What would I’ve done back then?

This will probably be one of the biggest mysteries for me in the course of my life, since I highly doubt I’ll ever live under a dictatorship. The western world has become too flat, too decentralized, too connected and over-informed for a dictatorship to be the choice of any government, and the eastern world is catching up. Fortunately, only a mad man would believe in the year 2010 that a dictatorship is an effective way to rule, whatever his objectives are. The fact that dictatorships don’t work is too obvious by now.

One obviously appreciates being born after it was over. However, this sense of gratification is not enough to prevent one from wondering how one would have reacted in such a situation. Would I have been chased because of my thoughts? Would I have been too afraid to speak up? Or worse, would the system had such a prohibitive effect on my mind that I wouldn’t even want to speak up or question the establishment?

My guess: I would have been persecuted too. Not because I would have played a subversive role (I’m not a fan of politics and choosing sides). No, I believe I would have been punished because the prohibition to ask questions would have been unbearable for me. I hold objectivity, truth and integrity over any other personal value, and a dictatorship doesn’t allow that. I’m too curious and outspoken.

What would my generation do now?

Would the current western generation of young people fight against the system to the point of risking their lives, torture and even the safety of their loved ones? Are we capable of getting involved in a cause that puts everything on the line?

I don’t know. This generation is the most outspoken and self-entitled generation the world has seen so far, and there is certainly no lack of young activists. But it’s not a hidden cause, it’s not a rebellion, it’s never pain and death what’s at stake.

Again, I don’t know.

Permanent damage

I’ve always thought that the worst thing the last dictatorship did to my parents’ generation was to install the fear of asking. There’s too much status-quo worshiping in them, no risk taking, no questioning, no shining.

I blame the dictatorship. It has poisoned the minds of Argentinians and it only keeps spreading, from generation to generation, by being afraid to be different and challenge the system. It’s not just fear of failure, it’s fear of physical consequences, fear of being noticed.

The thing that saved me and all the other out-of-the-box thinkers in Argentina I know from that poison?

The internet.

You can subscribe to David’s blog here. Follow David on Twitter here.

David is a guy I respect enormously because of his integrity and the quality of his ideas. Thank you David for asking me to do this, it was a pleasure once again.

Do read my guest post “The Blur” here.

Just because we didn’t have a word for it, not to mention an industry, does not mean that it didn’t happen.

Why do we assume that all those rules that Seth taught us over the years have been working only in recent times?

What if Adam Smith was not the wisest at his time, but the one who marketed himself the best?

Robert L. Heilbroner on “The Worldly Philosophers” says: “There is a long line of observers before Smith who have approached his understanding of the world: Locke, Steuart, Mandeville, Petty, Cantillon, Turgot, not to mention Quesnay and Hume.” What if they had better ideas of what people should do, but didn’t have a good network, PR skills or luck? When you read Smith’s history, you realize that these things mattered enormously, besides his ideas, talent and devotion.

I like to say that marketing makes the irrational sound rational. This is (not so) bad when it comes to purchasing an expensive phone or car.

This is terrible when it comes to the historical repercussions of not choosing the real bests in history to guide civilization.

This is of course just a supposition, but it makes you wonder where we would be in a world without marketing.

I’m guessing there would have been an Obama long ago.

I was planning on posting this when I hit that number, but since it’s a guest post and I already made the commitment I decided to do it one day earlier.

First of all, thank you.

For the support, the ideas and the frequent disagreements. Those things keep me going, and I don’t see the end anytime soon.

For those of you that read me frequently, you know that my post “Thank You and Good Bye, Seth Godin” was a big hit.

There, I talk about how we should cut ties with anyone that we follow religiously, with anyone that we no longer question.

Breakthroughs are born in individuality, not in worshiping.

So, here’s your chance:

If you feel in any way that you are no longer questioning me, please unsubscribe (I tried to find a link to do it, but failed completely. If anyone knows how to find such a link, please let me know).

I’m skeptical that I have reached that point at all, I don’t think anyone feels that way about my content yet (or maybe ever will), but if there’s even one of you who has ceased to question what I say, then leave.

I want you to do great things.

Hopefully, this will come off as caring instead of arrogant. I am completely aware of how much I need to improve and how far away from being followed religiously I am.

But I want my message to be clear from start: if we don’t think for ourselves, it will all go to waste.

Thank you for your time.

For those of you that leave, good for you and good luck!

And for everyone who is left (to quote Seth), “I’ll keep trying to ask hard questions.”

Best,

Carlos

PS: I will post something similar every one hundred sparks.

The day has come for us to part ways: As soon as I publish this, I will unsubscribe from your blog.

It has been a great run, and I feel that I’ve benefited the most in this relationship. But unless I break this up, it will all go to waste.

Before I explain why I’m doing this, I must tell you how much I respect you. I’ve read most of your books, and every single post you’ve ever written. I have nothing but admiration for you, and I know that we will meet in person someday (hopefully because you’ll want to meet me as well).

Now, on to the reason behind my decision.

I’m worried about my generation and me. I’m scared that we are turning into the most informed, knowledgeable group of morons in history.

We are given every answer. We consume data instead of poise questions. There’s a lot of passion and is all being put into repetition. Instead of asking and creating, we are paraphrasing and echoing.

We are worshipers. We accept what you and other big names tell us. We are playing by your rules. We’ve allowed your predictions to replace our imaginations.

We think that we are ahead of the game, when we are actually going through just another safe path. Your path.

I’m sure there are exceptions. And I want to be one of them.

Here’s the thing: the only goal worth so much trouble, is a breakthrough. And I don’t think I’ll create breakthroughs by following anyone in such religious ways. Maybe it’s me. Maybe I should question you more, but I find it hard to do when the admiration starts early, and I don’t think I’m alone in this.

It’s not that we shouldn’t listen and learn from other people (your void will be filled with new material). But the moment the worshiping begins and our own ideas get left behind, we should cut ties.

To quote Alex J. Mann, “I question the edge a tool can provide once it’s become a standard.”

To be ahead of you, I need to leave you.

Thank you for all that you’ve done for me and many others (more than you can imagine).

Wish us luck.

Best,

Carlos Miceli

“People have been hearing fantastic stories since time began. The problem is, they think life is supposed to be like the stories.”

This has to make you wonder: how many other aspects of our life have been affected by supposedly “unrelated” industries?

I have reasons to believe that the beauty industry has been the most harmful one in history.

I believe that Hollywood has negatively changed the way both how Americans see many foreign countries, and the way foreign countries see America as well (this has been changing recently, thanks to globalization).

Understanding what affects us is the first step towards objectivity, don’t you think?

The problem with experience is that it comes from the past.

And the problem with the past is that, well… it’s in the past.

Listening to Authority is a good way to realize what you should do. But it’s not the only way, and it’s not the best either. There’s a lot of authority in governments, Wall Street and education. And a lot of mistakes too.

Sometimes first-timers and outsiders have the advantage. Never underestimate the power of ignorance. It lets you wonder, question and defy.

Good advice is not good because of the source. It’s good advice because it’s…… good.

Update! Here’s my interview with Jun Loayza, get a good laugh at my english, but don’t you tell me that you wouldn’t love to speak english like Jun and me.

Thinking hard, not so much.

There’s nothing as hard as innovation. There’s nothing as rewarding either.

Bottom Line: Work hard, but question every step of the way.

It’s ok to blame your bad luck after a failure. Maybe that’s what happened, the odds were against you. End of story.

But never stop yourself from trying because you may have bad luck. That’s just stupid. At what point before in your life you thought you were controlling it anyway?

Bottom line: Are you scared? Because luck has nothing to do with that.