The customized life (vs automated decision-making)
The Maker mindset, and opting out of "normal"
UPDATE: You should probably read Ozzie Gooen’s post instead: "Can/should we automate most human decisions, pre-AGI?”
One personality dimension that I think may be neglected is: to what extent is someone willing to accept prepackaged things, i.e. prepackaged food, off-the-shelf software, investment portfolios, the received culture and relationship norms; vs to what extent are they motivated to invest time & other resources into creating and improving custom alternatives.
If you’re like me, Making is rewarding in itself, and it’s easy to do too much of it, i.e. in most situations, my life would be more comfortable if I accepted more prepackaged solutions and hired more specialists to delegate to, rather than trying to do things myself… You can’t specialize in everything, Gustavo! But the off-chance that I can discover / create a solution that makes my life permanently better and/or create a disruptive technology is a strong motivator. Laziness is a virtue.
It’s not so simple though: delegation and conformity are separate dimensions, e.g. one time I had the idea of hiring a “location dom” to not only control my flights and hotel bookings, but also decide where I should travel to… relieving me from the burden of decision-making. This is anything but “normal”.
Whereas my Making is often motivated by laziness & reducing demands on my attention going forward, many people are largely motivated by more ephemeral gains, e.g. a healthier meal.
But Makers of all stripes are motivated to hone their skills, to sharpen their understanding, and to create value for the wider community (and recognition for such).
Many or most movements are associated with or defined by breaking away from the norm in some way. In fact, it’s hard to imagine a movement that promotes conformity, other than perhaps spiritual or political movements that say conformity is useful, because you should spend your attention on more important things.
Polarity
Maker | Taker
Producer | Consumer
Hacker | User
Burning Man | Coachella
Desire to control | Trust in the system
Special needs | Normal needs
Autism | Neurotypicality
Rebelliousness | Humility
Self-managed portfolio | Managed portfolio, funds
Grocery shopping | Farm
Intentional relating | Relationship escalator
Multi-family homes | Single-family homes
Polyamorous family | Nuclear family
Gender fluidity | Fixed gender roles