Psyche's Second Task: Wool-gathering

Xalda mother and lamb

Image source: Hotel Posada del Valle

 

 



Venus

 



I always knew I was smart, but I could never figure out what I wanted to do. I was interested in learning all sorts of disconnected things and never got deep enough into any one thing to master it and could never figure out how to satisfy enough of those interests in any one job, so I have spent my adult life jumping in and out of jobs and courses of study and haven’t really done anything worthwhile with my professional life. - Kate Arms-Robert

 

 

Jupiter

 

It might be claimed that everyone should not go to college because some people are simply not intelligent enough to go to college. While honesty compels me to admit that there is some truth to this, honesty also compels me to admit that people generally overestimate the amount of intelligence required to get through college. While a certain level of intelligence is required, getting through college is often more a matter of persistence and showing up than of intellectual might. - Mike LaBossiere

 

 

Mars

 

Hubris without apprenticeship or without a pursuit of excellence or mastery within a field often leads at best, to junk art that doesn’t land the way a creator wants it to and, at worst, to someone deeply frustrated and isolated in her creative endeavours because she doesn’t understand what she doesn’t know about the inherent yet delightful challenges within an artistic field. The Greeks like Aristotle called this pursuit of excellence “arete,” the virtue of bringing out every last drop of your human potential in whatever endeavours you pursue. - Jeffrey Davis

 

 

Saturn

 

Through many years searching for the truth about potential, I've become convinced that it's time for a broadened conceptualization of human intelligence that takes into account each person's unique package of personal characteristics, passions, goals, values, and developmental trajectory. That emphasizes the value of an individual's personal journey. That extends the time course of intelligence from a two-hour testing session of decontextualized problem solving to a lifetime of deeply meaningful engagement. That arms students with the mindsets and strategies they need to realize their personal goals, without limiting or pre-judging their chances of success at any stage in the process. That shifts the focus from doing everything right to a lifelong learning process where bumps and detours are par for the course. From a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. From product to process. - Scott Barry Kaufman

 

 

Mercury

 

Professor Aronson calls the doltishness induced by an uncomfortable social situation “conditional stupidity.” We should use that insight to create the conditions for brilliance. - Annie Murphy Paul

 

 

 

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