I think this post highlights some of the difficulties in transmitting information between people—particularly the case of trying to transmit complex thoughts via short aphorisms.
I think the comments provided a wealth of feedback as to the various edge cases that can occur in such a transmission, but the broad strokes of the post remain accurate: understanding compressed wisdom can’t really be done without the life experience that the wisdom tried to compress to begin with.
If I was to rewrite the post, I’l likely emphasize the takeaway that, when giving advice or attempting to transmit such wisdom, the point is that you have to take the time to convey the entirety of the context of what you’re saying, unless you’re just reminding someone of something they already know. “Don’t zip your wisdom, just transfer the whole thing” might be a better title than “wisdom cannot be unzipped”, for the practical application of the lesson.
I do like—and intend to continue—inserting pieces of related knowledge into posts, in the way that this post teaches a little about what compression is in the course of conveying its message. I think that benefits the discourse, and by assuming a low level of shared knowledge, makes the post friendlier to newcomers and beginners.
I think this post highlights some of the difficulties in transmitting information between people—particularly the case of trying to transmit complex thoughts via short aphorisms.
I think the comments provided a wealth of feedback as to the various edge cases that can occur in such a transmission, but the broad strokes of the post remain accurate: understanding compressed wisdom can’t really be done without the life experience that the wisdom tried to compress to begin with.
If I was to rewrite the post, I’l likely emphasize the takeaway that, when giving advice or attempting to transmit such wisdom, the point is that you have to take the time to convey the entirety of the context of what you’re saying, unless you’re just reminding someone of something they already know. “Don’t zip your wisdom, just transfer the whole thing” might be a better title than “wisdom cannot be unzipped”, for the practical application of the lesson.
I do like—and intend to continue—inserting pieces of related knowledge into posts, in the way that this post teaches a little about what compression is in the course of conveying its message. I think that benefits the discourse, and by assuming a low level of shared knowledge, makes the post friendlier to newcomers and beginners.