We can change the world.
The glaciers and mountains of South Georgia, March 2019
We live in a world full of information, yet it can be difficult to discern the truth. It’s important to vet the facts one comes across.
It’s not necessarily easy for us to do; we are naturally curious and gullible creatures. We are enamored with the new.
But there’s a balance to be struck between innovation and tradition. Progress is important and the way forward, but it must stem from awareness and intention.
The plains of Inner Mongolia seem to stretch on forever, July 2014
I sat and absentmindedly watched the screensaver slowly pan on my Roku TV and realized a deep appreciation for the human imagination. There are references to decades of iconic movies on the Roku idle screen; a tribute to the creativity of generations of filmmakers and all those in the industry.
We dream up compelling stories in fantastical settings, in all sorts of mediums. One can watch a narrative in a painting, fully immerse in a novel, and experience a movie, and it’s a testament to not just our inventiveness but also our longing for connection.
How amazing it is that we live now in today’s world, in which so much art and so many stories exist for us to enjoy. What story is next?
March to March has been a balloon ride, a journey for us all
Today marks exactly one year since my partner and I returned from traveling because of the pandemic. What a wild year for the world it’s been, from lockdowns to altered living, political fiascos and the vaccines.
I’ve learned that everyone has different comfort and risk levels, and that at some point, life has to go on. There is definitely little leeway for me to complain; the pandemic has hopefully injected some gratitude into all of us.
Most of all, I am inspired by the human spirit that we have shown throughout the past year. We can truly do anything, if we organize, and I look forward to a better year, one in which we redefine our normal.
Sunset on the Amazon River, April 2019
I lay awake in bed this morning thinking about time, how fast it goes and how little of it we have. Then I got up and did my routine and meditated, slipping into the slipstream of the present, where there's so much wonder, time becomes irrelevant.
Our species is the only one on this planet that reflects on the former and loses sight of the latter. We measure time and record it and reference it to the end of accomplishing great things, but we must not let it become our master.
Because life really is too short, when viewing the bigger picture. And that view is only available when we're truly immersed in this amazing phenomenon we call life.
Looking toward Sydney’s iconic landmark, January 2020
Is it better to be a historian or a futurist? Does looking backward for lessons serve us better than prospecting forward into the future?
Like many things, this isn’t an easy dichotomy; there is benefit in both. The past and the future can also entice our inclination to hubris.
To truly be “smart” and actualize our potential as a species, we must try to see both—learn from the past and influence the future. The devil is in the strife between them.
Standing in the middle of Red Square in Moscow, September 2019
On the one hand, we’re doing pretty good: even with the pandemic, the world is better today than any point in the past. On the other, we have monumental problems during what appears to be a turning point for our species and this planet.
So where does that leave us? Somewhere in the middle, a place in which nuance and critical thinking and awareness matter.
We must organize on a global scale, across class and borders, if we are to maintain our successes and accelerate our solutions. We can rise to the moment before us, but it’ll take everything we’ve got—that only shows it’s worth it.
Early morning sunrise in Zanzibar, October 2019
There is much ado about St. Patrick’s Day in the United States. Like many Americans, I have strong Irish heritage on both sides of my family, but I have never been to Ireland and can’t claim an understanding of “true” Irish culture.
But for me this day provokes thoughts about diversity and inclusion within our greater human culture. Embracing the relatively small differences between us in a positive way leads to an appreciation for how incredible it is to live on this planet.
We can learn about, and we can celebrate, the different cultures around the world—it’s a valuable endeavor because it promotes larger perspective and exposure to what we don’t know. Let us cherish our differences and assimilate their combined value to improving our shared experience: the human condition.
Crossing paths in time with a leopard seal, March 2019
I just consider my own regard toward the future and I wonder: does our presence (or lack thereof) establish our experience? Are we capable of jettisoning our obsession with time tracking and delving deeper into our biological roots?
Nothing is off the table in today’s technological world, and as average citizens we should remain abreast of that evolving understanding. We can choose to be a part of this.
“This” being this interlocking ecological interdependence, on the grandest scale our species knows—Earth. We harmonize or face peril; let’s choose the former.
Farmers working in the field, Tibet, September 2014
Movement is life. It seems it was a struggle for many people (myself included) throughout the beginning of the pandemic, but that as time dragged on, people have recognized the importance of staying active.
We are animals, born to run and jump and swim and climb and throw and bound. I've realized it's the quickest way for me to get out of any sort of funk, be it physical, mental, or emotional.
And it feels natural, like I'm returning to the purpose of living. Life is physical and the Earth has amazing, diverse terrain--we're meant to experience it and explore!
A very special beach near Half Moon Bay today
There are many big decisions to make in life, but one of the most important is choosing who you will spend your time with. None of us know how much time we have, but we can at least choose our company.
As we reflect on the impact of the pandemic and try to identify silver linings, time has become stranger. Hopefully those we love have not become the same.
Our resources on this earth and in this life are precious. We should be sure of them.
The Salar de Uyuni in southwestern Bolivia, April 2019
Our ability to organize beyond our tribal biology will determine our collective fate. We have evolved to thrive in small groups that develop deep trust and rally around protection from “the other,” but we no longer live in such a world.
Our technology and population demographics have eclipsed such an operating system, even making it detrimental to our collective success. We must now look beyond the horizon that defines our physical boundaries, for there no longer is an edge; we inhabit a floating sphere.
How we balance an embrace of all our diverse subcultures while still evoking a global identity across our species—that’s our most important task moving forward. It will either hinder, or enable, us to solve the many problems we face.
On the steps of the Sydney Opera House, January 2020
Every generation of humans has thought itself special, and in a sense, it’s true. But it’s clear that change is accelerating because of the exponential growth of technology and our now global interconnectivity.
We live in a dynamic, synergistic world, and the consequences of our actions are not always clear. What is clear: the acts of one group can affect the rest of the planet.
For our species to thrive into the future and realize its full potential, we must adopt a one world paradigm. There may be subgroups, but they are insignificant compared to the overall one group that exists—to be human.
A certain time on a quiet deserted street, Assisi 2019
We’re all itching to get back to the semblance of normal that resonates with us. It’s close, you can feel it.
There’s a little more excitement within your bubble, and you anticipate mass vaccination and dreams of normalcy. We just have to hold on a little bit longer.
When we look back, this time will be a defining moment in our collective and individual histories. Will we look back retroactively and persist, or will we continue to grow?
The open savannah in the Mara, a stunning example of Earth’s splendor
The primary tenet of this blog is to recognize that life is amazing and to celebrate it. Sometimes I focus on our biggest problems because I think it’s valuable to promote thinking about them, but in the end, there is so much good and beauty in our world.
We exist in a universe abundant with phenomena like gravity and magnetism, a floating soup with the necessary ingredients to create the just so right conditions for a fascinating blue marble. On this wondrous planet that we inhabit there are volcanoes and sea slugs and cryptocurrency; kindness and love abound everywhere.
Life is beautiful. Let us not forget this most simple reality as we push forward on the path of progress.
A fur seal nurses her baby in South Georgia, March 2019
Life can be such a delicate balance between looking toward the future and not looking—being present. No matter how smart or accomplished someone is or how much progress we collectively achieve, you still gotta enjoy it—otherwise what’s the point?
It seems many people lean heavily in one direction: the movie caricature of the ever-calculating business tycoon whose personal life is in shambles, or the typical ambition-less partygoer who enjoys but contributes no value. I struggle with maintaining balance myself and sometimes swing heavily to one side or the other.
But if we are to sustain progress and actually revel in that progress, we must strive for balance, and remind each other to push it or ease up. As it’s said, there is a time for rest... but we also must walk the path.
Ingenuity has been applied toward wall building for much of our history, Badaling Great Wall 2012
How incredible is the human mind, that it can be engrossed in its own processing of information for hours upon looking at a small papered rectangle or watching a large electronic rectangle. And now an advanced handheld rectangle, the cell phone, can simultaneously function as both at any given moment for the user’s convenience.
Our species created the systems for harnessing our mind’s ability to think and imagine centuries ago, but we now live in a saturated world in which virtually every human being can participate in the exchange of ideas. Do we choose to apply this power purely for consumption and entertainment purposes, or do we want to apply it to something greater?
We view ourselves as different, and our capacity to think, to escape the present, to imagine the future and reflect on the past, is perhaps the biggest separator. We just have to avoid the rabbit hole, and channel this collective ability according to its original biological intention: living, connecting, and thriving.
Fire in the sky suitably shrouds Lassen Peak this morning
I used to say you haven’t visited a place until you’ve experienced a sunrise and a sunset there. The former is often overlooked or sacrificed for nighttime adventures.
This morning reminded me to not make such a mistake, that sunrise is a unique phenomenon every single day, and that practically every human who has walked this Earth has witnessed one. It’s an event that we can share across time and space throughout the lineage of our species.
Each new day begins with a communion with the sun. We may not understand eternity, but we can grasp the connection that a sunrise offers to all of us.
Sunset over Whiskeytown Lake tonight
In exploring Redding today while visiting family, I realized how important it can be to travel to “ordinary” places as well as spectacular. Not that the surrounding nature here isn’t sublime—it is—but we often forget to discover what’s beyond our own backyard.
When I look in on a new place, I try to find the pulse of the environment and the culture of any people living there. What’s the pace of life, and what are the sunrises and sunsets like?
Being in Redding today has reinforced the majesty of the Earth, but also validated the education that traveling brings. Experience adds new dimensions to our perspective, and travel provides unrepeatable ventures into the new and spectacular.
Dawn in Torres del Paine, March 2019
While enjoying my coffee this morning I read an article my Dad sent me about the last Northern White rhinos on Earth, and besides getting me emotional, it also continued the train of thought I’ve been riding the past few days. One that has only vindicated my strongest of beliefs: we inhabit the most magnificent planet known to exist, and it’s past time we recognize it.
Just spend 15 seconds considering how strange and wonderful rhinos are. What fascinating creatures, amongst the billions of others, that populate this wondrous rock we’re blessed to call home.
We have yet to collectively realize the most important epiphany to our species, and it’s quite simple really: life is literally amazing, and the miracle of its existence in this very special place in space is sacred. Act accordingly.
Just an ordinarily beautiful day in Cairns, Australia, January 2020
We proclaim education as important, that schools need to be opened as soon and safely as possible. Yet what percentage of teachers are currently vaccinated?
Our organizational abilities have been in the spotlight throughout this pandemic. Without control groups, we are otherwise seeing a species study playing out in real time.
Education ensures progress from generation to generation. If there’s one thing to learn from all this, it can be epitomized in this most ancient and critical act, the passing down of knowledge and values to the future.