Life Lessons from Freeman Dyson

What I learnt from my friend Freeman Dyson

The Brain and human interaction is an aspect of biohacking...this is a lesson I will never forget.

How a Freeman Dyson takes in information

“Listening is an art form; let go of your ego, ask probing questions and deeply concentrate on the speaker’s response."

I recall meeting Freeman Dyson for lunch at his house. Afterward, I realized he was very quiet and only asked a few core penetrating questions. It was flattering. He was genuinely interested in my answers and encouraged me to talk more and more.

Freeman enjoyed our conversation. Although, I realized that I had learnt nothing from him but he had learnt a lot from me. I felt a little disappointed.

I learnt an important life lesson that day. Freeman was practicing a skill for listening he had honed over many decades. The next time we met, I concentrated on asking him probing questions and kept quiet. We talked for hours and I learnt a lot about what drove him and his profound views of science and the world.

Listening is an art form; let go of your ego, ask probing questions and deeply concentrate on the speaker’s response. Freeman Dyson taught me that everyone you meet is special in some way. We just need a little empathy for them to reveal it.

This post was originally published on Quora.