Thin-Slicing

Bad habit number one that is consuming my life: starting too many books at the same time. Yesterday, I realized my bedroom was being seiged by stacks of books in various places, none of which I have finished reading. I do judge a book by it's cover, and then I'll judge it by it's first paragraph. I continue to judge the book through the whole reading process, even to the point when I only have a quarter of the book left. One would think this means I obviously am drawn to the book in some way and should finish it, but sometimes I won't. The fact is, in the course of my reading I have started several other books that are competiting for my attention; I'm judging the books against each other and will continue to devout the about 65% of my reading-time to one until another proves itself more worthwhile. (And, yes, that was a very mathematical formula I solved in order to bring you that percentage.)

So, as it goes, the book which wins me over, until another more attractive, and tempting paperback makes it's way in to my life, is blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. I am fascinated, and motivated, which gives even greater credit to it's content and rhetoric. Perhaps there has already been a huge blink rage which I happened to miss out on while on a small, obscure island in Southeast Asia for over a year and half. But, it's new to me. I even attempted to share some of it's contents with The Head. Usually, I avoid intellectual or academic conversations with The Head because he makes me feel naive and defensive; but, I was feeling really good about blink so I decided to share with The Head while he was in the midst of monologue-ing about the latest and greatest in literature. He shot me down by sharing some bad reviews by some hoity-toity critics (whose names I can't remember because I was trying to think of something to rebuttle him with rather than listening to what he was actually saying). I finally asked The Head if he had even read blink and that caught him in his pontification. What joy was mine.

I'll attempt a synopsis: blink explores the world of quick and meditated decision-making. And when I say "quick" I mean within milliseconds. It's about trusting our first-impressions, facts versus feelings, narrowing in on a few poignant details rather than digesting a scope of events. Malcolm terms this "thin-slicing." It makes me a little hungry every time I read that phrase. Hum.

Anyway, the criticism that The Head shared with me, after I thought back to what he shared, I actually agree with but don't really care about. I've already accepted that weakness about blink. He menitioned that blink never came to any particular, or distinguishable, thesis. (Let's list synonyms, shall we: purpose, point, core, heart,...nirvana.? The weekend was fruitful with an intense game of Apples to Apples.) However, blink is still fascinating, and if you really like psychological studies, decision-making and/or would like to know a little more about your subconcious, than I recommend it...until something else comes along.