The There There Letter: Simplism, Short-Termism, and Sangiovese
Three things from DAH.
DAH is me, David Anthony Hance. I write, organize, plan, produce, manage, direct, act, sing, promote, and make change (not the coin kind).
First up this week, Simplism …
The lawn is too long. The solution? Simple! Mow the lawn.
Too many leaves fall in our neighborhood. The solution? Simple! Cut down the trees.
Too many drug users damage our communities. The solution? Simple! Lock them up.
Some issues, like the length of the lawn, really may have simple solutions. Other issues, not so much. Simplism is an act of oversimplification; "the reduction of a problem to a false simplicity by ignoring complicating factors" (Merriam-Webster). Recorded use of the word simplism dates back to 1840, but it's gained vogue during our current populist moment. Presenting ideas so that a "common sense" simple solution can be presented is appealing, both to presenters who seek specific outcomes and to deciders who appreciate easy and obvious solutions during fast-paced life. Easy and obvious answers can be stress-reducing. Unfortunately, they can also lead to fierce us-vs-them dynamics (they must be crazy! the answer is so obvious!). Seldom are common-good, long-term outcomes obtained.
Letting Others Think For You? Think Again
Second up this week, Short-Termism …
I'm going to revel in a good-old-days moment. Before texting and mobile phones and email and computers and faxing there was the postal service, which I relied upon to deliver my carefully considered words to others. And I knew they wouldn't (couldn't) respond immediately. There was breathing space, thinking space, between sending a letter and dealing with any response to that letter. Everything happens more quickly now. I don't want to go back (not that I could). I really enjoy ready contact with distant friends, and how quickly ordinary questions may be answered. But the rapid-fire insistence on immediate (and often ill-considered) responses and the concomitant focus on short-term outcomes makes me feel anxious. Some issues are complex and addressing them successfully requires thought and planning.
The Long Now
Third up this week, Sangiovese …
"They need an answer right now!" I said, in a telephone call with a wine business associate.
"We don't know if their proposal even makes sense to us, yet," he replied.
"So, what do I say now?" I asked.
"Say no. It took a long time to find land, plant grapes, make and bottle wine. Snap decisions now aren't reasonable."
That's a great thing about wine, especially smaller, vineyard-based wine. The winemaker had to find land, plant grapes, make and bottle wine. It took them years, and they had to think long-term.
A couple of years ago, serendipity led us to Vino Noceto and their Sangiovese. Sangiovese is a red grape, famed for great wines in Italy's Tuscany. It isn't a major grape in California, however, and its wine quality track record has been spotty. On this particular Saturday I was introducing a relative to Sierra Foothill wine with stops at a few select wineries. Then I saw a Doggie Diner head on the grounds of a winery new to me.
"Let's stop here," I said. "We'll get a photo."
We had the most fun, and found our day's favorite wines, at that serendipitous stop. A modest, family-owned and operated, estate-vineyard-based winery. The family had thought long-term, and they had a Doggie Diner head. And we like their Sangiovese.
Vino Noceto and the History of Sangiovese
And a bit more … from God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, by Kurt Vonnegut, words from a planned baptismal speech:
Hello, babies.
Welcome to Earth.
It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter.
It's round and wet and crowded.
At the outside, babies,
you’ve got about a hundred years here.
There’s only one rule that I know of, babies -
God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.
That's all for this week.
From Mary Oliver's poem "Sometimes" …
DAH is me, David Anthony Hance. I write, organize, plan, produce, manage, direct, act, sing, promote, and make change (not the coin kind).
First up this week, Simplism …
The lawn is too long. The solution? Simple! Mow the lawn.
Too many leaves fall in our neighborhood. The solution? Simple! Cut down the trees.
Too many drug users damage our communities. The solution? Simple! Lock them up.
Some issues, like the length of the lawn, really may have simple solutions. Other issues, not so much. Simplism is an act of oversimplification; "the reduction of a problem to a false simplicity by ignoring complicating factors" (Merriam-Webster). Recorded use of the word simplism dates back to 1840, but it's gained vogue during our current populist moment. Presenting ideas so that a "common sense" simple solution can be presented is appealing, both to presenters who seek specific outcomes and to deciders who appreciate easy and obvious solutions during fast-paced life. Easy and obvious answers can be stress-reducing. Unfortunately, they can also lead to fierce us-vs-them dynamics (they must be crazy! the answer is so obvious!). Seldom are common-good, long-term outcomes obtained.
Letting Others Think For You? Think Again
Second up this week, Short-Termism …
I'm going to revel in a good-old-days moment. Before texting and mobile phones and email and computers and faxing there was the postal service, which I relied upon to deliver my carefully considered words to others. And I knew they wouldn't (couldn't) respond immediately. There was breathing space, thinking space, between sending a letter and dealing with any response to that letter. Everything happens more quickly now. I don't want to go back (not that I could). I really enjoy ready contact with distant friends, and how quickly ordinary questions may be answered. But the rapid-fire insistence on immediate (and often ill-considered) responses and the concomitant focus on short-term outcomes makes me feel anxious. Some issues are complex and addressing them successfully requires thought and planning.
The Long Now
Third up this week, Sangiovese …
"They need an answer right now!" I said, in a telephone call with a wine business associate.
"We don't know if their proposal even makes sense to us, yet," he replied.
"So, what do I say now?" I asked.
"Say no. It took a long time to find land, plant grapes, make and bottle wine. Snap decisions now aren't reasonable."
That's a great thing about wine, especially smaller, vineyard-based wine. The winemaker had to find land, plant grapes, make and bottle wine. It took them years, and they had to think long-term.
A couple of years ago, serendipity led us to Vino Noceto and their Sangiovese. Sangiovese is a red grape, famed for great wines in Italy's Tuscany. It isn't a major grape in California, however, and its wine quality track record has been spotty. On this particular Saturday I was introducing a relative to Sierra Foothill wine with stops at a few select wineries. Then I saw a Doggie Diner head on the grounds of a winery new to me.
"Let's stop here," I said. "We'll get a photo."
We had the most fun, and found our day's favorite wines, at that serendipitous stop. A modest, family-owned and operated, estate-vineyard-based winery. The family had thought long-term, and they had a Doggie Diner head. And we like their Sangiovese.
Vino Noceto and the History of Sangiovese
And a bit more … from God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, by Kurt Vonnegut, words from a planned baptismal speech:
Hello, babies.
Welcome to Earth.
It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter.
It's round and wet and crowded.
At the outside, babies,
you’ve got about a hundred years here.
There’s only one rule that I know of, babies -
God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.
That's all for this week.
From Mary Oliver's poem "Sometimes" …
Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
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