What does it mean, and what are its origins?
In a nutshell, Lindy refers to old or ancient practices that have retained their usefulness throughout the centuries and have tons of practical benefits in modern society. If something is lindy, it means there's probably a very good reason as to why it has lasted so long.
For example, walking is Lindy. Ancient thinkers and philosophers (especially the Greeks) used to walk a lot - not just from Point A to Point B or to a specific destination, but simply to walk for walking's own sake. It helped them with clarity of thought, and they would ponder and think about all sorts of issues while out on a stroll. This is still practically useful to us in the modern world especially since life is so fast-paced now. It's healthy for cardiovascular reasons; it's good for your mental health; and it provides much-needed visual stimuli that cannot be simulated between the four walls of your pod.. I mean room.
Ever notice how drinking a cold glass of Coca Cola is an entirely different experience from drinking cold Coca Cola in a plastic cup? You're essentially drinking the same thing, but the one poured into the glass tastes better every time. Why? Glass is lindy material. There’s a nice tactile feel to it. Ancient people used glass a lot and that’s something that kind of got evolutionarily coded into our consciousness. Another example that hits closer to home here in Asia is the culture of eating with one’s hand, particularly for Indian and Malay people. This is because their ancestors mostly ate with their hands. Ancestral practices makes one feel part of something sublime and wholesome - no matter how trivial. You always hear Indian and Malay people talk about how the experience of eating Naan with Curry or Nasi Lemak is elevated by eating with one’s hand.
Conversely, something that’s not Lindy would be using mouthwash. This is an example given by the man who helped to popularise the whole concept of Lindy - Paul Skallas (Skallas basically took the term and applied it to daily life with all its occurrences and idiosyncrasies and turned it into a meme). According to Skallas, mouthwash isn’t lindy because our ancestors didn’t use it, and therefore no one really knows what the long-term effects of using mouthwash are because it’s a relatively new invention. The ingredients in mouthwash kills all bacteria in the mouth, even good bacteria. We know today through science that many parts of our body (e.g. mouth, gut) are entire microbiomes in their own right that shouldn't unnecessarily be trifled with unless absolutely necessary.
Another aspect of "Lindy" that Skallas talks about is the dichotomy of Grandmother and Academic Researcher (or as more aptly formulated - Grandmother VS Academic Researcher). Advice given by Grandmothers can be best described as balm to the soul - especially when compared to advice given by a certified professional. A psychologist's advice will always feel clinically and professionally detached as opposed to your Grandma's. Grandparents also carry with them decades of experience and wisdom so it's not like what they say is worth squat. It's something about advice coming from a close family member, or someone with close familial ties, that carries with it a much greater effect on one's psyche; it's psychologically and emotionally tactile.
I remember little nuggets of wisdom from my own Grandma - drink warm water when you feel crappy, sweating out a fever works and eating ice chips doesn't, eating sweet potatoes is good for you, just to name a few. She also transmitted the habit of washing rice 3 times before cooking it to me. I never understood the reason why it had to be 3 times, but I do it nevertheless. It's lindy.
I recently spoke with a friend who described a conversation between his wife and mother. His mother had called her daughter-in-law a "Google Ma" (much to her chagrin, of course) because she would constantly google questions on how to take care of her child. I found this whole exchange quite humorous. Google gives a person different advice each time you hit the "Search" button - a whole range of contradicting information that makes the reader even more confused than before.
Our mothers, on the other hand, mostly did things that were transmitted to them through generations. Of course, this isn't always the case. It also depends on whether one's Grandma is a crackpot in the first place, but often-times they aren't. And while such information being transmitted down through generations may not always be the optimal solution, it was a solution that always got the job done. If not at a 100 percent, at least at a 90 percent effectiveness rate - which is a high pass, or A+. Heck, even 75 percent wouldn't be so bad to be frank (that would be a B), but still way better than the inertia and confusion brought about by a multitude of answers on Quora instead.
This reminds me of a brlliant quote I came across some time ago by Alex Kaschuta, that "Tradition is not the optimal solution to everything, and not a guarantee of happiness in your life; but adhering to tradition is akin to insuring yourself against misery" (Paraphrasing).
As for origins of the term, 'Lindy' is derived from a book written by Nassim Nicholas Taleb called 'Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder'. Taleb discusses a phenomenon in the book he calls the ‘Lindy Effect’ which is the idea that the longer a period something has survived to exist or be used in the present, it is likely to have a longer remaining life expectancy. The Lindy Effect is therefore a pretty good barometer for risk-taking. It’s named after Lindy’s, a restaurant in New York where comedians used to hang out to talk about the industry, particularly who’s likely to make it career-wise and who isn’t, and they largely based this around the volume of content & material and amount of appearances each comedian they gossiped about made - the general rule being that the more appearances comedians make at shows, the more future appearances they are predicted to make.
Additional Resources:
https://newsazi.com/the-lindy-way-of-living/
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/17/style/lindy.html
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