Honey, Honey, Honey

“You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar” is one of those quotes so familiar one rolls their eyes. How obvious right? But if it’s so easy, why aren’t we living it? 

In today’s world everyone seems to quickly default to vinegar. The benefit of the doubt is hard to come by.

Maybe it’s because we now live through screens. We miss the context, the facial cues, the changes in voice inflection in this medium. Maybe any increased self-centeredness derives from the nature of the medium. With so little personal interaction, we could just be out of practice.

It could be leadership’s example. Like it or not, our politicians are our country’s leaders, and they set an example for the rest of us. When the President publicly belittles others and rejects any and all criticism, people see that and, whether consciously or subconsciously, they emulate it. Many Representatives and state leaders display similar behavior.

Perhaps stress and anxiety from economic uncertainty drives our reactivity. With so much unknown, and the stakes seemingly so high, it’s faster and easier to resort to harshness instead of kindness. We retreat into our tribal groups, fermenting hostility toward the other. Any kindness is perceived as weakness in an increasingly competitive world.

So how can we choose kindness in a world set up for vinegar? By doing just that, choosing. Each and every one of us holds the immutable power to choose. And our choices, collectively, can transform society. 

Maybe the simplest way for us to improve our global mood is to focus on honey. It can be a memorable mantra we recite to ourselves. Honey, honey, honey. When we ask our boss to leave early, we think honey. When someone cuts us off in traffic, we think honey. Raising our children, we can embody honey. Even when advocating our politics, we speak with honey.  

What if honey makes the world go round?

Information Today is Different

Information is altering our species’ trajectory. And right now it doesn’t look good.

It’s all too easy to blame ‘technology’ as the culprit. “Social media is messing us up…  everyone is staring at their phones all the time… everybody is addicted to their feed…” Our phones, or the internet, or social media, or ‘technology’ seem to be negatively influencing society. But what does this actually mean?

The very information we consume is changing. The way we consume it has changed, the amount of information we consume has grown, and the scale of information proliferation and consumption has never before been like this in human history.

Put another way, our relationship with information is fundamentally different in 2024, then… ever.

Let’s go back to the 1990’s. Let’s assume you’re someone highly interested in current events, local national and international news, politics and the economy, all of it. You would read the newspaper in the morning. Perhaps you would listen to the radio on your way to work. Maybe discuss current events with some of your coworkers in the break room. After dinner you’d watch the evening news for a bit. Maybe even before bed you’d read one of your magazine subscriptions, something “serious” like The Economist or National Geographic. That would be your information diet for the day.

Fast forward to 2024. If I’m not careful, I’ll listen to NPR’s “Up First” while exercising first thing in the morning. I’ll listen to another podcast while getting ready for work. On my commute I might read on my phone (I take public transit, but I’ve seen people do this while driving). Starting up my computer in the office, I open up my email, where the New York Times “The Morning” is waiting for me. I’ll scan that as I clear my inbox. I might listen to yet another podcast during my lunch walk. Upon quitting time, I might listen to more podcasts on my way home. Any chores like vacuuming, laundry or doing the dishes? I’m listening to podcasts. Then there’s the doom scrolling on my phone between dinner and bed. Think about this. How much consumption is happening throughout a day like this? (I’ve written about this before). This is a normal day for a lot of people! This information diet, compared to the average one in the 1990’s, is HUGE.

The quantity, quality, speed, and delivery of information have all drastically changed.

Quantity. Instead of a few prominent newspapers and 4 networks, there are thousands of information sources, . Almost every developed region of the world has a local paper. TV channels exist by the thousand for many countries. There’s YouTube and millions of other websites. Social media and other mobile platforms assimilate all the information. Hell, you can search for anything at any time, with the search bar that exists on all our devices. Just look at Leo’s statistics from my Brave search.

Quality. This explosion in quantity naturally affects the quality of information. Democratization of the news has many benefits, but it also means more people are spreading information, without necessarily verifying it. When it’s not your job, when your livelihood is not dependent on verifying facts and responsible journalism, there are no consequences to sharing interesting stories, irrespective of truth. Everyone is sharing information now, and this has negatively affected information quality.

Speed. In the 1700’s it took months to hear back from another continent. The Pony Express of the mid 1800’s could deliver information across (half) the U.S. in 10 days. Wires crisscrossing the Earth’s crust now enable near instant information sharing. We receive, and expect, information immediately. This impacts how we operate in modern society. It makes it difficult to be present, when there’s inherent anticipation of more information. The higher quantity of lower quality information incessantly bombards us.  

Delivery. In my 1990’s example I listed the different mediums available for information consumption: the radio, the TV, and text (primarily books, newspapers and magazines). We all know how most people consume information today: the internet, mostly through social media. Content is generated and organized solely with your attention in mind, because that’s how platforms and creators make money. We are choosing what information we consume less than ever before, our consumption dominated by the infamous doom scroll as our brain circuitry has adapted to constant information delivery.

This drastic change in quantity, quality, speed, and delivery of information is reshaping how we think, feel, and engage with the world. We know the consequences all too well. Anxiety and polarization feel rampant. Distrust in institutions and leadership is at an all-time high. When thinking about the future, it seems we all see a bleak picture.

But it’s not hopeless. We can advocate for transparency and change, demanding better from our policymakers and BigTech. There are also simple (simple, not easy) solutions each of us can take. We can limit our phone use; instead of a magic boredom relief device, I’m trying to only use it for these 5 things:

1. Calls

2. Texts

3. Photos

4. Maps

5. Audio (songs, books & podcasts, in that order)

We can make phones tools again. We can focus on conscientious consumption: “why am I looking at this? Is it just because I’m bored? Is this reliable information?” This Reddit guide proves a useful start. We can retake ownership of our relationship to, and consumption of, information. We can take back control. We just have to decide it’s important.

Joe Rogan is rich. But his podcast can tell us something about happiness.

Joe Rogan and Tom Segura strayed into rich guy talk on JRE last week. While unpalatable, the discussion also presents an important lesson.

Around the 74 minute mark they started talking luxury cars. Cars that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. They looked up a tract of land for sale with a custom built racetrack, and Joe briefly entertained the idea of buying it so they had somewhere to drive their fast luxury cars, but they reasoned it was too far. Tom even said "hey you can helicopter there."

Opulent Big Ben, London - February 2023

This is obviously outside the realm of possibility for most people. Both Joe and Tom are very wealthy, with Joe even qualifying as obscenely rich (with his Spotify deals). Their luxury car conversation illustrates they’re living in a different world. Joe is usually pretty good at staying away from this type of talk, but succumbs to it with guests who are friends.

My hot take: it's okay for them to talk about this, it's okay for them to be rich. I don't begrudge their wealth just because it dwarfs mine. I believe in capitalism. Our society attributes value to what these two men produce—comedy. There's nothing wrong with being rich. I think Joe just knows most listeners will only tolerate so much rich guy talk.

But their conversation illuminates something. It shows that despite any wealth divide, we cannot escape the universal human condition: our insatiable need for more. Joe Rogan and Tom Segura were causally talking about something tempting, but it was just a little too pricey. Even if Joe's net worth really is 9 digits, there are still things he cannot afford or is unwilling to pay for. We all experience this, no matter our wealth. Jeff Bezos, one of the richest human beings on the planet (and in the history of the world), famously had a $500 million superyacht built. This yacht has a “support vessel” which… has a helicopter pad. Talk about ostentatious spending. But Bezos couldn't get his superyacht out of the harbor. It was too big to exit underneath the bridge. Eventually the masts were stepped, but it proves even the 2nd richest person on the planet can't have everything he wants whenever he wants. 

None of us can. It's a fundamental part of the human condition. Our brains are wired to adapt to current circumstances as a survival mechanism. Once we become accustomed to more ease, more time, more wealth, we continue to want more. It's inescapable; every human being faces this conundrum. So while the rich may live in a different world in many ways, that only extends so far. We each struggle through the same emotional capacity. While the physical, tangible items we desire or covet might look drastically different, the struggle is the same.

Wealth and beauty on display at Ponza, Italy - July 2024

This can be an encouraging thought. It can give some solace, that even if we never become as rich as Joe or Jeff, we can still enjoy a good life. I'd argue the 'richest' people in the world are those who experience the most joy within their current situation, within themselves. Those who can remain content and maximize their time are the wealthiest. Elon Musk said as much a previous Joe Rogan episode, quipping, "everyone thinks they want to be me. I don't think most people want to be me." Does Elon get to jet set around the world? Yes. Is he plagued internally with his incessant thinking patterns? It seems so.

All this provides an opportunity to eliminate envy. We can all strive to be our best, to provide as good a life as possible for our families. But competing for wealth with others is folly. We all adapt to our circumstances, we are all tempted with the allure of more. How we reject that, how we remain satisfied, is what determines our quality of life.

Many studies have shown that once an individual makes above a certain salary threshold, happiness doesn't increase. I intuit that's true. Once our basic needs are met, it's up to us to be happy. So maybe we take Joe's advice for society and make less losers. Maybe we set things up so we don't have really poor people living in communities with no opportunity. Maybe if we solve that, we can work to ensure all humans globally enjoy an acceptable standard of living. Maybe that's the easy part. Maybe the hard part is the battle we each must face, of resisting more, and remaining fulfilled. 

From Awareness to Change

The Black Lives Matter movement is still happening, and it’s still important. Just because it’s not front page news now doesn’t mean we can forget about it. You see the occasional sign in people’s yards and there are still organized demonstrations and protests, which is great. Equality for all people is something we must continue thinking about and fighting for. One of the most crucial concepts for citizens to understand is that an infringement of rights or general inequality for one group of people, even if you do not belong to that group, is a violation of freedom for all. You are your thoughts. Thoughts become words, and words in turn lead to action. Continuous action generates change. And as that cycle is reinforced and repeated, change becomes sustained. Keep thinking about the injustices in our society and how to correct them. Discuss these topics of significance with other people. And keep showing up. It won’t always be pretty or fast or simple, and will never be easy, but we can build a better world, one step at a time. If we are willing to put in the work, we can create the future we wish to see. Keep fighting the good fight.

Enlightenment and Faults

I get the email newsletter from my Congressional representative, Anna Eshoo. A few weeks back she referenced a line of encouragement from Alexis de Tocqueville that moved her when voting on historic police reform legislation:

“The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.”

There may be many different perspectives, but it’s clear right now that there are many faults, and much we can be more enlightened about. Change doesn’t happen on its own. What are we going to do to change our world?

Tolerance Today

I’ve been thinking about Jocko Willink's “good” philosophy, of accepting negative things happening and finding ways to use those things to improve your future. It’s a very ‘old-school’ approach; it reminds me of the idealized tales of the G.I. Generation’s resolve. Bad things happen—you can either accept it and get over it and get on with your life, or you can cry about it and become a victim.

What a stark contrast to today’s climate, in which intolerance breeds rigidity. You’re either a Democrat or Republican. The economy should be open or it shouldn’t. There is no middle ground, and to be on the other side is to be canceled, ignored, and blocked. Consider Trump’s campaign against mail-in voting for the upcoming November election. He makes unsubstantiated claims about extensive voter fraud—but does nothing about it. There are no proactive steps taken to investigate the potential for fraud or subsequent action taken to mitigate that potential.

When it comes to passive intolerance, the American public can’t qualify themselves as better. We allow or actively create online echo chambers through our social media platforms. How often do we have a civil discussion with someone across the political spectrum? How truly diverse are the majority of our neighborhoods? If our country identifies with and values the concept of ‘the melting pot,’ wouldn’t we view tolerance as a universal virtue?

Tolerance is hard, especially simultaneously at all levels of society. It requires work, and it takes time. But let’s stop going backwards. Each and every one of us has a responsibility to focus on being more tolerant of others’ differences. It is a prerequisite for a modern, diverse society to function properly. We can all ask ourselves, “what do I abhor? Why? Is that intolerant of me?” Because at the end of the day, do we not all want the same thing—health, wealth, and happiness for ourselves and our loved ones?

Tolerance enables more communication, better compromise, and an inclusive society. It will not be perfect. Good. Let’s make it better.

Media Break

Over the past week I’ve significantly limited my media consumption and have completely refrained from using social media, with the exception of posting this daily blog. I’ve written before about my seesaw relationship with the news cycle, and I’ve just gotten to the point where I need a break.

I got sucked in. I had been spending more than 10-15 minutes a day on Winno, Twitter, and the John Hopkins newsletter. I found myself checking them throughout the day, before bed… and it started to become overwhelming. I developed an unconscious addiction, a frantic, incessant desire to consume.

Enough. I’m taking a break. And you know what? It got me thinking… what is social media for? Why do we use it? Sure, there’s the age-old argument that Facebook “helps people keep in touch.” There’s the rationale that Twitter “empowers every person to engage in civil discourse,” that these platforms “enable every voice to be heard.” People much better educated than me have written articles about the dangers of social media, so I don’t want to rant about its consequences.

But I reached an epiphany recently: the vast majority of people use social media to reverberate like-minded thinking within their own echo chambers. Regardless whether this is a conscious choice by the user or not, the fact remains these gargantuan tech companies employ teams of engineers and invest millions of dollars to keep people on their platforms. Because after all, more time spent on Facebook or Twitter or Youtube means more ad revenue for the respective companies. Our attention gives them money. My personal Facebook feed was no different; it was always populated with posts advocating viewpoints similar to my own.

It’s been said that too much of anything, even a good thing, can be bad for you. We don’t even know if social media is ‘good’ for us (and much of the research suggests it’s unhealthy). Maybe it’s beneficial, for our collective sanity, to take a break every once in a while. It might do us some good. You are what you think about. When our days are filled with consuming other’s thoughts, where does that leave us?

Country Service Announcement

I completed a survey for the Trump campaign about a month ago and my spam email now gets flooded with messages daily. I feel these emails capture a sense of this man’s campaign and ethos as a public figure.

The incessant messaging mirrors his Twitter account: a persistent flood of unsubstantiated claims and hyperbolic accusations, distasteful self-praise, and just plain mean name-calling, peppered sporadically and randomly with capitalized words.

Even when asking for monetary support, the Trump campaign emails appear divisive and reinforce a scarcity mindset. 

This email is for PATRIOTS ONLY and is not intended to be shared.

P.S. Remember, this email isn’t for everyone.

He requested that we only reach out to his most loyal supporters with this offer, so DO NOT share this email with anyone else.

His appeals for donations come off as click-baity or infomercial-like. They try to make the recipient of the email feel important, as if Trump knew you.

Today, I am calling on you to take the next step and become an Official 2020 Trump Platinum Member during this critical 2020 Election Year - we won’t win in November without your support.

We’re sending him a list of EVERY Patriot who steps up in the NEXT HOUR. Make sure he sees your name on that list.

Or, when that doesn’t work, the email directly challenges the recipient. 

I thought YOU would definitely be on there as one of my TOP supporters, but when they pulled your record, Trevor, it showed that you were in the bottom 1% of all Trump Donors.

I’m depending on your support, Trevor, and I need you to step up. Where have you been?

Even the ‘prizes’ that are offered (if you donate money to the campaign) are things that he himself would want—I guess? It’s hard to imagine who would be motivated by some of these rewards: a meaningless ‘platinum' card, a gaudy hat plastered with American military insignia, a framed donor list?

I’ve asked my team to print and frame the 100 Days Out Presidential Donor List made up of the first 100 Patriots who choose to step up at this critical time. This list will proudly hang in my office for me to admire, and I want to see your name on there.  

We have less than 800 of these iconic hats left, and once we run out we cannot guarantee they’ll be restocked.

And hey, if that doesn’t work, he can always go back to bashing someone else.

As if it wasn’t already obvious, Joe Biden has absolutely lost his mind.

Joe Biden wants to undo all of President Trump’s great progress and he’s LYING to you to try and do it.

The only question to ask at this point is, what does this say about the state of our country?

No matter the outcome of the election, regardless of who we are or where we live—it’s clear there are pressing demands on this moment of history. How did we get to this use case for social media? With climate change, the coronavirus, civil unrest across the nation, and a struggling global economy, we must be better. Let’s look at ourselves first, and let’s be the change we want to see. We have serious problems right now that won’t go away without pain and effort. But we can solve them. We can revitalize our species, and we can change the world. It doesn’t start in November. It starts now.

Summer Bubbles

A playbook for this summer doesn’t exist. Nowhere on the CDC or WHO websites does it really give proper guidance on how to operate the next few months. With cases spiraling out of control in the United States and Independence Day weekend upon us, it seems prudent to figure out how we will keep each other safe. It appears the most realistic option is to create a bubble—a small group of people that agree to only see each other and significantly limit contact with anyone else. I don’t know what the ideal or maximum number to this bubble should be, and it would be nice if the United States government provided some direction, but a practical bubble makeup probably includes immediate family members and a few close friends. If you’re seeing your immediate family and only a couple other people on a regular basis (and taking precautions while visiting, specifically socially distancing and staying outside), it’s reasonable to believe you can keep your bubble insulated. In this way, people can still enjoy the weather and pursue leisure activities while staying safe. We’ll have to muster some creativity to think of how we can alter our traditions and normal activities, no doubt. We will have to be disciplined with our bubbles and resort to virtual hangouts with other friends. But this option is the only one that seems plausible, as our society refuses to do basic things like wear masks or social distance. With agreed upon bubbles, we have a chance at both staying safe and enjoying the summer. It’s not ideal, but until we beat this, ideal isn’t possible. This weekend let’s be smart and safe, and enjoy celebrating the principles and values that make this nation great.

The Covid Reality

I got tested for Covid last week because I came into contact with someone who subsequently tested positive. From firsthand experience I can say, when it’s you and your loved ones, it gets real real quick. It’s naturally hard for humans to extrapolate to other people’s feelings on such a large scale—millions of people infected worldwide, 120,000 deaths in the United States—how difficult is it to resonate with those arbitrary numbers? Having gone through this, I can confirm that the virus has not gone away, that you can still get infected, that it can potentially change your life. The symptoms are so wide-ranging, you really don’t know how your body will react. I’m not writing this to scare people, but to illuminate what it’s like to go through testing, to wonder whether you’re positive or negative, to exhale when learning you’re negative. This disease is still new. There is so much we don’t know. And so I appeal to everyone to please wear a mask, to socially distance as much as possible, to be smart and stay safe. We as citizens need to continue to implore our leadership to continue testing and more intelligently consider reopening. Results should take hours, not days. Testing methods vary widely—I know 4 sets of people who have been tested, and each testing procedure was different. We must continue to conduct studies on this disease and break the results down into terms that laypeople can understand. We have a long way to go, regardless of whether the Denny’s or local pub is open in your neighborhood. If we remain vigilant, we will get through this quicker and more safely. It’s actually a very simple choice, despite its difficulty. What will you choose? What will we?

Treating Political Information

With the egotism spewing from current American leadership, I think it’s important for every citizen to employ a basic strategy for digesting information. The rhetoric is so outrageous and polarized (and in many ways designed to be) that it requires some basic steps to absorb it:

1. Actively listen — do not multitask (there’s no such thing), focus on what is being said and how it’s being said

2. Pause — let your brain assimilate the information, give yourself a minute to process

3. Reflect — compare what is being presented to what you already know, to the opposite ’side,’ and if necessary, learn more about the situation 

4. Discuss with others / share online — after you have completed these steps, you will have understood what you’ve consumed and can rationally add to the discussion

We cannot silo ourselves in our positions on anything right now, given what is happening in the country. We must join the conversation and take action. But in order to do that, we need to be able to sift through all the blaring information being thrown our way. If we can do this, we can see reason as well as empathize with our fellow citizens. If we can do that, we can change this country and the world.

Incentive and Direction

What is this movement’s endgame, what are we working toward? What are the real problems and their possible solutions?

I don’t know how to do it and I’m trying to figure out how to learn how to do it, but I think we do need to make some fundamental changes to our political and economic systems—to get at the root causes of our problems. Free markets in both sectors have bred much success, but they have also resulted in where we’re at today. We need some checks, some regulation, on markets in our society. Let’s focus on a couple political facets.

I think we need to create the conditions in which several political parties can successfully operate in the political arena. We can change our first-past-the-post election process, abolish the Electoral College, or try other means. But I believe having a larger number of political parties, say 7 or 8, would incentivize a few things. It would basically require parties to be more representative of their declared constituents and more clear in their ideals and policy, in order to distinguish themselves from their rivals. It would also incentivize cooperation within all branches of government at every level, because in order for any given political party to succeed, it would need to work with the others. Parties would need to engage and communicate and debate and compromise. When there are only 2 parties present, they are much more incentivized to maintain their power than they are to actually effect change, and this results in citizen disenfranchisement and the broken process we see today. We must change this.

I hope it’s also become obvious that we need to divorce the corporate world from politics and better regulate campaign finance. Whether reversing Citizens United v. FEC is enough or different or more drastic action is needed, I’m not sure, but we need to incentivize the right kind of people to run for election, and we need to ensure once in government they are incentivized to work for their constituents, not to maintain the interests of corporations. Governance is hard; we want people who truly want to effect change, who are willing to endure the arduous labor inherent in governance to achieve results. Political actors cannot be held hostage to lobbyism and big business—they must be independent, free thinking, and holistic in their patriotism and service.

I bring up these political issues because it’s from that domain real policy change will occur. In order to change the fundamentals of the system, we need our politics to work for and by the people.

Black Lives Matter has achieved some important things. It’s woken people up about the existing prejudice within our system. Now we need to determine the causal roots and decide the most efficient and effective ways to change them. White people around the country now better understand their inherited white privilege. That’s good. Police brutality is being publicly discussed, and that’s good. Police reform is happening—that’s good. But some of the solutions being offered don’t appear to be solutions to me. I understand “defund the police” is the expression being used to discuss allocating funding and resources differently to best serve citizens. But when has taking away money ever solved a problem? How about we reduce the number of different scenarios police respond to, but keep the budget the same—now we can recruit better officers and conduct more training so they are better at their jobs. We have the funding to prevent burnout and mitigate the crazy amount of stress experienced on the job. What if we also create more community outreach, and create a new branch of public servants that respond to mental health situations? Yes that requires even more money, but it would also better address the problems about which people are protesting.

I’ve written before that these issues are nuanced. White people owning their white privilege does not equate to everyone in modern America being racist. Police reform can help alleviate much of the civilian-peace officer conflict, but taking money away from the institution only makes it harder to do so.

We have some real problems, and the current movement has brought them out into the open. It’s integral at this juncture to determine what are the true causes and focus on eliminating them. I don’t know if I would go so far to say our system is broken—there is also a lot of good—but it’s vital that we address and solve our problems sooner rather than later. It will take consideration, and focus, and science. It requires awareness and a huge amount of effort. But it’s worth it, and we can do it. We can change the world. 

Movement Expansion

The ongoing Black Lives Matter movement has succeeded on 2 accounts. It has already resulted in police reform and has kickstarted the conversation about police discrimination and brutality. It also has succeeded in getting educated white people to question their privilege and consider the experience of people of color. These two early victories are commendable.

What’s next? What about the uneducated white people who refuse to enter the conversation? What about the actual black experience, beyond their encounters with police? Quality of life for people of color, voter suppression... these are interrelated yet separate issues, and the waters are already getting muddied as we try to have a conversation about all of them simultaneously.

We should certainly celebrate the early victories that have been accomplished, but it’s also hopefully obvious about how much further there is to go. Here’s to the Black Lives Matter maintaining steam and transforming into a much broader movement about the greater issues plaguing our society. The fight won’t be easy, but it’s definitely just, and it will be worth it. 

Contribute to Humanity

The cold in the early morning invigorates me as I do my sun salutations and mediation. When I finish my routine, it gives me clarity as I think about our world.

Progress happens slowly. When we become aware of a widespread problem, we have to analyze it, decide what its primary causes are, and determine the best way to solve those principal causes. We then have to let those attempts at solution to run their course for some time, in order to then measure their effect and compare them to the previous status quo. All this takes time.

But while doing all these things, each and every one of us can still contribute to the overall solution. On a personal level, every single person can recalibrate their awareness, can give more attention to the problem, and can constructively talk with others about it. We can all individually try to improve ourselves, our families, and our communities. This will not only effect change we can see, but change that will last.

I’m so far removed it’s impossible to fully understand. But the cold this morning brought me a deep recognition. These citizens, our fellow humans who died at the hands of unnecessary or excessive force… they’re gone. That was someone’s life… it can’t be brought back. Those were people, just like you or me, who were are now gone because of unfathomable apathy and hatred. That’s the pain that’s being experienced. It’s real.

We can be better, as a species, and we must be better. It cannot be said enough, until it is so far ingrained in all of us it becomes a hallmark of our history: Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter.

Contribute to the solution. Ensure humanity is better. Change the world.

Civic Duty, All the Way Around

I have this nervous pent up energy today. Reading and watching what’s happening in the country has been emotionally draining, and it’s as if my body is pumping through adrenaline to help compensate.

What’s been going on in our country is disheartening. For me personally, it comes on the backdrop of reading Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker, so it’s particularly acute as well as distressing. Before saying anything else, I want to note that what happened to George Floyd and too many others is wrong. We need to address this immediately and thoroughly.

Without trying to be too reactive, there are 2 main points I’d like to make.

Firstly, we can effect change peacefully, through both discussion and civil resistance, but we must do so with awareness.

I’ve seen horrifying videos of citizens rioting, looting, and vandalizing property, and I’ve watched disturbing videos of police unnecessarily assaulting peaceful protesters. I’ve watched and read about citizens helping police officers, and vice versa. This is nuanced. Blanketing statements are not solutions nor do they contribute to a solution—do you accept blanket statements from the other’s position?

On the most basic level, we can all engage in a discussion about these visceral issues, such as racism, police brutality, and the state of our country’s institutions. Talk about it. Talk about it with your family, with your loved ones, with your friends. But we need to do so conscientiously. We need to heed Stephen Covey’s powerful words: SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND, THEN TO BE UNDERSTOOD. Ask questions. Start conversations with the intent of learning, not winning. Productive discussions are possible and productive.

But, a conversation alone will not result in the changes people want. It merely sets the guardrails to scaffold a path towards improvement. If you want to accelerate change and directly affect its course, you need to get more involved.

I support organized nonviolent action. However, if you participate in such, part of your duty is to organize and mobilize responsibly, to best ensure the safety of everyone involved. There are some great examples of this right now throughout the country—let’s continue to emulate those. There are some examples of the opposite as well—let’s prevent more from happening.

Secondly, let’s acknowledge the fragility of widespread consumption of this relatively new technological capacity at our disposal. I’m referring to the news machine and social media specifically.

I saw a post online that stated “Anybody notice how fast the COVID conversation disappeared when the nation’s attention was turned elsewhere? Notice how the media controls you.” The media does not control you. We have simply built a society that is rich, healthy, safe, and peaceful enough to spend a lot of time online—as opposed to focusing on our direct survival. We have some pretty amazing technology. The 24 hours news cycle and social media is a part of that. We can follow events live, from our mobile devices, through watching actual videos filmed by people on the ground in another time zone. Social media enables every single person with internet access to add a voice to the conversation. These are incredible feats, and they’re new feats. We didn’t have social media in 1992. There wasn’t 24 hour news coverage 3 decades ago.

With this technology, we’re still figuring out how to use it. We need to be more conscientious about how we consume. We can’t handle it yet, we’re learning how to handle it. It’s on the news corporations and social media companies, but it’s also on us. We are all addicted to our screens. We need to get our technology under control, we need to learn how to use it for good. It will take time. Social media can be a great thing, it can give every person a voice in a real time, global conversation about important topics and current events, but we’re working through its consequences; with bots, with trolls, with people not thinking critically about the conversation… this is hard stuff. It’s not easy. It’s on us to recognize that and push ourselves to contribute sensibly and respectfully.

The ideals of the United States are honorable and inspirational. Freedom is beautiful, but it’s also fucking hard. Understanding that it’s hard, and being deliberate and intentional with how we go about creating a prosperous, fair, free, and peaceful society, goes a long long way. We’re on a difficult road. Let’s make it easier on ourselves by continuing to discuss these important issues and by conducting nonviolent resistance. We can do this, but it’s going to take everything we’ve got. It requires active engagement from the masses, not just the few. Let’s change the world.

The Information Debate

It will be interesting to see what this executive order will be tomorrow. As the US Presidential election draws nearer, it looks like free speech and disinformation will continue to hold the spotlight front and center. 

One of the President’s key responsibilities is to maintain the sanctity of the Union, and spouting false claims about the electoral process would be deemed, you would think, the direct antithesis to that.

What’s more, I would assume the US government would find it increasingly difficult to criticize China if it engaged in censorship of the media. 

Certain newspapers are renowned for being right or left leaning. Social media companies have thus far not been found to support a particular side of the political spectrum—but if one of them were, aren’t they free to do so?

These conversations are always difficult because there is a substantial gray area surrounding them. Continued dialogue regarding rights and legality would be beneficial to everyone, so we can reason out a solution together. I have a feeling the executive branch will not offer any guidance in such a conversation. Time will tell. 

United Against Injustice

I have taken some time to gather my thoughts before writing about the Ahmaud Arbery shooting. The video is deeply disturbing and I did not want to write something reactionary.

It is imperative we exhibit solidarity as a national community in such times. Americans are a diverse people, and it’s important to remember that any injustice affecting one particular subgroup of people, regardless of the delineation, affects all of us.

The Arbery case is not only tragic, but unjust. We live in a system that is supposed to be governed by the rule of law, and that has not been the case thus far with this situation. It is vital we stand up to this injustice as a unified people, as Americans, to show we will not tolerate arbitrary enforcement of our laws—especially in such extreme circumstances.

I have been getting back into the habit of running again as the lockdown continues in the Bay Area—it’s one of the few ways to get out of the house. As I’ve been jogging in my neighborhood, I’ve wondered: Am I only safe because of the color of my skin? Would my daily runs be a source of stress if I looked different? If I were black, would my life be in danger, and would I constantly fret about that knowledge? It upsets me that such may be the case for other Americans, and I offer my deepest condolences to Ahmaud Arbery’s family and friends.

It is our responsibility as citizens to draw the line, to determine what sort of country we accept. I refuse to live in an unjust society. I hope you do too. We are one people. Divided we fall, United we stand. One nation, with liberty and justice for all. 

New News Repertoire

In late 2019 I did a month-long trial of using Twitter as my primary news source. Twitter has now become a supplemental tool for me. I currently follow 11 accounts:

• Gavin Newsom

• San Francisco Chronicle

• Mercury News

• Joe Biden

• Bernie Sanders

• Donald Trump

• CSPAN

• BBC News (World)

• BBC Breaking News

• Reuters

• The Associated Press

Mostly, I use Twitter to keep up with political rhetoric and stay abreast of local stories relevant to my region. My primary news source has changed: I now use the Winno app because of its curated, concise content and intuitive interface, making it easy to maintain a streamlined news consumption protocol. For staying current on the coronavirus, I predominantly use the Johns Hopkins newsletter, which I find to be neutral, scientific, and unbiased.

A 5 minute Winno scan, about a 10 minute newsletter perusal, and a quick glance through Twitter gets me up to date with what’s going on in the world and in my local area. As I’ve previously written, staying informed is important. But the media machine seems more concerned about entertainment than truth and information gathering. This current procedure works well for me. Give it a shot and figure out what works for you. An informed public can more constructively move forward as one people.

SIP Movement

I get it, it’s tough. California has been locked down for a while now, and it’s not fun, it’s not easy, and it’s certainly not convenient.

Today is my best friend’s birthday, and it’s hard not being able to truly celebrate with him.

But regardless of our opinions, for better for for worse, California sheltered in place. It behooves us to follow this course. So much effort has been expended toward mitigating the spread—can we afford to throw it all away now? This isn’t Sweden.

For a little while longer, let’s focus on the resulting good. Let’s keep walking in our communities. Let’s keep current with the news and the big picture. Let’s keep navigating change.

Let’s keep moving towards progress. We can change the world.

Divisiveness or Equity

Is it possible the mainstream media publishes fake news and Trump lies routinely?

Is it possible the DNC sabotaged Bernie’s campaign and most Republicans defend Trump only to maintain power?

There is so much hostility between between the two sides of the political spectrum.

But we don’t live in a dichotomy. We actually all live together, if we haven’t noticed. It’s one planet, and we have to share it.

At the basic level, we all want the same things. Let’s build a world in which we can achieve equity in those things.