So What?

Good morning, Sensemakers!

Today, a silly drinking game, Morpheus’s choice, and why you might owe me a beer by the end.

But first...

The photo above was taken with my friend Iliyan.

It also captures the perfect setting for one of our favorite silly games.

Two friends. A beer. And one very annoying question.

One of us makes a statement. Anything.

“I got 12,000 steps today.”

The other has one job.

He replies:

So you try to explain why it matters.

You explain a little deeper.

And it keeps going, one “so what?” at a time, until you get tangled, can no longer explain why the thing actually matters, or simply say:

“I don’t know.”

Then you drink.

A silly game.

But lately, I have started to think that maybe it is not so silly.

A lot of what we hear every day does not survive even two or three “so what?”s in a row.

A new study.
So what?
A new technology.
So what?
Some famous person does something.
So what?
Someone discovers a new way to live longer, train better, sleep deeper or become more productive.
So what?

I am not saying these things do not matter.

The opposite.

The question is whether we understand what they mean.

For us. Now.

And whether anything worth doing actually follows from them.

It is easy to be impressed by information.

It is much harder to turn information into something useful.

Maybe that is one of the reasons I started Making Sense.

Not because we lack information.

We have too much.

What we lack is a filter.

And sometimes the best filter is one annoying question.

This was also the idea behind What Kind of 80-Year-Old Are You Preparing to Become?: what truly deserves my attention?

“So what?” is that same question, stripped down to two words you can use over a beer.

One question. Two directions.

There is a scene in The Matrix where Morpheus offers Neo two pills.

Take one, and the story ends. You return to what is familiar.

Take the other, and you continue, without knowing exactly what you will discover.

There is no universally correct choice.

Most of us have probably chosen both at different moments.

Our choice may depend on our experience, confidence, curiosity, fatigue or even how well we slept the night before.

“So what?” can work in much the same way.

The question itself is neutral.

What matters is the direction we take after asking it.

One version returns us to what we already know.

“So what?”
I have heard this before.
It does not matter.
Next.

The other keeps us in the conversation.

“So what?”
Why is this important?
What does it change?
What am I still missing?
What should I do?

The same question.

Two completely different directions.

And maybe that is exactly where the test is.

Not in the words “so what?”

But in what we do after them.

Do they open a door?

Or do they close one?

If the question helps us think more deeply, it is useful.

If we use it only to dismiss something, we may have stopped too early.

1. Why is this important for me?

Every day, more information competes for our attention than we could possibly examine.

We need filters.

Without them, we would never finish an email, make a decision or get through the day.

“So what?” can be a very useful filter.

It helps us move past impressive headlines, attractive numbers and ideas that sound important but change nothing.

It asks:

But the same filter can become a defence.

Sometimes “so what?” does not mean that the information is irrelevant.

It means that accepting it might require us to reconsider something we already believe.

It might question a decision we have made, a habit we defend or an identity we are comfortable with.

In those moments, “so what?” can protect us from discomfort by ending the investigation too early.

That is why the direction matters.

A good filter protects your attention.

A closed door protects your certainty.

They are not the same thing.

2. Where am I?

For the next few hours, try to notice when “so what?” appears in your mind.

You do not have to say it aloud.

You may hear it while reading an article, listening to someone speak, scrolling past a headline or hearing an idea you believe you already understand.

When it happens, do not examine only the information.

Examine your response to it.

Notice when the question appears most quickly.

Is it when you are tired?

When you disagree?

When you already feel certain?

When the person speaking is someone you do not particularly like?

Or perhaps when the idea sounds so familiar that you assume there is nothing left to discover?

This is not about judging yourself.

We all close doors.

The useful part is noticing which doors we close automatically.

3. What can I do?

Do not stop asking “so what?”

Ask it more deliberately.

The next time it appears, pause for one extra second before choosing your pill.

Then add one more question:

You may still decide that the information does not deserve more of your attention.

That is fine.

The goal is not to become fascinated by everything.

The goal is to make the choice consciously.

If the door remains open, continue with the three Making Sense questions:

Why is this important for me?

What might this change about the way I understand the situation?

Where am I?

What does my current reaction reveal about my habits, assumptions or decisions?

What can I do?

Is there something small I can apply, test, change or explore further?

That is how information begins to become useful.

Not because we collect more of it.

Because we do something meaningful with what deserves to remain.

For the next few hours, catch yourself asking:

Then notice which direction you take.

Which pill did you just choose?

And by the way, if you reached the end and still do not know why any of this matters...

By the rules of our game, you owe me a beer.

I want to hear from you