Every 18-24 months or so, I get a hankering to play Civilization. A turn-based game that spans all of human history. You play a historical leader, and the goal is to outlast or outright murder the other civilizations.
It’s great.
One of the crucial aspects of the game is the “tech tree.” It’s a progression of technologies that reveal themselves as you “research” each one. Boats leads to watchtowers to pirate ships to eventually aircraft carriers. Swordsmen lead to sharper swords that eventually give way to guns.
The whole aspect reframed my entire brain. It’s abstract and really doesn’t describe how invention and technology works, but it’s a metaphor that’s useful for attention and focus.
The easy one is how little I invested into physical exercise “technologies.” At 30 now, I’m finally spending time on my body. But the hill I’m climbing is something I look at my teenage self, and wonder what if I had taken it a bit more seriously.
But it’s not so much a regret, but rather a realization that there’s only so much attention to give. Even now I skipped the gym to write a few blog posts. Will my 45-year old self sneer at that? Who knows, he’ll probably have his eyes on an entirely different part of the tech tree.
Dynamic Hypocrisy 