Simple Things

It’s the simple things in life we forget. Being able to walk, spending time with your loved ones, playing with your dog or children, working on a a project you’re passionate about. We forget them so easily until we can’t enjoy them. With all that’s happening in the world, maybe we should really focus on gratitude. We have serious problems right now, but we also have the means to solve them, the courage to solve them, and the freedom to solve them. How far must we go back to a time when protesting would be ended by violence and force? To a time when it was illegal to even speak out against the system, to criticize the government? To a period when no one understood what “germs” were? The answer is not that far, and we can be grateful for that. These luxuries are not granted, they are earned. They may be simple, but they are powerful. By starting from this reference point of gratitude, we can tackle our current and future problems with clarity. Remember the simple things. 

Hitting the Mark

I get Maslow’s hierarchy. But even if focused on basic needs, you can still be concerned with the world. I’ve witnessed it on all 6 populated continents. Poor people, who have very little compared to anyone reading this, often still have an interest in the outside world. While laying around all day today trying to let my ankle heal, I’ve thought about Black Lives Matter, about the coronavirus, about the current political, economic, and environmental climate. I truly believe conversations can be enough. Not everyone is going to be an activist, not everyone will be an MLK or a Gandhi or a Chavez. But we can all ensure we don’t accept anything less than the best from our species. We’re not perfect, and we have a lot to fix, but we can always hold ourselves and our fellow humans to a high standard. We are capable of meeting it. 

Inside Look at the Front

Today was my first look inside a hospital since the coronavirus has started. Employees are taking the necessary precautions. I was told there were hardly any people coming into the ER, until today, the day I showed up (I sprained my ankle playing basketball). Lucky me. 

However, it’s been humbling to see our front lines workers in action. They’re working hard, and on top of that they are kind and sympathetic to their patients. The coronavirus is still here. And these people are still working to save us. 

After being up in the mountains for the weekend, away from all the hustle and bustle, being back and visiting the hospital has reinforced the continued importance of taking the necessary actions to keep everyone safe. If social distancing, despite its inconvenience, saves only one other life in your community, it’s worth it. 

Enjoying Progress

There’s something about being fully immersed in nature, cut off from the world. There’s been very limited cell service where I am this weekend, and although it’s made it difficult to post, it’s made it easier to be. We are inundated with information and addicted to our screens. Real peace is possible, and it’s there; it’s never gone away. Sometimes we need to get away to return to it. There’s a lot going on in the world, and we’re making progress. It’s messy, but we’re getting there. We also need to remember to self care during these turbulent times, so that we can enjoy the results of that progress, once they’re achieved. 

Color of Life

I remember when I was a young child I heard my Grandpa mention a black and white movie. Later I asked my Dad, “so when did the world turn into color?” I thought in the 1940s, at least in the 1800s, the world was devoid of all but those 2 colors.

Life isn’t black and white. There’s complexity, and diversity, and flourish. It’s the intricacy of our experience that keeps life interesting. If we periodically make sure we pause and appreciate that fact, we reset, and we recognize that it truly is one big beautiful amazing world. 

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.

Sustainable, not Instantaneous

I don’t consume any news until noon each day—you need some time and space for yourself, ya know? You can’t just be deep in everything constantly, it’s stressful and unhealthy.

But looking through Twitter and Facebook today, it really seems like we are turning a corner with the ongoing civil action. I’ve seen so many videos of peaceful protesting, of police officers joining citizens in solidarity against police brutality, of protestors preventing the looting of stores and talking down violence-inclined supporters. We are making progress.

It serves as a reminder that things don’t happen instantly. A week ago, there was this great debate about the nature of the protests, because of the rioting and looting. From my perspective, it looks like that debate is no longer necessary. That’s because more time has passed. The opportunists and harbingers of destruction are few and far between. They always were, but as the protests have become more normalized and organized, it has become all the more obvious. Things take time.

Criminal Justice reform will take time. Laws will not be passed immediately—they need to be drafted and critically discussed and voted upon. Police training takes time to impart on officers. People’s way of thinking about systemic and institutionalized racism will change slowly. That’s why this movement needs to be sustained. I have every confidence it will be, because people are angry.

That anger is justified. Let’s channel it toward ensuring a better future for all of us. Let’s craft a future in which everyone is treated with respect and kindness. Let’s build a future in which Black Lives Matter.

Effecting Real Change

From the present vantage point, shelter-in-place seems kind of mundane and easy, doesn’t it? Most people appear to be accustomed to it now. How much of that is because we now understand our much more significant problems? How quickly we adapt and reset our expectations. We must remember that.

I see a lot of calls to make our voices heard at the polls—to vote for the change we want to see. That’s a good start, but effective democracy doesn’t work like that in reality. Just think about the low voter turnout rates in elections. Just think about the way most people vote (making their decisions on the spot at the polls), how unaware most people are about public policy. Ever seen one of those old Jay Leno clips where he asks basic civics questions to random passerby’s? It’s not pretty.

We can also look at previous examples of how “real change” was accomplished, as it is being advocated for in current rhetoric.

The American Revolution. Did the formation of the United States come about through voting? No, it came about through the Boston Tea Party and the treasonous Declaration of Independence, and eventually the fight for freedom. It came about through resistance.

The Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation. Did Black Americans vote to end slavery? Was it voting that ended the war on slavery, or was it people’s refusal to accept it?

Women’s Suffrage. Did women get to vote to grant themselves the right to vote? Or did they petition and protest the injustice until the right was extended to them?

The Civil Rights Movement. Was it diligent voting that resulted in better treatment for African Americans? Or was it the boycotts, the protests, the marches? Was it the powerful words of the likes of MLK who appealed to peoples’ souls.

The Vietnam War. Did the politicians in Washington pull out of Vietnam because they fortuitously got up from the other side of the bed one morning? No, they were convinced by their constituents. Protests and peace rallies, marches and widespread condemnation forced the US government to listen and end the war.

How about the increased acceptance of LGBTQ+ people and their rights? Was it a groundbreaking voter turnout that changed peoples’ perceptions? No, it was the sustained effort of millions of people. Now people see them.

And what about now—the protests against racism, the call for justice reform—is this receiving attention because it got put on a ballot and many people voted for it?

Voting is a basic civic responsibility. But “real change” happens when large numbers of citizens take real action. When they use their bodies and their voices, not their pencils.

Real change happens when people act.

I will address the violence aspect another time, but for now, I think it’s suffice to say there is a narrative being pushed that we are divided. We are not. Millions of Americans, the vast majority of our populace, Black and White, police officers and citizens, want justice reform in this country. The looters, the anarchists, the white supremacists, they cower in insignificance compared to the masses of people who have demonstrated civil resistance the past week.

We are an ailing nation right now. But we are doing the right thing. We are doing what will bring about the change we all so desperately seek. We are taking action.

A Day of Reflection

Black Lives Matter. America as a nation must come to terms with how this simple truth is not evident in our society.

I support Blackout Tuesday today, for people taking time to reflect on everything. I hope in that introspection we recognize the importance of be willing to see differently.

To be able to self-examine our own paradigms is always an important quality, but especially now.

We can change America, and we can change the world. Now is the time to decide what kind of world we want. 

Changing Our Conditions

The very end of my morning saying concludes with the declaration, “I am alive.” From there I think of 3 things to be grateful for, which is the last step of my daily morning routine. This morning, I stayed with that sentiment, because I feel with everything that’s been going on, everything I’ve been thinking about, everything I’ve been writing about with both this blog and my upcoming book… it’s important for us to remember something as simple as that. We’re alive. We have life. We could be dead. We could never have been born. People are suffering right now, people’s spirits are disturbed and violated… but we are alive. We must remember to appreciate this greatest of gifts.

Beyond that, I want to contribute to the conversation about privilege. I am a tall, white, able-bodied, mesomorphic, blonde haired, blue eyed, heterosexual male born into a middle class family in Silicon Valley, California, in the United States. None of these things were earned. That’s privilege, and unfortunately in today’s world, it’s privilege determined entirely at birth. Substitute ‘billionaire’ for ‘middle class’ and you would have a person handed every possible advantage for today’s institutionalized biases. Lucky me, I won the birth lottery. What am I do with it?

I try to make the most of this privilege by breaking down the social constructs that create it. I have lived in 3 very different countries on 3 very different continents. I’ve also traveled extensively around the world. These experiences taught me a lot and exposed me to much of the incredible diversity amongst the human race. This is not an accomplishment or something to brag about, but simply facts to explain my situation, my worldview, the context in which I’m forming opinions. Because the most powerful and plain lesson I’ve learned from my life experiences so far is that we are more similar than we are different. Every single person on this planet wants the same things for themselves and their loved ones. They want to be happy healthy and wealthy. I try to live a life that promotes fairness and kindness, and I encourage others to do the same.

Once we recognize that we all live on the same rock, breathe the same air, eat food and drink water to acquire energy, and sleep to restore, we see that these other “differences" are minute and meaningless. Some people are short, some are tall. Some have darker skin, some have lighter skin. Hair color can vary. Many people are born poor. Some are born in places that give them great opportunities to live a great life, while many others are dealt much worse hands.

Regardless of all of these circumstances, we have the intellect, the technology, and the will to create a new set of conditions for this world. Conditions that equalize opportunity as perfectly as possible, so that people’s lives are determined by empathy, hard work, courage, perseverance, intelligence, and a little bit of serendipity. A world in which prejudice and bigotry are not tolerated. A world centered around character, in which success is earned. A world in which we more effectively conquer new diseases like the coronavirus. A world in which we cooperate globally and congenially to address, slow, prevent, and reverse a planetary peril like climate change.

As I’ve written the past few days, we’re getting there. Just think of life in 1800. We’re working through all these things, and I envision a world in a not-too-far-off future in which much of this is possible, even normal. It’s going to take a lot to make it happen. Can we do it? Can we do it with awareness and compassion and gratitude and love? Yes we can. We can change the world. Let’s go.

From 10,000 Feet

Let’s take a 10,000 foot view, shall we? There are some bad things going on. We’re all highly stressed out. People haven’t been working, haven’t been doing what they normally do, haven’t been leaving home. People are tired, and frustrated, and angry, and distraught, and overwhelmed, and saddened, and fed up.

We’re working some shit out.

It ain’t pretty. We can all see that, it’s on full display across the Internet.

And I don’t mean to condone anything that has occurred, “good,” or “bad.” I am not devaluing the suffering that has been experienced.

But from 10,000 feet, you start to see that change does not happen overnight after one protest. Or 4 protests, or 5. It takes continued effort, prolonged discussion; it takes time.

From 10,000 feet, it looks like we’re on the right track. This doesn’t mean we can relax. It doesn’t mean this will work itself out. It’s gonna take everything we got. But we’re getting there. We’re trying, in our own monkey way, to make the world better.

And we will. We’ll become better from this. Let’s keep that in mind as we work through our problems. Let’s remember that problems can be solved. Let’s go solve them.

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.

Stay up not down

There can be so much negativity in the news. Protests across the United States due to the murder of George Floyd, Trump’s provoking remarks about them and free speech, China’s threat toward Taiwan… it’s almost like the political-news amalgam decides to ramp up because, “hey, it’s Friday!”

It’s extremely difficult, but we can’t let the second-by-second news cycle negativity wear us down. We have made tremendous progress as a species. The planet’s wealth, health, and peace has all drastically increased over the past few decades. We can’t throw out what we’ve earned and fought for because the outlook in this very moment isn’t appealing. Remember, it’s a 24 hour, second-by-second news cycle not out of necessity but out of profit.

We haven’t worked everything out yet. But we will. We will together. To start, that means ordinary citizens stay informed (something that wasn’t possible even 50 years ago) about what’s going on the world without getting down. Prudence. Confidence. We can do this. We can change the world. Stay up fellow Americans.

Improving Numeracy

There's a lot going on in the world right now. The coronavirus is wrecking havoc on our communities across the globe, the economy is suffering in many places, especially the United States, it’s an election year in America, and leaders and activists are trying to ensure climate change action doesn’t get shelved to a later time.

It’s clear many Americans are unable or unwilling to interpret the data. Sheltering in place and wearing masks; these topics aren’t being discussed on a scientific basis. Part of what’s made it hard is the data in the US has become cloudy, with reporting metrics changing throughout this epidemic.

Humanity has made tremendous progress when it comes to literacy. As of a few years ago, 86% of the world’s population was literate, whereas only 200 years ago, that number was only at 12%. We still have much more work to do, but overall we are doing well at making sure every single person on the planet can read and write.

We still have much further to go when it comes to numeracy. Again, it’s apparent just by the online debates about the coronavirus or the economy or climate change. In order to solve these large, complicated problems, we must get better at conceptually understanding numbers and how to use them.

I’ve witnessed firsthand the increased focus on mathematical and logical reasoning skills in the American K-12 education environment, and these investments will pay off with the upcoming generation. But third graders don’t vote. Adults must get better at these skills (including myself at times). With the rising tide of continuous and online learning, especially the amount of free resources available, there is no excuse for any of us. There are dozens of platforms in which anyone can learn.

If we want to change the world, it’s going to take a lot of numbers. 

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. 

Moments of Kindness

My little sister turned 30 years old today. I believe it’s important, in spite of everything going on in the world right now, to still celebrate important events. Just because “normal” has been altered, doesn’t mean life has to stop. Nor will it. We should still cherish moments with our loved ones. My sister is autistic and in some ways struggles each day to make her own way in the world. Her disability has taught me, from a very young age, to be more understanding and compassionate towards other people. You never know what someone is going through. Especially in these times, we could all use a little more kindness. Thank you for teaching me that Megan. Happy birthday, I love you. 

Memorial Day

What do we celebrate today? The sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of people, whose courage culminates in the world we live in today. And the world of tomorrow. Can’t forget.

May we live in a future in which “the ultimate sacrifice” is no longer necessary. In a world in which we engage reason. Thank you, those who came before, and believed in a better world.

Caring Outside

There are people out this weekend. And I think that’s a good thing, if people do it safely. There’s very little chance of transmission when socially distancing outdoors. 

Getting out in nature grounds us. It reconnects us back to this very special rock we live on. There is something spiritual about walking through a quiet forest, meandering through a grassy meadow, or climbing up a tall mountain.  It’s calming, it’s soothing, it’s refreshing. 

It’s okay to take a break. Enjoy the nice weather this weekend, responsibly. Get your “Colors of the Wind” on. Let’s take care of each other, but also remember to take care of ourselves. 

Fate is Ours

Chances are if you’re reading this, life is pretty good. While staying in Africa last year I often wrote about gratitude. There is so much to be thankful for. Without doing a full review on my current book, Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker, I can safely say it’s influenced me greatly. We have it pretty good—no matter where we are. Referenced in the book, I can’t help but appreciate Barack Obama’s quote: “If you had to choose a moment in time to be born, any time in human history, and you didn’t know ahead of time what nationality you were or what gender or what your economic status might be, you’d choose today.” It couldn’t be more true. We are suffering globally, but we are also beating this. We need to unite and now focus on the suspected next hotspots, Africa and Latin America, but still… we are conquering this disease. The world’s fastest ever vaccine will be ready, hopefully, by early 2021. There are thousands of people working across the globe to make that happen. My appreciation brings me back full circle to another perceptive quote: “what a time to be alive.” Keep surviving, keep living, keep thriving. We control our fate.

Building Futures

If you’re reading this you’re probably living a great life. You probably have so much to be thankful for, as do I. But it’s a catch-22… this convenience that we experience on a daily basis… refrigeration and electricity and running water… it’s come from hard work and ingenuity and persistence. That’s what it takes from us, to make the world better for those after. What are we doing for the future?