigger". We may become the largest/strongest in the world, but is that really meaningful?

20200518 - Chapter 4: Loving the Game

How to handle winning and losing? It's good to laugh/scream or cry. It's good to experience the extreme emotions. But, keep in mind, for long term goal, these winning or losing is not that important.

Focusing on the details that how we won or lost the game help us growing.

Excitement reflects our passion.

20200519 - Chapter 5: The Soft Zone “Losing Yourself”

Noise and distraction is always there. We need to be at peace with them.

This chapter is stepped into "daily life meditation" zone. Pay attention to the important issue, and ignore (although aware of) the other parts.

I think this is the reason that so many people get benefit from practicing meditation.

20200519 - Chapter 6: The Downward Spiral

The woman and the bike. I may never forget this scene.

Chain effect could be horrible. A small error may trigger a big one, and if the big one is not handled properly, a huge disaster may be waiting for us.

It is also possible some minor luck triggers a huge luck. Unfortunately, Chaos Theory tells us that everything tends to break down. This means, by nature, it's going to be bad things come along.

How to live in "now"? I think one tip is: most of the problems are not big deal. Then, what if we hit by a really big deal? If we are not careful, much bigger one may come in.

The ultimate solution is of course meditation. Unless chapter 17 gives me some surprise/miracle.

20200520 - Chapter 7: Changing Voice

The only thing that doesn't change is change itself.

However, changing is painful. No one feel comfortable when leaving their comfort zone.

People just don't realize that this "uncomfortability" is actually illusion. It comes from our gene: 100k years ago, getting into a strange area normally means huge risk. But nowadays, there is no real risk when changes happen.

We just should not change for change's sake. Each change should bring us to higher level. How? It's about our ultimate goal.

What do we really want before dying? All our actions should be around this goal.

20200520 - Chapter 8: Breaking Stallions

Balance.

We may have ultimate goal, but we also want to live happy life. We want fun everyday, from time to time.

So, the key point is about the balance. We need getting closer to our ultimate goal, and at the same time, get fun.

What is this "fun"? It's up to ourselves. The same thing could be boring or even torture to other people, but it could be great fun to me. For example, coding/physical exercise/reading, etc.

Life is marathon. To enjoy it, we need "reward" all the time. Don't push ourselves too hard.

There is always some way to get harmony with our goal and the trip.

Another point from this chapter is about "form". Abstract Expressionism is a good example. We need the capability to paint traditional painting, and then, extract the essence from a picture.

Regarding "coding", this means utilize existing tools and platforms to achieve the goal quickly, and meet all other conditions at the same time, such as stability, performance, license fee, maintenance, time frame, etc. It's also "art" to build a excellent system. It needs fully understand all major factors.

PART TWO: MY SECOND ART

20200521 - Chapter 9: Beginner’s Mind

Distance = Time * Speed

To adjust our breath and body posture can only brings tiny bit of benefit to our life. But, if the change goes on for 50 years, the impact is huge.

I always like Tai Chi Chun and meditation. It's worth spending time to learn and practice it.

20200521 - Chapter 10: Investment in Loss

My major issues: 1. No ultimate goal; 2. No mentor; 3. No loss.

Books give me excellent principles, but without detailed instructions/corrections, it's very hard to grow. Maybe meditation is only thing that I can try and learn by myself, with the help from YouTube and local communications.

Joshua Waitzkin was born in a rich family. His parents can afford $70 per hour tuition fee in 1980s, and didn't push him to make money when he grow up.

20200521 - Chapter 11: Making Smaller Circles

How to obtain mastery over some skill?

Set up solid foundation in each piece of details, then improve them one by one.

Boxing is a pretty good example. The boxer doesn't seem hit the opponent hard, but each hit is actually over hundreds of pounds.

How about IT? We need to fully understand computer hardware, database principles, discrete mathematics, data structure, etc. After emerging all these stuff into our internal knowledge system, we would understand new concept easily.

Then, how to stay in healthy status? Same. There are a lot of stuff to learn.

20200522 - Chapter 12: Using Adversity

No matter in what kind of situation, we should not lay down and wait. There is always something we can do to improve ourselves and the situation.

Quite often, "adversity" creates a chance that we can observe things through different angle. So, adversity also means opportunity. It's very rare to see completely useless adversity.

Perception and action decide our development trend and status.

20200523 - Chapter 13: Slowing Down Time

If we focus on smaller/simpler area, then our mind can process more frames per second. That means, the time will slow down, and we can see more on the small area during the same time.

This needs a lot of practice, but makes perfect sense.

So if we know which part is important and which part is not, then we can focus on the important part and ignore all other area. Then, no matter what we do, we can do it more efficiently.

Meditation is good start point. Walking or any simple daily housework could be good opportunities to practice.

20200524 - Chapter 14: The Illusion of the Mystical

There is nothing mystical. Everything is based on some trick, and anyone can learn it after enough practice.

These tricks can also be used in any competitive activities, such as price negotiation. Or, from the other way, it can help with better communication and better cooperation.

One thing for sure: we need to be able of slowing the time down, and learn how to condense our physical or mental strength.

PART THREE: BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

20200524 - Chapter 15: The Power of Presence

What we see is the illusion generated by our brain. Normally it's not bad, but sometimes, it leads to wrong action. We may give ourselves unnecessary stress, we may treat wish as prediction.

To see through illusion, we need to be at present. It's extremely hard, and it may take years of practice. But it's possible.

20200526 - Chapter 16: Searching for the Zone

Rhythm of stress and recovery.

For anything hard to learn and practice, we cannot focus on it for too long time. Break and recovery is critical.

This explains why we should not study one subject for hours. The better choice is to spend one or even half hour on a subject, then switch to another one. If possible, we should try to learn something else after sitting by desk for hours, such as, playing violin, playing table tennis, housework, cooking, farming, meditation, physical exercise, etc.

This is the key to keep going forward quickly, everyday.

20200526 - Chapter 17: Building Your Trigger

Rhythm could be just "breath". Inhale and exhale in meditative mode, then we can go into peaceful and clear mind.

This is same as "Power of Now". We can make our life always stay in that rhythm.

Will that work? I need verification.

20200527 - Chapter 18: Making Sandals

We are not our emotion. Observing our emotion makes us understand ourselves, and then we can utilize our emotion to improve our performance.

Everyone is different. We need to find the best suitable way to resolve problems. It also needs a lot of practice. We need to check all details.

There is always something we can do to handle problems correctly.

20200528 - Chapter 19: Bringing it All Together

This chapter is about how to turn A into A+, how to catch rare inspiration and then turn it into solid knowledge/habit.

Sensitivity is critical, and don't be lazy. Write down or record what you got, then think it over later on.

How to improve software development skill? The best way is to read more books and source code, after fully understand the foundation. Then, use what we learned in real projects, to verify it.

For competitive disciplines, teacher and teammates are critical.

20200529 - Chapter 20: Taiwan & Afterword

Learning is really like building pyramids. Put the rocks into one layer, then the next layer.

Each layer needs to be solid and strong foundation of the higher layer.

How to get to next layer? Two approaches.

1. Learn from books/other people.

2. Inspiration.

Obviously, once we reached high layer, we may have to rely on "inspiration".

How to make the foundation solid? Focus on each rock, and shape them carefully to fit with other rocks. The tip is, don't focus on the whole layer at the beginning.