The first time that I met Roland Griffiths, he was setting up someone else’s tent at Burning Man. This small act of generosity - setting up someone else’s tent - might not sound like a big deal, but it turned out to be a really big deal for me. (I happen to now be married to that someone.)
Roland was a truly inspiring friend and mentor to me. He had incredible discipline in all areas of his life - his work ethic, his self-care routines, his meditation practice. From the moment I met him, I could tell immediately that he had a very clear sense of purpose, a real mission, perhaps best conveyed by his favorite question: “Are you aware that you are aware?”
You can likely sense Roland’s child-like curiosity in this question. His curiosity wasn’t just about ideas, Roland was simply one of the most loving and compassionate people that I have ever met. I am incredibly grateful for the time I had with him over the last decade or so.
Roland Griffiths teaching me how to meditate, as a wedding gift.
Professionally, Roland was a rockstar. He was one of the world’s foremost experts in seemingly disparate subjects: caffeine, mystical experiences, and psilocybin. In “How to Change Your Mind”, Roland is described as “the investigator beyond reproach”. Roland was among the last of a generation of researchers to use self-experimentation as a mode of scientific investigation. Once regarded as the gold standard, this is now considered to be too conflicted and biased to be used in modern research (which currently favors double-blind controlled studies). For example, one of Roland’s academic contributions that involved self-experimentation was towards quantifying the minimum detectable dose of caffeine. (This was at a time when caffeine was not considered to be addictive, and not treated as “a drug”.)
Roland was truly at the cutting edge of research in consciousness. He was incredibly curious about probing the line between science and spirituality. With the utmost respect for my dear friend, many of the questions he was seeking to explore in his research were beyond science. Roland was not afraid to look over that edge.
What do I mean by beyond science? To me, science stops when we can’t propose a means for others to reproduce the experiment. So many of the questions about consciousness (not just Roland’s) are fundamentally irreproducible. It’s not that they aren’t interesting questions - it’s that these are philosophical questions, these are spiritual questions, these are mystical questions. In my view they cannot be answered with the tools of physical science. (But hey, I’m just a lowly chemist.)
I am forever grateful to Roland for these debates. I don’t know exactly where to draw the line between science and spirituality, but my conversations with him helped me to start sketching a rough topology. Without getting too heady, let me explain what I mean with a short example:
Roland Griffiths taught Michael Phelps how to swim.
We can test this statement with scientific investigation. We might never be able to prove without a doubt that Roland did or did not teach Michael how to swim (it takes a village), but if we asked enough people at the pool we could probably get a good scientific sense of the degree to which Roland influenced Michael’s swimming abilities.
Roland Griffiths and Michael Phelps have the same conscious experience while swimming.
This one gets tricky. Some people would argue that we just don’t have sharp enough scientific tools to probe that question. To me, this question is beyond science. From a scientific perspective - it is unknowable, even while from a psychological perspective Roland and Michael both intimately know the experience of swimming. My view is that no matter how many words, sounds, EEGs, fMRIs, or nerve clamps that we use - science alone can’t compare their direct conscious experience. (And the beauty of it is that Michael turned out to be a decent swimmer, even though we’ll never be sure if Roland’s experience of swimming even remotely resembled Michael’s.)
That’s enough philosophy of mind for today (see the footnotes for some of my favorite books on this topic). Let’s get back to remembering my buddy Roland.
Roland was unbelievably upbeat and cheerful after receiving the news of his terminal cancer diagnosis. “What a gift”, he would say. “What a tremendous opportunity to really think about my priorities.” While I can’t imagine myself responding to a similar situation with even a fraction of his equanimity - I don’t doubt that he meant it. I certainly don’t have the words for it now, but I feel that I have learned a tremendous amount from Roland recently, observing how he has courageously and compassionately navigated his final months on earth.
Towards the end of his life, Roland was very curious about the possibility of communicating after death. Since I heard the news of his passing yesterday, I’ve been quietly investigating this possibility.
I can’t prove it scientifically, Roland, but I feel your presence. I feel your love. Thank you.
The emotional component is one of the toughest parts of the job. Whether it’s communicating with someone you recently had a conflict with, following up on a tedious but important task, or just generally pushing through moments of resistance or procrastination - our emotions don’t always make things easy.
What if we could leverage the natural “alexithymia” of AI systems to our advantage in overcoming emotional friction? As AI’s don’t appear to have subjective experiences (yet), they are impervious to emotions like frustration, resentment, burnout or reluctance that humans often face (for now).
Imagine there’s someone you need to follow up with, but just the thought of directly interacting with them starts to raise your blood pressure. Use AI to draft the message. This would allow you to communicate pragmatically without letting any lingering interpersonal tensions interfere. The AI’s objective, emotion-free communication style would sidestep your own anxious reactions.
So rather than dwelling on past issues or stressing over an awkward encounter, you focus solely on conveying the necessary information. The AI acts as a buffer, providing a bit of distance from an emotionally fraught situation. This helps you still get your point across and move things forward, while saving your emotional energy for interactions that truly matter.
Similarly, if there’s a task I’ve been resisting or procrastinating due to fatigue or lack of motivation, enlisting an AI assistant can help separate the emotional component from the logical “next steps”. This allows me to leverage a methodical, emotion-free collaborator to help move projects forward despite any personal reservations. Showing up is 90% of the work, and LLMs “show up” in milliseconds, with minimal pay. By reducing the emotional friction of the work - they can help me show up even when I don’t really feel like it.
Some prompts to experiment with:
Have an AI assistant draft a difficult email, message, or presentation you’ve been avoiding. Remove your emotional reaction from the content.
Enlist an AI to break a complex task down into bite-sized, manageable steps so it feels less overwhelming.
Give an AI routine administrative tasks you’ve come to dislike through repetition so you can focus on more engaging work.
Utilize AI databases, research tools, or information retrieval to find answers independently rather than expose yourself to the emotional slot-machine of the internet
Use an AI to guide you (and your team) through a perspective-switching exercise (for example, I’ve been using my “6 Hats Helper” bot almost every day).
With great power comes with great responsibility. These tools could be used to help you become even more emotionally avoidant, or they could be used to reserve your human energy and attention for the truly important and highly emotional work.
In a small village surrounded by terraced rice fields, there stood a run-down storehouse. Out front lay a lone piece of weathered plywood, spray painted with odd markings that had faded with time: “ONGOING MOVING SALE! TEXT FOR INFO”. A phone number was listed below, but no one had ever paid it any mind.
The villagers assumed the building must contain only trash, since its owner had clearly left in a hurry, judging by the messy sign. Over the years, the storehouse had fallen into total ruin and disrepair.
One sunny day, as the village children played, curious young Tomas spied the mysterious sign and could not resist investigating further. Peeling back flakes of faded paint, he decoded the message and decided to text the number. There was no reply.
Tomas could not control himself. The next day, he decided to go in anyway. When Tomas pushed open the creaking door, layers of dust stirred…
What wonders were then revealed to Tomas’s keen eyes! On wooden shelves lining the walls from floor to ceiling were stacked objects untouched for who knows how long. Intricate sculptures from ancient civilizations were piled high, their artistic details still visible under years of dust. Figures of elephants, horses and dancers from India appeared as if in meditation.
Weaving amongst them were relics from every corner of the universe. From distant galaxies, celestial maps charted nebulae and star systems in vibrant cosmic oils. Alien artifacts of long-lost civilizations spoke to lives pondering the same mysteries under alien skies. Sculptures hewn from asteroids captured the shifting dances of stardust with microscopic perfection.
In dark corners, musical instruments of all shapes and sizes from a thousand worlds rested in silent harmony. Zithers, flutes and drums from lands afar awaited the songs they held within. Rolled parchments and faded tomes filled with the wisdom of sages from days long forgotten. Secrets of medicine, philosophy and history that could lift entire communities from suffering were here in abundance.
From Ancient Egypt emerged papyrus scrolls preserving the wisdom of Imhotep, yielding knowledge to lift humankind from sickness. Statuettes and funerary masks channeled the poise of the pharaohs, as membranes within guided souls to sacrifice all for their people. Opal scarabs and gems engraved with spells escorted souls to paradise realms described only in poems.
The glories of Rome were not absent. Marble friezes recounted triumphs through disciplined legions and advances in architecture that stood the test of time. From distant Guangdong came intricate bronzewares and jades inscribed with early dialects, as were silken banners from Chang’an imprinted with astrological charts. Scrolls of rice paper bore poetic odes and wisdom that fed countless souls through dynasties.
From the deserts of a thousand worlds surrendered their secrets. Scrolls penned in luminescent sands illuminated the insights of hermit monks who dwelled alone with dunes for decades. Elixirs distilled from meteorites held properties to cure afflictions unnamed.
Even the roots of World Trees bowed under the abundance. Folios bound in barkskin preserved the visions of prophets who communed for centuries in leafy groves. Carvings in flowing mycelium recorded the epics of subterranean elders conversing telepathically in living rootworks.
From dimensions unseen, objects of pure imagination took shape. Sculptures of mercy and grace sculpted from liquid dreams. Harps whose strings were spun from strands of thought provoking melodies never before conceived. Prisms refracting the nuances of concepts beyond words into rainbows of meaning.
As Tomas explored further into the depths, the piles of marvels seemed to grow inexhaustibly. He stumbled upon a veritable library of Babylonia - clay tablets bearing epics, etchings of constellations, and arithmetic used to chart the heavens. Inkwashed scrolls by masters from Chang’an imparted the subtle and profound. Lost amid wonders unimaginable, Tomas forgot all about the passage of time in his awe and delight.
Lost amid wonders unimaginable, Tomas forgot all about the passage of time in his awe and delight. Truly, this place held riches utterly without measure or bound, enough to uplift all beings throughout the cosmos for eras untold.
I was given a gift and
en route to enjoyment
The sticky residue of the price tag
Stuck to my fingers
Pulpy bits in my nail beds
I never could remove
No soap nor scour strong enough
To undo the glue
My fingerprints changed
Possibly my DNA
Incredible shame
Unforgettable blame
Enraged and enflamed
All in the name
of erasing the price of the gift
This is the last moment in history where the act of writing a book will be considered impressive. Just like Uber was “everyone’s private driver”, LLMs are now “everyone’s private ghostwriter”.
Both Bill Gates & HH the Dalai Lama have ghostwriters - why shouldn’t you?
Ever had one of those days where every decision feels like a brain-bender? Well, we’ve been there and we got you covered. Meet 6 Hats Helper, my latest AI chatbot. But hold on, it’s no ordinary chatbot. It’s like your personal decision-making sidekick, inspired by the genius of Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats technique.
Picture this. The 6 Hats Helper is like your own cognitive jiu-jitzu sensei, wearing Blue, White, Red, Black, Yellow, and Green hats, each one representing a different style of thinking. It’s as if you’ve got a team of top-notch thinkers in your head, each bringing their unique perspective to the table, helping you make decisions that cover all bases.
Whether you’re wrestling with a mind-boggling problem or trying to strategize your next big move, the 6 Hats Helper steps in to guide your thought process. It’s like having a structured, multi-angle approach to handling any challenge, right in your pocket.
With the 6 Hats Helper, decision-making isn’t just about ’eeny, meeny, miny, moe’ anymore. It’s a thorough expedition into the world of thoughts. It’s like having an advisory board in your brain, each member giving you a different viewpoint, making sure you’ve got all your angles covered.
Building the 6 Hats Helper was an absolute blast. Thanks to Poe and Claude-2, creating this bot was way easier than I anticipated. (This is my first Poe bot.)
Are you ready to shake up your decision-making game? Put 6 Hats Helper to the test and tell me what you think.
Step 1: Sign up for SuperAgent: https://beta.superagent.sh and connect your OpenAI API key (by pasting it here after clicking “configure”).
Step 2: Go to “Datasources”. Click “New Data Source”. Click “Local files”. Pick the file, give it a name and description.
Step 3: (While your data source is processing…) go to “Agents”. Click “New Agent”. Under Datasources, select the source.
Step 4: Give it a prompt. I chose this:
You are an helpful AI Assistant. You are an expert in productivity. You are an expert in startup business systems. When answering a question, first see if the answer is available in The Four-Hour Work Week book data.
Step 5: Choose the model and connect the datasource. Click “Update Agent” to save. Your agent setup should look something like this:
Step 6: Go back to “Datasources” to confirm that the datasource is done processing. It should say “Ready”.
Step 7: Go back to your agent and test it out!
Here was my test question:
help me with my “dreamlining” excercise. to confirm your understanding, summarize the process of “dreamlining” from the book.
…and the response:
“Dreamlining” is a concept introduced by Tim Ferriss in his book “The 4-Hour Work Week”. It’s a process that involves defining your goals and dreams in concrete terms and then breaking them down into actionable steps. Here’s a summary of the process:
Create Two Timelines: Create two timelines - one for six months and one for twelve months. For each timeline, list up to five things you dream of having (including, but not limited to, material wants: house, car, clothing, etc.), being (be a great cook, be fluent in Chinese, etc.), and doing (visiting Thailand, tracing your roots overseas, racing ostriches, etc.) in that order.
Determine the Cost: Next, you need to determine the cost of these dreams to make them a reality. This includes the cost of living your dream and any expenses that might arise in the pursuit of it.
Define Action Steps: Break down the steps you need to take to achieve each dream. Start with the steps you can take today.
Take the First Step: Now that you have your steps defined, take the first step immediately. This creates momentum and makes it more likely that you'll follow through with the rest of your plan.
Remember, the goal of dreamlining is to make your dreams achievable by breaking them down into manageable, actionable steps. It’s about turning the abstract into the concrete and making your dreams a reality.
It took me 9 minutes to figure out how to do this (including finding/downloading/uploading the 4HWW .pdf). (I gave myself a time limit of 10 minutes). If you follow these instructions (or ask your AI agent to follow them for you), I bet you can do it in 5 minutes.
