
January 5, 2020
What can the culture of Singapore tell us about the future? – Visakan Veerasamy on Crazy Wisdom
Key Takeaways
- “Every book is a portal into another universe” – Visakan Veerasamy
- If you use Twitter and the internet correctly, you can build relationships with smart people all over the world
- The fact of the matter is, people are lonely and hungry for deep, passionate conversations
- One great thing about people from all over the world coming online is that you get to learn about different cultural norms
- In both off-line and on-line interactions, it’s easier to socialize when you have a common interest
- Just as traveling expands your mind, reading history will do the same
Intro
- Visakan Veerasamy (@viasakanv) is a marketing consultant – he’s also someone you all should be following on Twitter
- For more Visakan, check out the Podcast Notes from his appearance on Venture Stories
- Host – Stewart Alsop III (@StewartalsopIII)
Books Mentioned
- To learn more about how life is better now than ever before, Stewart recommends Factfulness by Hans Rosling
- Medici Money: Banking, Metaphysics, and Art in Fifteenth-Century Florence by Tim Parks
- Visakan recommends:
- Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastion Junger which discusses why people build strong bonds during tough times
Reading, Writing, and Making Friends on Twitter
- Visakan has been reading and writing ever since he was a kid
- “Every book is a portal into another universe” – Visakan Veerasamy
- In a way, the internet as a mega-library that we can all contribute to
- A while back, Visakan created his own blog and started writing about his life, the news, and other topics
- People now know Visakan for his in-depth Twitter threads and his openness to making new friends
- 🎧 If you use Twitter and the internet correctly, you can build relationships with smart people (CEOs, PhDs, etc.) all over the world
Connecting with People
- Visakan lives in Singapore
- “The culture in Singapore is not super stranger friendly” – Visakan Veerasamy
- People make more small talk in the U.S. compared to Singapore; in Singapore, people tend to keep more to themselves
- “The culture in Singapore is not super stranger friendly” – Visakan Veerasamy
- When Visakan last visited the U.S., he tried to chat with as many people as possible
- An invaluable life skill: Try to be naturally friendly without having an agenda of selling something or gaining something from someone
- The good thing about the internet is that you can screen people for shared values
- You can also screen people in real life – If you’re into dancing, go to a salsa class; if you’re into working out, join a CrossFit gym
- In both off-line and on-line interactions, it’s easier to socialize when you have a common interest
- You can also screen people in real life – If you’re into dancing, go to a salsa class; if you’re into working out, join a CrossFit gym
- 🎧 The fact of the matter is, people are lonely and hungry for deep, passionate conversations
- If you focus on the differences between you and others. you’ll have very few friends
- So, find ways to bridge the gap between you and others
Tech’s Effect on Culture
- Global trade and shipping completely transformed Southeast Asia – the same thing is happening around the world because of the internet
- That said, there are still a ton of people who aren’t online yet
- One great thing about people from all over the world coming online is that you get to learn about different cultural norms
- This also sheds light on how your own culture is unique
- For example, Singapore is still homophobic and refuses to display ads depicting gay males
- Another example: Cannabis is legal in parts of America, but in Singapore, it’s still very much frowned upon
- This also sheds light on how your own culture is unique
- One way change a country’s culture: Build a tech startup
- Look at how Uber went from nothing to completely transforming how people commute
- Similarly, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms have completely changed the media landscape
The Importance of Studying History
- It’s interesting to learn about history and revisit it with our current lens
- “Look for examples of different times in which similar things were true” – Visakan Veerasamy
- Visakan also recommends reading about the crazy events of the past
- He’s currently reading Medici Money: Banking, Metaphysics, and Art in Fifteenth-Century Florence by Tim Parks, which talks about how banking was a sin during those times
- 🎧 Just as traveling expands your mind, reading history will do the same
- Try to empathize with the struggles people faced in the past and remember that if people back then could survive through tough times, you can do the same today
- Visakan also recommends the book Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastion Junger
- The book discusses why people build strong bonds during tough times
Additional Notes
- By most measures, life is better now than ever before
- Stewart recommends reading Factfulness by Hans Rosling for more on this subject
- Stewart describes his podcast listeners as people who have one foot in the hippie world and the other in the business world