WEBVTT

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Hi, have you wondered why there are certain people

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we enjoy being around? It may be difficult to

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explain at first, but over time, we begin to

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notice patterns. Patterns of kindness, patterns

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of reliability, patterns of generosity. Maybe

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it's the way someone listens, or the way they

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show up when it matters. And as we notice those

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patterns, something... very human, begins to

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happen. We start to anticipate them. We begin

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to trust them. And without realizing it, we're

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doing something very mathematical. We are recognizing

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patterns. Paul Lockhart once said, our brains

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are biological pattern recognition machines.

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to see structure. Mathematics is about structure,

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about noticing patterns, how things repeat, how

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they change, and how they relate. But this is

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not something that only happens in a math classroom.

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It happens in conversations, in relationships,

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and the way we experience the world. For example,

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when someone begins a familiar phrase, you also

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know how it will end. Or how about when someone

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responds in a certain way over time, you begin

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to expect it. That is pattern recognition. And

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it is something you are already doing. But of

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course, we don't just notice patterns in others.

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We and others begin to notice patterns in ourselves.

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How we respond under pressure. How we handle

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frustration. How we show up in relationships.

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Sometimes those patterns are encouraging. And

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sometimes they're not. But either way, recognizing

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the pattern is the first step. Because you cannot

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change what you do not see. So maybe the question

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is not whether you're a quote math person. Maybe

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the question is, whether you're paying attention

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to the patterns that are already there. And once

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you begin to see patterns clearly, you begin

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to ask whether the patterns are healthy or not.

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So my question today is, what patterns am I beginning

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to notice, both in others and in myself?