Ask A Genius 967: Ask Scott Anything, Session 5
Author(s): Rick Rosner and Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Ask A Genius
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/06/23
Rick Rosner: When interviewing you about your work, I wanted to apologize for a couple of things. One is that I went off on a tangent about quantum mechanics because I thought you had started this Canadian quantum mechanics institute. You don’t have a graduate degree in quantum mechanics. So, I had many questions about how the Institute works. But it turns out it’s different from your Institute. You work with and for them, right?
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Yes.
Rosner: OK, you are involved in some administrative aspects. I thought you were one of the founders of the Institute.
Jacobsen: I am one of our contributors and more, along with colleagues. But I have yet to contribute the most.
Rosner: I was just trying to clarify that, but that led to me doing a monologue on quantum mechanics. So I apologize for that. It does lead to another question: How are you so good at getting hired for various positions, and what tips do you have for people? Because two things are going on in the world of employment. One is that many jobs are precarious, such as being an Uber driver or DoorDash driver. These jobs give you a certain amount of personal freedom because you’re in your car, and you determine your hours, but not really, because when you add up all your expenses, you’re making very little money. You may need two or three of these precarious jobs. The second issue is if you’re going to do precarious jobs, at least try to find ones you enjoy. For example, I was rarely a waiter. When I was young, I did it on roller skates. Being a server can be wretched because you have to cater to everyone. So, I added some fun by doing it on wheels. If you’re a bouncer, the pay is similar to being a waiter, but you can ask disruptive people to leave or physically remove them if necessary. Knowing you have that option makes it a more enjoyable job compared to being a waiter, where you have to cater to everyone.
Jacobsen: I’ve never had to cater to someone’s whims in my working life. Who led the Manhattan Project?
Rosner: Oppenheimer?
Jacobsen: Oppenheimer managed not to cater to people but knew how to maneuver socially and professionally. I also have a rich professional and intellectual record that speaks for itself. People can’t undermine my work because of my breadth of productivity and intellectual engagement.
Rosner: So the question is, when you’ve done some waiting, and you get a table full of difficult people, what goes through your head? Do you just think, “They’ll be done with their meal in an hour, and I won’t have to deal with them anymore?”
Jacobsen: I hear this a lot. I didn’t do three jobs in the restaurant industry: cooking, waiting, and managing. I did janitorial work, dishwashing, food running, bussing, hosting, event coordination, food prep, and cashiering.
Rosner: So you’re saying you have yet to encounter that many difficult people. Is that due to your attitude, or are the people in your town not having difficulty?
Jacobsen: People in the town have been relatively easy to me, except for my critical writing.
Rosner: You want to talk about the vigilante dads in your town that you ran afoul of?
Jacobsen: No, no, they were light. I’ve run afoul of many people, but mainly because they can’t provide an intellectual defence, so they try to damage my professional reputation, which never or rarely works. I handle pressures well, and I deal with life’s challenges calmly.
Rosner: Do you have any tips for people struggling with their jobs, either in getting a better job or dealing with a job that is not fulfilling? You’ve had a wide range of jobs, from highly intellectual and demanding to shoveling manure, and you seem to find something positive in every job.
Jacobsen: Life does not owe you anything. It is a zero-sum game. I learned this from older people. You have to work for things that provide for you. Every situation offers something of value. Even washing dishes can be enjoyable if you turn it into a musical routine, Alan Watts had a bit about this.
Rosner: I remember dishwashing, and the pressure to keep up was challenging. If I’d stayed longer, I would have gotten better at it.
Jacobsen: I’ve owned all my jobs and found reasons to avoid complaining. People can be annoying, but I’ve never screamed at someone. The key is to stay calm.
Rosner: Does empathy play a role in that? Do you try to understand the perspective of someone being difficult?
Jacobsen: Yes. I try to understand their mental landscape.
Rosner: I can do that to some extent, but when it feels like America is at stake, I don’t hesitate to be direct with people on Twitter. I hope my tweets have made a case against Trump and his supporters, changing some minds or encouraging people to vote against him.
Jacobsen: Empathy is helpful. I’ve comforted people during breakups, bad trips on psychedelics, who want to commit suicide at the moment – being a survivor myself, and many other situations. You have to meet people where they are. For some, it’s about day-to-day moments; for others, it’s about intellectual challenges. Two things help: decide, and if you feel agitated, wait a bit before finalizing it. If you come to the same conclusion after a few days, it’s the right decision.
Rosner: I have to apologize for one more thing. When I asked about high school and if any teacher said you were smart, I felt terrible because I phrased it as “pretty smart.” I should have just said “smart.” I apologize for that. Do you want to move on to IC?
License
In-Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.in-sightpublishing.com.
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