Daily Aphorism #2: The World is Your Playroom.

[This is a continuing series of 100 Daily Aphorisms that I started writing on August 21, 2021].

There really are two kinds of people! One kind wrings their hands and frets about everything that might not be perfectly safe and happy, peering out at the threatening world through their blinds. The other kind sees the world as a big playroom, filled with opportunities to have adventures. For this second type of person, there are two kinds of adventures: either you try something and it is exciting/fun/inspiring or you try something and you fail, which is a learning experience, a foundation for future happy adventures.

What is the world for you, an ominous place or a cheerful playroom?

We are all looking at the same physical world, but we are seeing that world through two different lenses. To explore the world in a joyful way, it will takes a lot of work. It will take a lot of Vitamin Y, uttering “Yes” to get started. It will take grit, the willingness to get back up if knocked down. You’ll also need to understand antifragility: you will thrive in a world because it is filled with stressors, shocks, volatility, noise, mistakes, faults, attacks, or failures. Do you understand Nietzsche’s point that what doesn’t destroy you often makes you stronger?

If you are afraid to go out into the world as a joyful adventurer, my prescription for you is to go look in the mirror, think about your limited hours on the planet, and ask yourself how they will write your epitaph. Imagine that it reads: “Here lies _____ ______ , who was afraid to leave the house.” That epitaph should scare you far more than the world.

Continue ReadingDaily Aphorism #2: The World is Your Playroom.

Pretending to Care in Order to Sell Commercials

How much do Americans care about the people of Afghanistan? Glenn Greenwald links to a rather stunning statistic.

And over the past ten years, how many minutes of news coverage have been devoted to ongoing war in Afghanistan, a war that never had a defined purpose or any metric of success?

Continue ReadingPretending to Care in Order to Sell Commercials

Daily Aphorism #1: Your Clock is Ticking.

I've decided to write an aphorism each day for the next 100 days. This is an attempt to get my creative juices flowing. I don't know what the topics will be. There is no plan other than to capture 100 thoughts that seem interesting to me. Some of my thoughts will be upbeat. Some will be provocative. Some, like today's, are ideas that I repeatedly tell myself.

Without further ado, here is Daily Aphorism #1:

If you are one of the lucky people, on the day you were born you were given about 1,000 months to live (about 78 years). You’ll be sleeping for 300 of those months. For 250 of those months, you won’t yet be an adult. You just clicked off one of your precious months. What did you accomplish last month? The sun is your daily clock and it only takes a few moments to rise and set. What did you accomplish yesterday? Are you going to let tomorrow slip through your fingers or are you going to mindfully create quality experiences, quality memories? How often do you remind yourself that if you squander this life, you don’t get a re-do?

When you read the above paragraph, does it seem like a threat or an opportunity? Do you take it as a paralyzing death sentence or an invigorating challenge? Your answer will tell you something critically important about yourself. "The trouble is, you think you have time."

Continue ReadingDaily Aphorism #1: Your Clock is Ticking.

Teachers Suing Woke Springfield Missouri Public School District

I keep hearing people claim that people like me are trying to prevent schools from "teaching history." Take a look at this federal complaint and the documents leaked to Christopher Rufo. Then ask whether these claimants are trying to prevent the schools from "teaching history"

Continue ReadingTeachers Suing Woke Springfield Missouri Public School District