Book Parade – presented by Jericko Michael D.

Jovellanos
- Hello, good day, everyone! I am Jericko Michael D. Jovellanos and I am
now presenting my book parade for this subject.

- So, the book I have chosen to talk about and wanted to share with you guys is
entitled “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman. It is a 2011 book by
psychologist Daniel Kahneman that won the Nobel Prize in Economics, New
York Times bestseller, and National Academies Communication Award
winner in 2012. It is about the two systems in our brain that persistently
fighting over control of our behavior and actions. The first one is automatic
and the other one is deliberate.

- Before I proceed to the discussion, I would like to share the author’s favorite
quote which is, “Nothing in life is as important as you think it is, while you
are thinking about it.”

- So, for me, the meaning of this quote is that the more we focus on something,
the more it becomes important and powerful to us. We are more likely to
forget other things in life when we are focusing on something. It means that
we have a choice about what to focus on, what we think can benefit us, and
what we want to prioritize and make us successful in life. We are surrounded
by many questions and choices in life, so we have to think and choose where
we can fit in, where our interests are, and then we start to value and appreciate
them more. Even though there are many better opportunities, once our focus
is on something that we want to do, we can live with it and be happy.

- Going back to the book, Kahneman labels our brain into two systems, which
may lead our memory, judgement, and decisions into error when they work
together.

- The system 1 works automatically and impulsively. We use this system when
we suddenly react to something or when a question is easy to answer. It is fast,
and it is crucial to our survival. It is something we do not need to think about
before doing it. An ability to act fast. The first thing that comes to our mind
when we see, smell, touch, hear, and taste something. It is said that most of
our actions and behavior are made by system 1.
- On the other hand, system 2, the conscious, slow, and deliberative. It is the
one that helps us exert self-control and deliberately focus our attention. It is
something that we need to think about or takes time before deciding. It is what
helps us succeed in today’s world, where our priorities have shifted from
getting food and shelter to earning money, supporting a family and making
many complex decisions.

- However, these 2 systems do not work together perfectly, which causes us to

make mistakes. They usually fight over who’s in charge and this conflict
determines how we act and behave. When system one encounter a tough
problem it cannot handle, it will call the system 2 to work out for details. But
sometimes, system 1 thinks it can handle it, even though it actually can’t, and
then end up making wrong decisions. When it seems system 1 can handle
things, it won’t activate system 2. It means that, sometimes we do not use all
of our IQ points, even though we actually need to.

- Sometimes we have regrets about the decisions we made because we realized

that we should have thought about them more, but we chose the fast idea
instead.

- I can say that this book is good and very enlightening. The situations that
Kahneman considered in the book are based on real-life events. It caught my
interest and it was entertaining to read, especially when you can relate to the
topic. Overall, it was fun, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to
improve their decision-making skills, those who are having difficulty with
their thinking process, and those who want to learn more about themselves
and the way they behave or act.

- I consider this book the best because the idea of making decisions, actions,
and behaviors is important to me. This book teaches us to shape better
judgement or to think critically in every step we take. Especially nowadays,
everything is digital. So, in order to connect, we must decide whether to stick
with what we used to be or learn new skills for us to be able to connect with
the new generation. The importance of thinking and learning can help people
survive and live in the new society.
- The concept of understanding why all of us make mistakes or errors in
judgement and choices was also addressed. To connect this in the 21st century,
there were a lot of adjustments that people needed to make for them to
connect. So, this book tells us to accept that not all of us have sufficient
knowledge of constantly evolving technology. We have to understand
everyone's decisions and actions towards these things.

- Moreover, the skills we can apply based on the book to the 21st century
include using both of the systems of our minds separately. We need to use
the system 1 for those problems or decisions that are easy to answer and
handle. While those that needed time or preparation to fully understand and
determine what to decide, we must use the system 2. Knowing their
functions can help us make better choices in life. Sometimes, thinking slowly
is preferable to thinking quickly, because we can recognize the consequences
and the best move for our next step.