We are nobody’s establishment
Good, bad, and ugly — honesty is what’s at stake. Of course, we strive for the perfect edited self. But such is a fallacy, as...
Strength through struggle
Everything we know we learn from our handicaps. They are far better teachers than strengths. As the author Bernard Malamud quipped, “if you haven’t struggled,...
Passion project be damned
The banality of doing what we’re told gets bottle-necked at the top of free will. Eventually, one balks at the factory of someone else’s to-do...
Hope is a hedge against reality
We live in anticipation. The worker who looks forward to a vacation is probably far happier and more productive than one who toils away without...
The shared intimacy of the individual
Behavior operates at the amygdala level. Without conscious interpretation, we either fight or run away. Instead, what we seek is more constructive: long-term serotonin levels...
When hearts and minds realign
We are exchanging advice, ideas, and information all the time, in effect trading minds with each other. Yet, within that knowledge transfer also oozes emotion....
The brilliance in absurdity
The synergy between brilliance and absurdity is one of the paradoxes of our time. One can’t be crazy without being wickedly smart. Thinking different isn’t...
Thinking things through
What we’re thinking of right now often feels of the utmost importance. Negative thoughts, in particular, turn passive onlookers into nervous inward-facing participants. The face...
Conformity as a preventative structure
The obvious remains invisible only because we choose to turn a blind eye to any framework that doesn’t align with our interests. Our minds crave...
A test case of curiosity
There is no plan. We go through long stretches of time, just guessing. But the passage into mystery lures us forward. It costs nothing to...
Raging against the machine (us)
Writing is to rage against the machine, not the powers that be. It’s a practice that hollows out the anxieties within. The machine is us,...
Purposely absorbed
Absorbed in the real work, unlike the spasmodic focus of want-to-be influencers. The professional demands order, rituals, and practices that solidify the certainty anchor. Those...