About two months ago, I biked to Ocean Beach in San Francisco to spend the evening. As I sat there and watched the water gently lap the shore, I had the urge to listen to a book on Audible. Wanting to seize the moment, I opened it to read Shantaram, a 42-hour (and 936-page) epic novel partly based on the authorâs own story of escaping an Australian prison to end up in the underbelly of Mumbai. I managed to listen to 28 out of the 42 hours last year. But as I opened Audible, I realized the novel wasnât in my library anymore. Instead, I noticed another one I had purchased too long ago to even remember: Why Are We Yelling by Buster Benson. He is the writer behind an article on cognitive biases that went viral in 2016.
Just as well. I rested my head on my shoulder bag, shielded my face from the sun with the bike helmet, closed my eyes, and pressed play.
Why Are We Yelling is a book on the art of âproductive disagreementâ, as Buster calls it. About 36 minutes into the first chapter, as it was reaching the climax, he mentioned a word that caught my attention: metaskill.
âThe art of productive disagreement is what some call a metaskill, and I call a superpower. Because it is a skill that levels up all of your other skills. Itâs up there with the ability to read or write or think critically. Metaskills are super important to invest in, because if you get marginally better at having more productive disagreements, say even 5 to 10% better, your life could get 50 to 100% better. Thatâs because every role you play in your life requires communication and the ability to work through disagreements that pop up. When you learn to disagree productively in different roles, the effects combine and are magnified, making you a better friend, a more competent coworker, a more loving spouse, a more active family member, and a more effective citizen of the world. Itâs a superpower.ââââWhy Are We Yelling by Buster Benson
I paused the audiobook and asked myself, Now, what could be a few other superpowers? Since then, it took me two months and many iterations before convincing myself that something was and was not a superpower.Â
To cater to a wider variety of audience, I wrote both a 4000-word article as well as created a 4-minute slideshow version of the same. Depending on your mood, pick the one you'd like to read!
Hi there! If youâre feeling generous, can you like this post on Substack? It would greatly improve the visibility so more people can enjoy. You can follow me on Instagram for fun life stories and LinkedIn for not-so-fun life stories. Email ask@bsoundarya.com for questions.
Aaand.. youâre awesome. Donât forget that. :)