Infinite Perspectives

It’s taken me a long time, but I’ve finally truly understood something: every person sees the world differently. I reflect on how I see the world, and I think about why. It’s because of my unique experiences in life—just as the next person will see the world the way they do because of their distinct life experience. I have been incredibly fortunate to be able to travel and see different parts of the world. This has given me an unusual perspective about societal norms and has altered how I view the world as a whole. Even if we take someone within roughly the same culture and circumstances—say, someone the same age as me who grew up and lives in Baltimore, it becomes clear their perspective would be completely different. 

This may seem obvious. In a rudimentary way, of course I’ve understood we all have our own perceptions of reality. But on a deeper level, it can be profound to consider that we each have our own entirely singular lens with which we view the world. My partner and I see the world slightly differently, and that’s the person I spend more time with than any other. I view the world differently than my parents and the rest of my family, than my friends…and the same holds for every single other person on this planet. No other person sees life the same way you do. 

This is why friends bond and easily reminisce over a shared experience, such as a summer camp together or concert or years at school. In those instances of shared time, friends experience an intersection of perspective, and this connection is enjoyable. We revel in strengthening the fellowships we develop.

How powerful our brains are to warp experience into idea and perspective for future survival. Can we leverage this phenomenon, can we harness it? We are well on our way to creating shared experience through the power of technology. Haven’t you experienced a connection with a stranger or acquaintance over a well-known meme or gif? Perhaps the internet has made more connections than we know, and is not simply divisive.

Our perspectives can be our unique contributions to the world, or they can be a means for segregation and destruction. What will we choose?

Peace with Life

It’s so easy to get caught up in the everyday, the urgent distractions that take up our mindshare. I think about how long a week can feel, and how much of it can be dominated by the news, or tribe drama, or consumption, or negative self talk. If we zoom out, do those things have any bearing on our wellbeing, on our life experience as we would like to experience it? Examining the bigger picture helps us adjust our center, our starting point, our orientation to all we encounter in life. It helps us differentiate what truly matters. I try to ask myself often, “If I continue on this current track, how will I feel on my deathbed? Will I be proud? Satisfied? Fulfilled?” It can be a heavy line of thought, certainly, but I find that when I am in touch with this question I feel content with the direction of my life. You know when a character in a show or book knows she’s going to die and has a brief burst of her life’s imagery? The ultimate example is Bruce Willis in the film Armageddon, when he has that rapid series of flashes of his daughter growing up before the bomb goes off. Who knows if such an epiphany ever occurs, but that scene has always stuck with me… what would appear in your series? What are ultimately the most important facets of your life? I think when we determine for ourselves what they are, and feel that quiet sense of confidence about our decision, we can not only pursue our wildest dreams and live our fullest lives, but also be truly at peace.

EOY Reflections

Man, 2020 has been a hard year for everyone. I know I have it so much easier than millions of others, but it’s still been a difficult time. While doing the dishes tonight I reflected on my mental health and realized it’s far worse than I can remember. It’s a compressing feeling not being able to see friends and loved ones. It’s almost impossible to plan anything this year because so much changes so much so quickly. I don’t feel good—my body doesn’t feel great, and it’s because I’ve let slip a lot of my habits.

It’s time to finish out the year strong. It’s dark in the morning and early evening, and that makes it all the more bleak. But it doesn’t matter. It’s cold now, which makes exercising more difficult. It doesn’t matter. We can’t hold our traditional, important celebrations of Thanksgiving and Christmas. It doesn’t matter. We can control much less this year than usual. It doesn’t matter. We can control ourselves. We can get healthy, and we can be happy. We can write handwritten letters (a lost art form) to those loved ones we can’t see over the holidays. We can spend true quality time with the loved ones within our bubble. We can look forward to the arduous political road ahead, and at least be satisfied that we have cleared some significant hurdles. Sure, 2020 might be hard, but what’s the alternative? Give up? It might be easy to relinquish our effort and waste away, but we know in our hearts we won’t. That we’ll get back up. That’s what matters.

This year will not be the end of us. We will rise stronger from it, more resilient, more alive. I believe we can do this, and I believe we will. Our species has never done anything different. It’s who we are. Let’s end 2020 with the same hope we began it with. Let’s live fully and truly, and let’s change the world.

2020 Decisions

Hard decisions to make with the holidays. I can’t imagine in most of the country, where the weather doesn’t cooperate. Like in so many other ways, 2020 has forced us to consider the timelines of our lives. To make calculations we haven’t had to make in the modern world. How many Thanksgivings am I likely to have with my elders? How much will actual face time mean to my family? Can we make it longer, put off gathering until next year? These are hard choices in a bleak winter. If we are considering the consequences of our actions, I believe in the freedom for each person to make their own choice. Freedom isn’t easy, as 2020 and the coronavirus is proving. How we make our way from here is up to us. 

Friday Approach

We view Friday’s in such a different way than the other days of the week. It’s the precipice of the weekend! Freedom! Even when I wasn’t working, I psychologically viewed Friday’s this way. 2020 has granted us the opportunity to break this mold, but I still feel very much sucked into the old way. Even this weekend, of which I have no plans or intentions to go anywhere, I still looked forward to tonight and tomorrow and Sunday. Just the prospect of having free time, having the knowledge of no pending responsibilities the next day, is enticing. Editing photos while listening to music on my headphones. Clearing out my my to-do tray. Finishing my current book. My plans for the next 60 hours or so aren’t grand or even incredibly important, but they’re mine and mine alone. That type of freedom over our personal time simply can’t be replicated or replaced. If only we could channel this sense of optimism and liberty into every day, or into our collective impediments. Ease into that Friday approach.

Gratitude Abundance

At my work we have instituted Thankful Thursday’s for the month of November, leading up to Thanksgiving. It’s been a good continual reminder to be grateful, something I have not done well lately. With the election and the pandemic portending future gloom, it’s been hard to stay in the present moment. I am remembering, this month, that gratitude leads to abundance. When you are grateful for what you have, you physiologically feel better. You see life in terms of possibilities, in all its majesty. We may have serious problems to solve, but there is also reason to rejoice. We are alive, together here, on this beautiful planet in this wonderful quadrant of what we call the universe. We have breath, we can move, we are free. Choosing to reflect on these basic yet surreal realities makes life that much more enjoyable. Gratitude opens the door to a world of abundance. 

Veteran Service

Is it possible to be against wars but also appreciate the service of our veterans? I grapple with this question every November. Millions of Americans have fought for what our country stands for—freedom and equality and justice. Some day, I hope we can reach the point in which fighting is no longer necessary. It can be complicated, but what is clear is that the United States would not exist as we know it today without the sacrifice of our veterans. Thank you for your service. 

Lessons from Mom

There’s the nature versus nurture argument. There’s the debate about education and social economic status. For me, at the end of the day, how your parents raise you says it all. They are the primary example you are exposed to as you grow up, and they help you through your early fears, doubts, and struggles. I still rely on my Mom for that. We undoubtedly owe who we are, as well as our greatest triumphs, to the foundation that was set for us in the beginning. My mom has taught me what it means to be a good person. She has shown me how to enjoy the little things in life that by themselves make it worth while. Finally, she has given me some of my toughest criticism, which has pushed me to where I am now. Thank you Mom, I love you, and happy birthday. 

Back to Education

As I think about the significant challenges we face as a species, I keep coming back to one thing: education. Education is the fulcrum from which we can leverage our strengths and change the world. Politics, the economy, public health. They all stem from education. How we treat each other, how we handle technology, how we think—it all comes back to education. It’s an investment that takes time. But the dividends are worth it.  

Future Horizons

Is anyone else starting to plan for 2021, or at least the future? I feel like the election has been looking over America this year, and now that it’s finally over, we can focus back on our lives and our future. Sure, there will still be the falling action of Trump contesting the election, which reminds me of the end of one of Sun Tzu’s quotes (“tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat”). And as I’ve written over the past week, the real work lies ahead of us. Our significant problems are not going away on their own accord. But I can’t help but scan the horizons and look forward to better days, cheerful days. We must be the change we want to see in the world, definitely, but we also should enjoy it. 

One Night

Politics was on the table tonight, of course. But the enjoyable part was the sense of ease, at least for a night. We still have so much work to do, and we have to gear up for it. But for one dinner, one night at least, it was hopeful, encouraging. We can change the world, and today’s results were the first step. Onward toward progress. 

Wake Up Time

The coronavirus epidemic has almost become like climate change—a horrendous, worsening problem that only amounts to a dull, annoying hum in the background of our society’s consciousness. We can adapt to anything, it truly is amazing. There will be a vaccine at some point, and then it will go away. We’ll convert to green energy eventually, and it will no longer be a problem. I find myself wishing away problems in my own life from time to time, until I wake up and realize they won’t go away unless I attack them and solve them. It’s high time for us to collectively wake up. 

What Matters Most

The antidote for the ongoing political headache? Putting the phone down, turning the TV off, and spending some quality time with family. Back (what seems like 3 years ago) on November 3rd, I told my partner, “no matter what happens, we will be together, and that’s what’s most important.” We can survive this political turbulence by recognizing we are all grateful for the same things: whatever health wealth and happiness we experience in our lives. Policy matters; it affects lives. But if we start with what matters most, we can approach policy and politics in a much more grounded, more powerful way. 

The Day After

Here we are at November 4th. The results are not finalized for the United States Presidential Election, and we are all watching, or at least waiting. Yet... the time for watching and waiting is over. We need to adjust our perspective. Our civic duty does not encompass voting once every four years. If we want to change our country and change our world... well, it won’t change by itself. It requires action. Whomever is elected President of the United States, it is our responsibility as citizens to ensure he executes the law the way we see fit. It is our duty to ensure our congressional representatives draft laws that we deem pertinent. We might disagree about how to go about the governance of this country. Should we just revert back to social media scrolling and TV consumption then? The time to act is now. November 3rd has passed, and in typical 2020 fashion, we must be patient for the actual results. But that doesn’t mean we sit back and wait for change. We must go get it. November 4th, one way or another, is the start of a new age of active citizenship. We can change the world. 

Election Exhaustion Notes

What a day. Working at a voting center these past four days has been enlightening. The three main takeaways: anxiety runs rampant throughout the country, independent of political affiliation. Secondly, people seem to comprehend the vital importance of voting, and many deem it a civic duty. Finally, so many people, the overwhelming majority of people who voted or dropped off their vote-by-mail ballots at the voting center at which I worked, were incredibly gracious for our working the station. People care, people understand, people appreciate. The United States of America is a massive diverse country that is figuring itself out. We have much more growth and reflection to pursue. Regardless of the results this week, let’s focus on maintaining that understanding, that growth, and that reflection. 

United back of Mind

Do you know America, or do you just think you know? I asked myself this question today, as I considered how different life must be for someone living in Oregon, or Minnesota, or Arkansas, or Vermont or Georgia. I’ve been to 3 of those 5 states, but it’s been years and years, and visiting isn’t the same. We are a massive country with a diverse geographical landscape, distinct pockets of specific populations, and millions of people adopting different ways of life. There is no single one way to live—that’s what freedom is—and that’s what used to once unite us. Maybe we can go back to that, if we can more broadly consider how different one’s life experience might be somewhere else 1500 miles away. Let’s keep that in mind on Election Day Eve. We might disagree about the way to go about things, but we all want the same things. It will take resolve and grit, work and perseverance, but we can change this country, and we can change the world. 

Action Over Anxiety

Working at a voting station during this election has made it hard to not focus on politics. Many folks who have come in for early voting, either to drop off their absentee ballot or to vote in person, have been anxious. If you watch the news or consume it online, the anxiety makes sense—the sanctity of elections, the voting process itself, has been questioned and criticized for weeks. Perhaps it’s a signal to us to be more proactive in our citizenship, beyond the core civic duty of participating in elections. We determine the type of country we live in, by voting yes, but also by regularly communicating with our representatives, by communicating with our wallets, by consistently engaging in civil discourse, and by organizing in civil action when prudent. The power and extent of our democracy is determined by us, the people. Vote—it’s a great start—but continue to insist on citizenship governance all the other months of the year. Our thoughts, and our words, and our actions...they matter. 

A Different Halloween

It seems Halloween, like so many other things, is very different this year. I’m sure if you asked most people back in March or April they would have assumed we would be “back to normal” come Halloween. But as we itch to return to what we know, we must reflect on the state of our world when it was “normal.” We still had issues with our healthcare, our economic and political systems, with education. These big four were far from optimal. Do we simply want to return, or do we want to build something better? A lot of us are struggling mentally with our current covid reality. We are bored, restless, anxious. Maybe if we commit ourselves to working on improving the big four, our confidence and conscious will be uplifted. There is so much work to do. Are we willing to do it?

10 Political Things

I took political science 101 in my first semester of my freshman year of college, and I still remember the first day of class. After a lecture about the importance of politics, our professor gave us homework for the following session: make a list of 10 things that are affected by politics. Leaving it to the last minute, I found it kind of difficult to think of so many. I was impressed during the next lecture, as our professor randomly called on people to read 2-3 things on their list. They were all different. There wasn’t a single similar thing on anybody’s list. This cleverly reinforced our first lesson: politics affects everything. The cost of electricity in your home. Your NFL viewing experience. Where you live and how long it takes you to get to the grocery store. It literally affects every facet of our lives. This doesn’t mean we have to make it the center of our lives (as the media tries to do every 4 years in October), but that we can better understand its importance and how it affects our lives. Giving politics the proper amount of attention across our society is something we have yet to figure out. It’s time we take charge. 

Our Value of Life

I’ve blogged about this before, but I think it’s helpful to often ask ourselves about our purpose in life. We only have a limited amount of time alive. We have these big myelinated brains and we’re capable of great thought and great emotion, and maybe because of that it’s so easy to get lost in the shuffle of everything. To become consumed by the news and the election, to be too comfortable with the reality we’ve adapted to. Each person’s purpose is unique—it might not be her job, or family, or passion. But when we pose the question to ourselves often enough—what is my purpose in life—we can truly contribute value to the universe.