Every religion has its Sermon. I'm mostly familiar with the [Derasha](https://www.britannica.com/topic/derasha), which is the Jewish tradition: the Rabbi looks at that week's reading portion in the Torah, and takes some lessons into our day to day lives. In Buddhism, this looks like Dharma talks, which are often interpretations of the Suttas. In Islam, it's the Imam talking after the Friday prayer. What's interesting about Sermons (as opposed to e.g. TED talk), you get no new information! You are getting look at the world, through the values that you share. If it was a good sermon, you think to yourself "I never thought of it like that, it makes sense". You leave uplifted, and are nudged ever slightly towards your values. Sermons don't end in official religions though: * Half time coach speeches are sermons: it's not just about technical adjustments for the second half, it's equally about raising spirits. * Earnings call open with a little sermon: regardless of this quarter's results, we're changing the world, our future is bright. * [[Atomic Habits, James Clear|Atomic Habits]] is a sermon, so is most productivity advice. The techniques are important! But the bigger function is to remind yourself of your commitment to productivity. * A lot of craft advice is also a sermon. Like every PM knows they should spend more time talking to users, and yet doesn't do it. Every time you read a book, you're nudged slightly upwards. While rational/atheist people might poo-poo the sermon on the account of it adding no tangible value, sermons are actually the most effective way to get through to the more ancient parts of our brain. #published 2025-02-12