🤯Unknown Unknowns #47 - Prometheus

Apr 14, 2022

I saw Nigel Ng, a comedian from London this past week. He created the character Uncle Roger, who rips apart pretentious cooking videos.

Nigel left his job and went full-time into comedy at the worst time, just before the pandemic started. He still managed to keep his dream alive. His first Uncle Roger video, dissecting a BBC reporter’s attempt at making fried rice, made him an internet sensation. Nigel’s been parlaying his YouTube fame into standup success. I went in hoping he wasn’t a one trick pony and I left with my stomach hurting from laughing so much. He’s in the middle of a world tour, check him out!

This Week:

Writing:

Last week, I mentioned that I was a Steward (feedback editor) in this past Write of Passage. After giving feedback on 150 essays in five weeks, I have some thoughts.

Discoveries:

I read a lot of Greek mythology when I was kid. I loved the stories, the gods, the heroes. I didn’t understand the complexity and deeper layers of the myths.

In the myth of Prometheus, Prometheus tricked the gods into accepting bones and skin instead of the meat of oxen as offerings from humans. In revenge, the gods took away fire from humans. Prometheus, feeling guilty, stole fire from the heavens and gave it to humans. As punishment, Zeus, the king of the gods, bound him to a rock and commanded an eagle to attack and eat Prometheus’ liver every day. He would heal overnight and the punishment would repeat.

I always saw this story from the point of view of Prometheus. A savior of humankind, willing to suffer for them. But today, I’m thinking about the gods’ POV. What a bunch of assholes. The gods are supposed to be the protectors and supporters of humanity and they’re not only not helping humans, but punishing those who are.

The gods show that people in power are more concerned about staying in power and being venerated than helping those they espouse to protect.

Myths were invented to express humanities’ deepest truths. The Greeks had gods for war and pestilence. Today, we don't have those gods but the truths remain.

The enemies of Prometheus live on today in the form of bureaucracy, unclear tax laws, arbitrary selection processes, and cultural norms. They act as gatekeepers as creators try to add value to society.

Fortunately, modern day Prometheuses (Promethei?) have stood up to bring back light.

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Paul Millerd recently self-published The Pathless Path, his experience of leaving the default path that so many unconsciously follow and instead following his curiosity and passions. He avoided traditional publishers to create a book that he is proud of. Paul writes about his book journey here.

“On the pathless path, the goal is not to find a job, make money, build a business, or achieve any other metric. It’s to actively and consciously search for the work that you want to keep doing.”
“But the longer he spent on the path, he realized that the real promise had been that “life’s existential fears are traded for certainty.”
“Wonder is the state of being open to the world, its beauty, and potential possibilities. With wonder, the need to cope becomes less important and the discomfort on the current path becomes more noticeable.”
“The longer we spend on a path that isn’t ours, the longer it takes to move towards a path that is. Money might help pay for therapy, time off, and healing retreats, but it won’t help you come to a place where you really trust and know that everything will be okay.”

=> The Pathless Path

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Charlie Bleeker is a Write of Passage mentor who had this tweet go viral. Charlie Bleeker is a pseudonym that allows her to publish thoughts she wouldn’t ordinarily be comfortable doing.

Charlie Bleecker @BleeckerCharlie

My Dad works at a crappy job, drinks too much, and his only friend is his brother. I always thought he led an unfulfilled life. But I had an epiphany:

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Daniel Vassallo left his Amazon job to start a “Portfolio of Small Bets”.

Daniel Vassallo @dvassallo

Today I asked a bank for a conventional mortgage and they said NO. Adjusted Gross Income • 2019: $237,899 • 2020: $464,446 • 2021: $293,262 • 2022: $98,050 (Q1) Credit Scores • TransUnion: 804 • Equifax: 808 Assets • $330K cash • $1.4M real estate Liabilities • Zero

He recently tried to get a mortgage, but was turned down due to his lack of W-2 wages. Why is it harder to pursue a living outside of corporate America? Daniel runs the Portfolio of Small Bets Course/Community. He’s truly bringing fire to the people.

Questions, suggestions, complaints? Email me me at chris@iswong.com. Feedback welcome.

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Have a great week,

Chris