What Churchill & the iPhone have in Common

What Churchill & the iPhone have in Common

Not long ago, my wife asked how often I think about the Roman Empire—apparently, it was trending on TikTok. I told her, “A few times a month” (feel free to start laughing at me now). That same week, Winston Churchill came up in conversation with friends—a man who saw the signs of Hitler’s true intentions and warned the world for years before anyone took him seriously.

Churchill once stood nearly alone, warning the world of Hitler’s growing threat while most desperately clung to hope for peace. People protested against war, demanded peace with Hitler, and dismissed Churchill as a warmonger.

And who can blame them? The world had just emerged from the trauma of the Great Depression and World War I—no one wanted to imagine another conflict. Fear can make us stubborn. It can blind us to looming threats, especially when the world is telling us to just stay positive. Sometimes it feels easier to bury our heads in the sand and hope things will just get better on their own.

But as history shows, ignoring the warning signs didn’t stop the storm from coming.

Today, we live in an age of distractions. Viral videos and salacious hooks win out over thoughtful ideas. We scroll quickly, chasing likes and new followers, and value speed over depth. It’s easy to become so entertained and overstimulated that we stop observing the world around us in full.

And with algorithms constantly feeding us what we already believe, how often do we truly challenge our views? When was the last time you made an effort to understand an opposing viewpoint, not to win an argument, but to grow?

How long before we forget the lessons of history?

Nationalism and polarization in politics is on the rise; changing your mind feels risky lest it be used against you later for having had an opposing opinion, and open-mindedness often seems like a weakness instead of a strength. Are we heading into a time where we’re expected to pick a side and stick with it, no matter what?

Letting go of old beliefs isn’t easy. But testing them—even changing them—is a strength. That’s what makes us antifragile: not just able to endure challenges, but to grow because of them.

In reality, the most resilient thinkers—in any field—stay open to new information. They apply what the military calls the OODA loop: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. And then they do it again. Repeatedly. Constantly assessing and adjusting based on new data.

Perhaps things will get better.

Perhaps the economy will recover, and the average income will increase; inflation will remain at 2%, house prices will become more affordable while at the same time increasing for homeowners… Perhaps conflicts will calm down around the world and our relationship with other nations will improve in the future…

But what if things don’t get better?

What if this is as good as it gets for a while?

In twenty years, how will we look back on this moment? Will you be proud of how you treated people with different views? Of your willingness to adapt, learn, and evolve? Or will you wish you had acted sooner, listened more closely, been more open-minded?

People laughed at the first iPhone (I was among those btw… feel free to laugh at me again). Blockbuster dismissed Netflix. The world ignored Churchill. Until they didn’t.

History rarely shouts. But it always whispers.

Are you listening?