Mr.Robot final episode

Is any of it real? I mean, look at this. Look at it! A world built on fantasy. Synthetic emotions in the form of pills. Psychological warfare in the form of advertising. Mind-altering chemicals in the form of... food! Brainwashing seminars in the form of media. Controlled isolated bubbles in the form of social networks. Real? You want to talk about reality? We haven't lived in anything remotely close to it since the turn of the century. We turned it off, took out the batteries, snacked on a bag of GMOs while we tossed the remnants in the ever-expanding Dumpster of the human condition. We live in branded houses trademarked by corporations built on bipolar numbers jumping up and down on digital displays, hypnotizing us into the biggest slumber mankind has ever seen. You have to dig pretty deep, kiddo, before you can find anything real. We live in a kingdom of bullshit. A kingdom you've lived in for far too long. So don't tell me about not being real. I'm no less real than the fucking beef patty in your Big Mac.

Interesting conversation with a girl part 3

   Part 3: The Date

After preening for the umpteenth time, I kicked myself out of the house. I had to look my absolute best today. My brain had prepared a checklist:

**
·  Brushed twice? Check.
·  Rinsed with Hydrogen Peroxide? Check.
·  Shaved like crazy? Check
·  Hair Serum? Check
·  Face cream? Check
·  Violet Half-Sleeve Shirt? Check.
·  Black Jeans? Check.
·  Woodland Shoes? Check.
·  Perfume? Check
·  Chewing gums? Check
·  Got a rose for her? Check
·  Got a book for her? Check
·   Looking Handsome? No comments. (But yeah, better than that geek who went to the library.)             
                                    **

(I reached our reserved table ten minutes ahead of schedule. I was wondering what she would wear and how she would react, upon seeing me.

There she came.7 pm, on the dot. Wow! She just seemed sexier. She walked with a panache which could only come from a smart, beautiful and a confident woman. She wore a black sleeveless gown down to her knees. Sexy but not vulgar. Exactly as I had expected. She was wearing a pearl necklace and black studded earrings. She had tied her silky black hair up in a bun with a couple of stray strands kissing her cheek, which formed a part of her triangular jaw. I felt jealous of them. She had a beauty spot to the left of her lower lip and a nose as sharp as her wit. Her strawberry-colored lips were glossy, but their shine was overpowered by her lightning smile as she made an eye contact with me; while putting the hair strands behind an ear. She was a doe-eyed beauty.)

**She is an Angel! Dude, you are dating an Angel!** 

She:"Hi Handsome!!"

**Okay. CHECK**

(That was it. I was overwhelmed beyond limits. I simply froze. I was looking at her like a child looking at a rainbow for the very first time. Without breaking eye contact, I gave her the red rose. My hand was moving like that of a robot whose battery was critically low. I think that was also because of the fact that I had worked out extra hard at the gym.)

She(Blushing): "Thank you."

(I simply smiled.)

She:"Say something."

(I messaged her.)

[ Me-That is all I can say when I am speechless.
She- Sweet. You do know that we need to talk on a date? Right? 

Me-Yes.
She-Speak up!

Me- No. 

She-Okay. Here's the deal. You shall receive a kiss from me tonight if you start speaking.
Me- Kiss? Where? The cheek or the lips?

She- That depends on how fast you start speaking. The faster, the better.]

Me:" Hi! How are you? I missed you so much! The wait was..... (I spoke at a speed which sounded like  watching a Japanese movie at 3x speed.)
She:" Wow! That is one good way to tame a guy. And by fast I meant the time to start, not words per minute."

Me:"Okay. So what am I getting?"
She:"Is that all you guys can think about? Anyway, let us not ruin the suspense ."

Me:" Suspense huh? Well played!" (I fantasized.)
She:" Are you imagining it right now?"

Me:"I am most certainly not!" (My eyes shifted for a couple of seconds.)
She:"You liar!"

Me:" Okay. I am good with imagination. I can't help it. You brought up the topic anyway!"
She:"Point taken. So, what do you do? "

Me:"I cup your face in my palms."
She:"Moron! I am asking about your profession."

Me:"Oh! That? I am a Mechanical Engineer currently employed at KC Corp."
She:" Your awesome flirting skills totally second that."

Me:"Haha! Yeah it is really bad. You know in our class of 130 we had only one girl."
She:"My God! So your ex was from which branch?"

Me:" I don't have an ex."
She:" What do you mean? You have never been in a relationship before?"

Me:" Fact of my life."
She:" Unbelievable. Don't you want to know about my ex?"

Me:" Tell me when you're comfortable. A first date is not a good time to discuss that variable. You always end up getting extraneous solutions."
She:" Haha. How do you know these details?"

Me:" Remember where we met? I read."
She:" My eyes?"

Me:" Have you memorized our conversation? No wait, there was a recording device, wasn't there?"
She:" Every moment that we have spent together so far has been recorded in my mental hard disk."

Me:" I hope that it has a lot of capacity then. At least, infinite."

(We looked into each other's eyes for a long time. For the first time ever, we were at a loss of words. We had dinner with a few discussions here and there about our families and relevant past. I found out she had completed her MBA and was pursuing her PhD in Economics. I remembered that I needed to do a masters soon. We went to have ice cream after dinner.)

Me:" Here's your cone and a book for you."
She:"Thank you. 'Journey... to.. the.... East' ?' "

Me:"Yeah. Come back lady!" 

(Her loud laughter sounded like that of a ghost in-charge of a haunted mansion. The clouds rumbled ominously, making the metaphor seem so real.)

She(suspiciously): "You bought a book just to make this joke?"
Me: "Hey! I bought it last year. It is a mystery fiction story of a secret society and a journey that transcends through space and time. Although, it can definitely be used to make jokes."

(There was thunder again.)

She:"I think it is going to rain and I left my coat in the car."
Me: "Good. I am sure the car will keep it dry."

She:"Hey YOU said the ice-cream shop was close by."
Me:"I have my jacket , don't worry."

She:"Oh! So like they show in movies, you will give me your jacket."
Me: "Mad or what? I don't want to get drenched. I was merely offering to share."

She:"Boy you are moving really fast, aren't you?"
Me(innocently):"No. This is the slowest I have ever walked."

(The clouds rumbled for the fourth time and it started raining heavily.)

Me:"Code Red. I repeat. Code Red. Ma'am, you are requested to enter this protective jacket."

(We barely managed to share the jacket, since I was particularly muscular. I knew it was a stupid idea, but I did not want to lose out on the opportunity. She knew it too.)

She:"Okay. This is not working. We both are getting drenched. Let us wait somewhere for the rain to subside. Maybe, under that Banyan tree." 

(She pointed towards some tree like object in the dark. I strained my eyes.)

Me:"How do you know that's a Banyan tree? I can barely see it."

She:"Is that your concern right now?"

(She had a point. After dinner we had walked away from our vehicles for close to a kilometer; engrossed in our conversation. We waited under the tree whose identity was still equivocal. I removed my stupid jacket which was wet from the inside now; making it pointless to wear. I noticed her stare at my biceps which were emphasized due to sticking of the soaked shirt. I smiled. She removed her hair pin, opened her hair and adjusted it with both hands. It was my turn to stare.)

Me:"Why the hell does it need to rain every day?"
She:"Maybe that's why people call it the "Rainy Season"?"

Me:"I am not very fond of the "Rainy Season". I have some bad memories associated with it."
She:"Why? What happened?"

Me:"Well, for starters, my school always reopened after vacations during monsoons. Then there were the bullies who threw me into every puddle they found; punishing me for topping the class."
She:"Oh dear! My coochie pie! Did they also snatch away your chocolates?"

Me:"Yes. Actually!" (I faked a cry.)
She:"You are so cute."

(She hugged me. The feeling was beyond words. She was the softest thing that I'd ever touched.Well, apart from my teddy bear Fufu, which I stopped hugging upon getting thrashed by my mother. Simply the feeling of having her in my arms made me feel on top of the world. I was leaning against the tree; her head on my chest. I could feel her warm breaths. I was thankful to the Rain Gods for making this happen. I stopped hating the Monsoon Season that moment onward. It was time for new memories now. Memories with my Rose. We were in that position for around ten minutes. I wondered if she had fallen asleep.)

Me:"Rosey?" (I whispered in her right ear)
She:"Hmm?"

Me:"Are you going to sleep like this?"
She:"I would love to."

Me:"Not that I mind, but this stem has a sharp edge which has been poking my butt for the last ten minutes. I noticed it just now and it HURTS! Ouch!!"

(She laughed hard. I shifted from my position. She whispered back into my ear.)

She:"Adi? I am surprised that you didn't ask for your reward."

(I whispered back. I think we had started playing Chinese Whispers, unintentionally.)

Me:"I have never stopped thinking about that. I did not ask you because I did not want you to feel compelled. Our nascent relationship is way beyond this."

(She looked up into my eyes. I could see intense admiration in them. I could see the passion which I was feeling all along. She brought her lips close to my face and stayed there; maintaining eye contact. **Oh God this is the moment! Please choose lips. Please God! Let it be lips. What is she doing? Acquiring her target? Oh come on lady, do it!** She did it. Her lips brushed against mine for a couple of seconds. Then she pressed them. I was on cloud eleven. For a moment, I couldn't believe what had just happened. The feeling was pure ecstasy. It was like kissing a jelly. After close to fifteen seconds we broke contact but she was still very close. So close that, the warm breaths that I had earlier felt on my chest were obliging my lips now.)

She:"That's your reward." (She said looking towards the ground, probably hiding her tears. I think it was something to do with her past.)

(I had a lump in my throat.)

Me:"The secret to your name has been revealed sweetheart! It is your lips; just like The Rose."

(She looked into my eyes again. Maybe she no longer cared if I found out about her tears. Her moist eyes sparkled like diamonds. They were looking even more beautiful than the other night.)

(I cupped her face with my palms. I wiped the tears formed over her cheeks using my thumbs.)

Me: "As gorgeous as your eyes are looking right now, this is the last time I want to see you cry. You are with ME now!"

 (We kissed again. This time deep. The passion was like a raging inferno. I don't remember for how long we kissed.

The only thing I remember is waking up below that tree. I still wasn't convinced it was a Banyan tree. There was a hint of dawn. The rain had stopped. I was sitting on the wet, muddy ground with my back against the bark. My lips felt really sore. I could barely move my mouth. She was still asleep. Her head once again resting on my chest.  My nose felt moist. I had probably caught cold.)

"Aa...aaan..aanchoo...."

(She woke up with a start; glaring at me.)

She:"Is this the way to wake someone up?"

(She looked even more pretty when angry.)

Me:"Ask that to the cold virusss...Aaan.....aanchooo."

(She smiled and stood up.)

She:"Well, this is the craziest and also the most romantic thing I have ever done in my life."
Me:"Yeah me too. My numb rear seconds that. Also, considering my history of relationships, any romantic thing I do with you will end up being the most romantic thing I have ever done."

(She smiled while helping me up and gave me a tight slap on my right butt-cheek.)

She:"Get it some massage and it will be alright."
Me: "Care to oblige?"

She:"Control those horses............ horny creature!"

(I smiled)

Me: "Alright! Let's get some coffee and head home."

She:"You know, for a guy who has never been in a relationship before, you are a really good kisser."
Me:"I have to thank the library for so many reasons. Then there is YouTube too."

(She giggled again, the way I always wanted to see her. I could do anything to see her smile.)

We walked towards the horizon hand in hand, our fingers entangled; gazing at the early morning sun without a care in the world. I felt her glance from the side. I looked back. I think we both knew what that meant. It was happening. Happening fast, but yes, it was indeed happening.

After all, you never know when love strikes you.

Insteresting conversation with a girl part 2

                                    Part 2: The Phone Call

I felt there was so much information in those two lines. My brain initiated the self talk:

**What do three smileys mean? Did I make her laugh only thrice?No, it was more than that, I hope. But, there is something about the number three?Three is the number of words in 'I Love You'. Wait. Three is also the number of words in 'I Hate You'. No. Why would she hate me? If she hated me, she would not have given her number.Wait. Is the number genuine or did she just pull a fast one on me? Only a phone call can answer all these questions.**

I started  musing; thinking about what I would  say to her and how she would react. I was rolling over the bed from side to side; thinking. Thinking. Thinking. BAM! I fell off my bed.

**Ouch! That hurt! Hey nutcase! Stop this nonsense. 'Falling for someone' is just a figure of speech. These plans are no good. Just be the guy you were in the evening. Just be that spontaneous smartass.**

So, I made a plan that I wouldn't plan.
(The following evening, I dialed the number given to me. I was curious as to who would answer the call or if the number did exist. I hoped for the best and prepared for the worst.

I heard a dial tone. **Okay, it is a real number. Stage 1 clear.** My heart started beating rapidly. I was breathing as if I had just attempted to break the world record of holding the breath for the longest time. Five rings down the line, someone answered.)

 "Hello?"

(It was her. **Stage 2 clear.** The feeling was better than winning that world record.) 

** Dude, this is real! Stop being so pessimistic. Step on the pedal and bring up your A game!**

"Hello??"

Me: "Am I talking to Ms. Rose?"
She: "Yeah?"

Me: "Ma'am this is to inform you that, a table for two has been booked at L9 Cafe for tomorrow at 7 pm."

She: "Okay but who am I talking to?"
Me: "The guy you are having dinner with."

She: "My Goodness!! How did you change your voice?"
Me: "Let's say it is one of my lesser known skills."

She: "What's with the fake British accent?"
Me: "Hey! I practiced those lines 15 times! Acknowledge the effort!"

She: "The British are excellent with phone manners. You need to introduce yourself before asking for the person on the other end or conveying a message."
Me: "Oh yeah, I forgot to ask you. When are the classes starting?"

(She giggled.)
 
She: "I knew you wouldn't be following the 3 Day Rule."
Me: "How so?"

She: "Because  you don't rely on techniques and cliches. You are spontaneous and I feel you speak from your heart."
Me: "Yeah beware! That thing  is coming after you....really fast!"

(She gave that amazing laugh. A sound which was melody to me.)

She: "What if I said I was busy tomorrow?"
Me: "Okay there is no reservation. I was just confirming your presence. My next call would be to L9 Cafe,  however."

She: " You are really an idiot!"
Me: "Yeah! I fell for you. Head first!"

She: "I think I know that feeling."
Me: "I am kind of banking on that."

She: "I can't wait to see you tomorrow."
Me: "Well  a great Chinese proverb goes like this: It is the space between the bars, that holds the cage. The waits between our dates are what will make them special."    

She: "How can you be so sure of having more than a first date?"
Me: "Well yesterday I wasn't even sure of having a first date; when you left the room unannounced. Then I found my bookmark. Seems, I am good at picking up on hints."

She: "I am sorry if you were hurt when I left like that. I was praying that you'd notice it and call me as soon as possible. "
Me: "No don't be. Of 'course, it felt brutal for a few seconds. But hey, I liked your style. That's what made me admire you even more. Even you are unconventional.That was one hell of a way to give someone your number! I got that bookmark laminated, by the way. "

She: "I don't want this call to end. "
Me: "Well a......."

She: "No! Don't give me that crappy Chinesething of yours!"
Me: "Alright! But take it easy lady! We are going to a Chinese place tomorrow!"

She: "How did you know I liked Chinese?"
Me: "Yesterday you were reading 'Journey to the West'  by Wu Cheng’ en; I took a blind shot, which reached its target just about now."

She: "Ridiculous logic!"
Me: "I am an idiot. Remember?"

She: "You are also cute."
Me: "Are you flirting with me?"

She: " No! I was talking to my candle, right here."
Me: "You are good. Too good! Okay. See you tomorrow. I need to  make a call to the restaurant before they are sleepy."

She:"Bye."

A glimpse of Part-3

                                                 Part 3: The Date

After preening for the umpteenth time, I kicked myself out of the house. I had to look my absolute best today. My brain had prepared a checklist:

**
Brushed twice? Check.Rinsed with Hydrogen Peroxide? Check.Shaved like crazy? CheckHair Serum? CheckFace cream? CheckViolet Half-Sleeve Shirt? Check.Black Jeans? Check.Woodland Shoes? Check.Perfume? CheckChewing gums? CheckGot a rose for her? CheckGot a book for her? CheckLooking Handsome? No comments. (But yeah, better than that geek who went to the library.) **
(I reached our reserved table ten minutes ahead of schedule. I was wondering what she would wear and how she would react, upon seeing me.

There she came.7 pm, on the dot. Wow! She just seemed sexier. She walked with a panache which could only come from a smart, beautiful and a confident woman. She wore a black sleeveless gown down to her knees. Sexy but not vulgar. Exactly as I had expected. She was wearing a pearl necklace and black studded earrings. She had tied her silky black hair up in a bun with a couple of stray strands kissing her cheek, which formed a part of her triangular jaw. I felt jealous of them. She had a beauty spot to the left of her lower lip and a nose as sharp as her wit. Her strawberry-colored lips were glossy, but their shine was overpowered by her lightning smile as she made an eye contact with me; while putting the hair strands behind an ear. She was a doe-eyed beauty.)

**She is an Angel! Dude, you are dating an Angel!** 

Interesting Conversation with a girl

I'd only gone to the library to read a book recommended by a friend, but never in my wildest dreams had I thought that there'd be a blackout with a torrential downpour outside, and I'd be stranded with the prettiest girl I'd ever seen. She broke my reverie by sighing loudly. I walked up to her.

She (Sighing): "Oh no!"

(The state of alertness which darkness engenders, brought out the spontaneous guy in me.)

Me (Curious): "Are you afraid of ghosts?"
She: "What? No......I mean..... I don't believe in such stuff!"

Me: "Me too. But, I don't know why, whenever I am in an old, large, spooky, dark place like this and it's raining outside, the probability of existence of ghosts seems very high."

She: "Spooky, large, old, dark." (She emphasized on each word.)
Me (Clueless): "Huh? Yeah, that's what I just said."

She: "No! Your order of adjectives was wrong."
Me (Digesting slowly): "Order... of.... adjectives. Hmm. Is that what this place does to you?"

(She chuckled.) 

She: "Hi! I am Rose."
Me:  "Rose. The noun or the verb?"

(She chortled again.)

She: "Look, my parents were not that grammar conscious!"
Me:  "And look how you turned out!"

(We both laughed.)

Me: "I am Aditya."

(The librarian brought a candle. By the look on his face, he seemed as freaked out as me; watching two people talk in complete darkness. As opposed to ghosts, crazy people were very much real!)

Me: "Well, I have heard about candlelight dinners, but candlelight reading sessions are new to me."

She: "Don't get any ideas, mister."
Me:  "But I thought people came to libraries for ideas, for enlightenment!"

She: "Funny of you to say 'enlightenment'  during a blackout."
Me:  "Hey! Let's not undermine the efforts of the candle. These babies have been very useful to people, you know; to help them bond, have romantic conversations."

She(mischievously): "Are you flirting with me?"
Me: "Yeah. Rule No.1 of Professional Flirting:When you want to flirt with a girl, praise a candle instead!"

(She giggled.)

She: "What are you reading?"
Me:  "Your eyes! The most beautiful pair I have ever seen. Now, I can see the flickering of the flame in them. Those glittering pearls have the power to make time stand still!"

She(overwhelmed): "Wow! That is the most wonderful thing anyone has ever said to me. Now you are definitely flirting with me!"
Me: "Well. I took the last line from the Sci-Fi book I am reading."

(She laughed really hard.)

She: "You plagiarist!"
Me:  "Hey! I just gave credit to the source!"

She: "But you used it to try to impress me before mentioning that!"
Me:  "So you are impressed by me now?"

She: "Didn't you hear the word 'try' ?"
Me:  "Okay, let's see, I am in this candle lit room alone, with a beautiful, intelligent girl who has a good sense of humor and it is raining outside.You can't blame me for trying. I am not a wuss!"

She: "So what are you?"
Me:  "I am not a self-pompous person either. People are free to judge."

She: "Good. I like modest people. Especially, if they are smart and funny."
Me:  "Were those compliments in disguise?"

She: "Why do you need to convert my generalizations to attributions ?"
Me:  "Don't know. Why do you need to play games?"

(She giggled again and made a deep eye contact.)

She : "I don't remember the last time I laughed so much."
Me:   "Well, I hope you shall remember this time."

(The power was back. The rain had also significantly receded.)

She:"Okay. Time to go."

(We prepared to leave. I went to the shelf to collect my bag.)

She: "Hey! You dropped your bookmark here."
 
I went back to the table and picked up the bookmark. I looked around. She was gone. I couldn't understand. Why had she gone away so abruptly? There was no mention of whether we could meet again. Not even a proper goodbye. I became morose. 

I looked at the bookmark again.
There was something scribbled on it in a cute handwriting:

                                          Rose:99224188*#
              Looking forward to that candle light dinner with you!
                                               :) :) :)

Non fiction to read

Most non-fiction books are bad. And sometimes that's a great thing. 

It's because the writer spent his life getting GOOD at what he was writing about. He didn't spend his life being good at writing. 

He didn't spend his life typing. He ran a country. Or built a robot. Or discovered DNA or walked between the twin towers. 

He or She DID something. Something that changed lives. Something that went from his or her head out into the real world. 

I like reading billion-person books. Books, that if read widely, would change a billion lives. 

I like reading books where I feel my brain have an IQ orgasm. Like, I literally feel my IQ go up while reading the book. 

Before I give my list, I want to mention there are three kinds of non-fiction books: 

- BUSINESS CARD BOOKS: These are books like "How to be a leader". They establish the author as an expert. The author then uses this book to get speaking gigs or coaching or consulting gigs. 

These books usually suck. Don't read one. But nothing wrong with writing one. 

- BOOKS THAT SHOULD BE CHAPTERS: 

A publisher will see an article somewhere like, "12 ways to become smarter" and say, "that should be a book". 

Then the write mistakenly says, "ok" and he has to undergo the agony of changing something that was a perfectly good 2000 word article into a 60,000 word book. 

Those books suck. Don't read one. And DEFINITELY don't write one. Unless you want to waste a year of your life. I wasted 2004-2009 doing that. 

- BRAINGASM BOOKS

Here's my top 10 list of braingasm books. Books that will raise your IQ between the time you start and the time you end. 

By the way, there are more than 10 of these books. This is just my TOP 10. Although not really in that order. It's hard for a small mind like mine to order these. 

"Mastery" by Robert Greene

This book is like a curated version of 1000 biographies all under the guise, "how to become a master at what you love". 

"Bold" by Peter Diamondis and Steven Kotler
 
Basically if you want to know the future, read this. Supplement it with "Abundance" by the same two and "Tomorrowland" by Steven Kotler" and even "The Rational Optimist" by Matt Ridley. I feel "Abundance" is like a sequel to "The Rational Optimist". So I'm giving you four books with one recommendation. 

"Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

Gladwell is not the first person to come up with the 10,000 hour rule. Nor is he the first person to document what it takes to become the best in the world at something. 

But his stories are so great as he explains these deep concepts. 

How did the Beatles become the best? Why are professional hockey players born in January, February and March? 

And so on. 

"Where Good Ideas Come From" by Steven Johnson

Also add to this: "How We Got to Now" by Steven Johnson. 

Basically: don't believe the myth of the lonely genius. 

Ideas come from a confluence of history, "the adjacent possible" specific geographic locations, etc. 

The connections Johnson makes are brilliant. For instance, The Gutenberg Press (which, in itself, was invented because of improvements in sewing looms), made everyone realize they had bad vision. 

So the science of lenses was created. So microscopes were eventually created. So germs were eventually discovered. So modern medical science was discovered. 

And so on. Johnson is a thinker and a linker and tells a good story. 

"Man's Search for Meaning" by Victor Frankl

I'm at a loss for words here. Just read it. Don't read it for the holocaust. Or psychological theory. Read it because when you're about halfway through you will realize your life is no longer the same. 

"Born Standing Up" by Steve Martin

And while you are at it, throw in "Bounce" by Mathew Syed, who was the UK Ping Pong champion when he was younger. 

I love any book where someone took their passion, documented it, and shared it with us. That's when you can see the subleties, the hard work, the luck, the talent, the skill, all come together to form a champion. 

Heck, throw in, "An Astronaut's Guide to Earth" by Commander Chris Hadfield.

"Zero to One" by Peter Thiel

There's a lot of business books out there. 99% of them are BS. Read this one. 

So many concepts really changed my attitude about not only business but capitalism. Thiel, the founder of PayPal, and first investor in Facebook, is brilliant in how he simply shares his theories on building a billion dollar business. 

"Quiet" by Susan Cain

Probably half the world is introverts. Maybe more. It's not an easy life to live. You feel as if you can't move, you can't talk, you can't go into a room and spread a vision you might have. 

Quiet shows the reader how to unlock the secret powers that probably half the world needs to unlock. 

"Antifragile" by Nassim Taleb

And throw in "The Black Swan" and "Fooled by Randomness". 

"Fragile" means if you hit something might break. 

"Resilient" means if you hit something, it will stay the same. 

But Nassim discusses "Antifragility" - building a system, even one that works for you on a personal level, where you if you harm it in some way it becomes stronger. 

He discusses Antifragility throughout history, up to our current economic situation, and even in our personal situations. 

"Mindset" by Carol Dweck

Again, I am fascinated by the field of mastery. Not self-improvement (eat well, sleep well, etc) but on how can you continue a path of improvement so that you can really enjoy the subtleties at a very deep level of whatever it is you love. 

Carol Dweck, through massive research and storytelling, shows the reader how to continue on the path of improvement and why so many people fall off that path. 

These are not books I'm picking so I can look smart. These are books that I feel have made me smarter.

If I die now and I've only read these books I'm fine with that.