Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a derivatives trader turned distinguished professor of risk engineering at New York University’s Polytechnic Institute, wrote an excellent article in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal entitled “Learning to Love Volatility.” Taleb argues that our modern obsession with comfort and cosmetic stability propagates people, things and thoughts that are fragile and therefore vulnerable to unpredictability. He further suggests that we need things that are “antifragile” or put otherwise, things that “gain from variability, volatility, stress and disorder.”
I hope you enjoy his perspective as much as I did. Have a great Sunday!
Gregory Hake 
An excellent article, well illustrated. The principles outlined here could bear a lot of practical thought. I suppose that while we are thinking along such lines, we might also consider the appropriate protection of that which is inherently fragile and delicate, easily damaged or spoiled. These two aspects of concern are not really separate, and certainly not mutually exclusive.
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Great post and thought provoking article. Makes one think how stability can truly come about.
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Thanks Gregg, I appreciated Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s intelligent perspective and by the way Simon Sinek’s excellent one the day before as well. Both these men drew attention to the importance of been willing to analyze “cause and effect”. Unless we are willing to do this in every aspect of our lives we risk the uncertain consequence of living in that “fragile and therefore vulnerable and unpredictable” state. Which as Mr Taleb states, may not be such a bad thing!!
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This reminds me of a biological maxim called hormesis, where punctuated stressors in life serve to strengthen the organism. In fact, many medicines work through the principal of hormesis – minute but significant enough stress to trigger a healthy biological adaptation. The benefits of exercise come from a hormetic response. The hygiene hypothesis is based on this too, where if the environment is too sterile, an organism becomes weaker. The stress has to be of sufficient intensity for it to be favorable; not enough or too much intensity and then the balance is upset. To me, this is a great example of life’s resiliency and force of adaptation – you need challenges to grow!
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Excellent article, thanks for highlighting it. Seems to me that responsibility can be built into our daily lives through more accountability. That is the beauty of entrepreneurship even in the form of compensation. Basing compensation on productivity creates a society of entrepreneurs. Everyone has “skin in the game”. What a different nation we’d have with one based on people that performed as owners not hirelings. The bottom line is everyone’s reality …it helps when it’s everyone’s responsibility.
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What an interesting article.
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