A Viglo Cult

Have you ever talked to someone who was a part of a cult or strict radical group and thought, "how could these people obey the tough demands of the organization?" These organizations require so much from these people, and they follow. I don't remember meeting people like that myself, but Darryl Cooper of the Martyrmade podcast had an incredible series about the Jim Jones Suicide Cult and thoroughly examined the origins of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, each which included deep discussions of fanaticism. I also remember hearing Malcolm X and Jordan Peterson discuss how many members of demanding organizations are proud to shoulder tough burdens because it generates a sense of accomplishment.... something we can all relate to. I'm a thin guy, so I take no pride in it, but a fat person who works hard and places lots of demands upon his or herself to become thin deserves to feel a great sense of pride when they accomplish that goal. Even indirectly we feel this. If our favorite sports team streamrolls a crappy team, and then next week barely loses to a far tougher opponent, despite the loss there's still a greater sense of pride that comes from rising up to the challenge against the tough opponent. Learning another language is definitely a challenge that should bring one great pride as he or she makes advancements.

I've been playing around with a bunch of other language learning products recently to see how others are incorporating AI technologies into their products. I noticed that they are all very cute and friendly looking... and by that I mean they look like they are developed for children. Furthermore, they don't demand much from the user; just show up whenever you feel like it (hell, Duolingo let's you pay to keep your streak alive if you don't use it for a day) and let the silly sounds and lights keep you placated. I wonder if Viglo should reverse this cutesy trend. Maybe we should be the language learning company that, if you choose to learn with us, we will demand a lot of effort from you (and of course the students will demand a lot from Viglo). Viglo is not there to be your friend, Viglo is there to make sure that you learn to converse in Spanish.

So here I am talking tough, but what the hell does all this tough talk even mean? Are our Guides going to demand progress from the students during the calls? Does it mean the students will create a game plan for their Spanish, and if they don't reach it, Viglo punishes them? (maybe by temporarily banning their account) Do we find out what the true motivations are of our students and we make sure that they use their Spanish towards that motivation? For example, if the student wants a job with a Spanish speaking company, do we make sure that student does his first interview by a certain timeframe? Or if the student is looking for a romantic relationship with a Spanish speaker, do we make sure the student goes out on a date with a Spanish speaker by a given deadline?

Writing this post made me decide to buy Scott Adams' book "How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big." I remember from his online videos that he would often talk about how instead of setting goals, we should be creating systems to improve our lives. I asked ChatGPT to sum up his what he means:

"Scott Adams suggests that relying on goals can limit your focus and often sets you up for failure, whereas implementing systems creates consistent patterns that lead to long-term success. By "systems", he means setting up regular practices or processes that, over time, will increase the likelihood of desirable outcomes. A system is about the journey and the routine, not the final destination. This approach encourages constant progress, adaptability, and the cultivation of skills and habits that can be applied to other areas of life."

So, for example, instead of a goal of losing 20 pounds in two months, we should have a system of "lifting weights for 30 minutes everyday." And for Viglo users, instead of "being fluent in Spanish" should we do something like "do one Viglo climb every day"? Should Viglo implement systems for it's users? Once Scott Adams' book arrives, I'm going to read it with a focus on if it's a good approach to Viglo, and if so, figure out how to implement it.

The other language learning companies simply want you to use their product; Viglo could become the company that demands that you learn Spanish and achieve your goals so that you eventually STOP using Viglo.

Potential Viglo motto: "We're not playing games; we're achieving fluency"