This time last year, a good friend of mine passed away unexpectedly. This is just a short post to say that Dai Barnes will not be forgotten, and lives on in the fond memories of friends and family.
I’m not sure what he would have made of 2020, but I miss not having the opportunity to discuss with him this year of all years. He probably would have called it ‘interesting’ which was his euphemism for anything with which he disagreed (or thought was a bit shit).
I think of Dai regularly, and certainly every Sunday night, which was often the time we’d record the TIDE Podcast. Some people have suggested I find a new co-host, but I think listeners will agree he was irreplaceable.
If there’s one thing that my family and friends can rely on me for, it’s an opinion.
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) defines an opinion as:
A view or judgement formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.
But is everything that we have a view on actually opinions? Are some things mere preferences?
The OED defines a preference as:
A greater liking for one alternative over another or others.
Recently, I’ve been doing some introspection about my preferences. This is, in part, due to the work that I’m doing while on loan to Outlandish from my home co-op.
Outlandish use Sociocracy to make decisions, and the above diagram was part of my induction.
Sociocracy, also called dynamic governance, is a system of governance which seeks to create harmonious social environments and productive organizations. It is distinguished by the use of consent, rather than majority voting, in decision-making, and of discussion by people who know each other.
Wikipedia
What I like about Sociocracy is that it gives everyone a voice through the use of ’rounds’, recognises that emotion is an important part of decision-making, and (crucially) tackles preferences head-on.
This was particularly useful to me recently with some decisions we had to make about the colour scheme part of We Are Open’s rebrand. I realised that, while I’ll happily express an opinion on anything, these are usually based on mere preferences.
This realisation was more liberating than I expected it to be. As a result, I’ve resolved to check whether I’m expressing an opinion or simply a preference when interacting with others. I have a feeling that, most of the time, it will be the latter.
Further to yesterday’s post, I’ve continued reading the Roman Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus. It seems like he was a cool guy.
On the subject of food he used to speak frequently and very emphatically too, as a question of no small significance, nor leading to unimportant consequences, indeed he believed that the beginning and foundation of temperance lay in self-control in eating and drinking.
Musonius Rufus, ‘That One Should Disdain Hardships’
It would appear that he didn’t eat meat.
On the other hand he showed that meat was a less civilized kind of food and more appropriate for wild animals. He held that it was a heavy food and an obstacle to thinking and reasoning, since the exhalations rising from it, being turbid, darkened the soul. For this reason also the people who make larger use of it seem slower in intellect.
Musonius Rufus, ‘That One Should Disdain Hardships’
Having just come back from a beach barbecue this is top of mind at the moment. Thankfully, with friends and family we’re past the inane questions about the smell and taste of bacon butties. Yes I like the taste of meat. Yes I’ve realised it’s cruel to kill animals and eat them. No I’m not tempted just this once. No I’m not virtue signalling.
It’s worth noting that I do eat fish, although I try not to think too much about this, as I don’t have strong arguments as to why I’m pescetarian rather than vegetarian. To be quite honest, it’s a matter of convenience, as it makes me easier to cater for, and affords me more options when we go out for dinner.
