Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is recommended by many of my podcast guests.
There is one takeaway that Naval Ravikant (@naval) has reinforced with me several times on our long walks.
The protagonist, Siddhartha, a monk who looks like a beggar, has come to the city and falls in love with a famous courtesan. He attempts to court her, and she asks, “What do you have?” A well-known merchant similarly asks, “What can you give that you have learned?” His answer is the same in both cases, so I’ve included the latter story below.
Merchant: “. . . If you are without possessions, how can you give?”
Siddhartha: “Everyone gives what he has. The soldier gives strength, the merchant goods, the teacher instruction, the farmer rice, the fisherman fish.”
Merchant: “Very well, and what can you give? What have you learned that you can give?”
Siddhartha: “I can think, I can wait, I can fast.”
Merchant: “Is that all?”
Siddhartha: “I think that is all.”
Merchant: “And of what use are they? For example, fasting, what good is that?”
Siddhartha: “It is of great value, sir. If a man has nothing to eat, fasting is the most intelligent thing he can do. If, for instance, Siddhartha had not learned to fast, he would have had to seek some kind of work today, either with you, or elsewhere, for hunger would have driven him. But, as it is, Siddhartha can wait calmly. He is not impatient, he is not in need, he can ward off hunger for a long time and laugh at it. ”
***
I think of Siddhartha’s answers often and in the following terms:
“I can think” → Having good rules for decision-making, and having good questions you can ask yourself and others.
“I can wait” → Being able to plan long-term, play the long game, and not misallocate your resources.
“I can fast” → Being able to withstand difficulties and disaster. Training yourself to be uncommonly resilient and have a high pain tolerance.
🎶 𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙤𝙮 🎶
@1ryanmartins places 29th overall (29:28.7) at the #NCAAXC Championships to become the first Rambler to earn @USTFCCCA All-American honors since 1991!
#OnwardLU#A10XC
Led by a 🔥 effort from Martins, #Loyola posts the top regional team finish in Rambler annals, finishing fourth overall!
@1ryanmartins - 29:41.3 (2nd)
Chris Devaney - 30:02.9 (20th)
@blake_buysse - 30:22.9 (38th)
@seanoconnell02 - 30:24.6 (39th)
@ChantzV11 - 30:59.5 (58th)
Punch that 🎟️! @1ryanmartins books his spot to the #NCAAXC Championships with a runner-up finish in the men's 10k race in 29:41.3! That's the top individual finish by a Rambler at the regional meet in program history!
#OnwardLU
Can't forget about this guy! Congratulations to our fearless leader, @CoachGKennedy, on being named both the men's and women's #A10XC Coach of the Year!
#OnwardLU
🏆🏆 Two Championships, two titles! 🏆🏆
@RamblersTFXC takes the #A10MXC title too! Congratulations!
@LoyolaRamblers bursts on to A-10 scene by winning their first two A-10 Championships
Keeping the 🏆 at 🏠! Making his #Loyola debut, Ryan Martins earns a runner-up finish in 24:10.5 to help propel #Loyola to its first Lakefront Invitational team title since 2005!
#OnwardLU#A10XC
Congratulations to @ChantzV11 on being named @CoSIDAAcadAA! Visse is the 4️⃣th Academic All-American in program history!
🗞 ➡️ https://t.co/iblU6IywBA
#OnwardLU
The university of Akron just cut three sports that equals the budget of phone calls for the football team - Men’s XC, men’s golf, and women’s tennis. This makes NO SENSE! Your football team is losing money hand over fist!!! XC is essentially FREE. #badmath