Gratitude Rabbit Hole

I find it meaningful to really settle down into the gratitude rabbit hole at night. There are always so many incredible things to be grateful for, aspects of your life that could very easily be a lot worse. 

I try to think, “I have an able body and a comfortable place to sleep at night. I enjoy everyday luxury as an ordinary person that monarchs and emperors of the past could not even imagine.”

And the other things I can be thankful for? The love and community in my life, the circumstances and successes—those are within my control. 

Global Fairness

As the world has become more connected, it’s become more apparent that we do not have equitable distribution across our global civilization. Concerning different regions of the world or pertaining to discrepancies between separate groups of people within a region, the current state of the world exhibits inequality and unfairness.

Now, economics and the dynamics involved within a complex global economy are a complicated issue that isn’t solved with blanket statements or the wave of a magic wand. So how do we proceed?

Deepening education amongst the populace is the beginning, and a continued, constructive conversation is the middle. The end is a more just, a more fair, and a more free world—if we want to fight for it. 

The Human Thread

We are a diverse species, of all kinds of backgrounds and creeds. We represent so many distinct ways of life, and yet...we are all human. 

If you had to explain to someone what makes a human being, what would you say? Are there qualities that every single sapien shares?

We seek betterment, we desire companionship, we live with joy, and we love. Is there anything more important than this common thread that weaves us all together?

Reset Mechanisms

I know of 2 ways to ground oneself: enduring survival conditions and anchoring expectations to that experience, or appreciating the magnificence of an amazing universe at full capacity. Both work, but the latter can be evoked by anyone at any time.

I routinely fall into first-world perspectives, but if I'm able to climb out and compare to true hardship, my problems fade into oblivion. Likewise, modern luxury can make it easy to take comfort and convenience for granted; but when I respect the sheer incredulity of it all, life becomes much simpler and more peaceful.

There may be other strategies, but understanding how good you have it and contemplating the magic of reality are both accessible and powerful. Basically: it's probably not that bad in the grand scheme of things, because the grand scheme is infinitely spectacular. 

Learning from each other

Political discussions can be hard to come by these days. Sure there’s plenty of dross on the TV and in the news, but what about real conversations between real people?

Lasting change only occurs when “regular” citizens are talking about policy and power. These debates can quickly become messy, but when we begin from the same place—wanting the world to be better for everyone—we are able to see where we are wrong, where we can learn. 

I wholeheartedly advocate for people holding respectful, challenging discussions about the systems of power in the world and how they can be improved. It’s difficult as hell sometimes, definitely... but how else can we change the world?

Societal Years

Exactly a year ago today, I lamented the pandemic and imagined it all an April Fool’s Day prank—how naive my perspective was back then. Now I wonder: what have we all learned in the prolonged time that is this past year?

Or put a different way, if you were aware then of all you know now, what would you caution? That the “other side” or “other” learn its lessons?

I sometimes struggle to remain vigilant against such thinking. A year is such an incredibly long time (perhaps this year was a little extra long)—for the next year, what do we hope to learn, to achieve, and to build upon as a society?

Simple Livin’

Was life more boring before the exponential explosion of technology? Perhaps, but the fewer opportunities for dopamine-inducing stimuli enabled a more focused attention. 

I consistently think about how much I use my phone, and I’m still almost powerless to its seduction. Though in the rare instances I’m able to leave it be, I relish the return to simple pleasures, innocent indulgences, and just an overall fascination with the world around me. 

We undoubtedly live safer, more convenient, and more comfortable lives when immersed within the scaffolding of technology. But there’s also indeed something sensational about simple living.  

Choosing What’s in the Pipes

Similarly, what we choose to focus on (in the limited time we have available) is also important. With only so much bandwidth, what will we choose to play?

Creativity and innovation and value are words thrown around a lot, but really, it’s up to each person to decide where or put their attention across 80+ odd years. What’s the balance between spending time with the tribe and doing work?

There might be different levels for each of us. Are we willing to openly support everyone’s choices within a unified system?

Time and Money

I once caught up with a friend and he asked me, “how are you spending your time?” He meant it casually and was genuinely asking how I was doing, but I found it such a perceptive question when greeting others.

Because until we make significant progress in life extension, if we ever do, time is each person’s most valuable resource. The question goes, if you could trade lives with the 90 year old Warren Buffet, would you?

Most people substantially younger than he would probably pass, because we inherently value time of life more than 85 billion dollars. When viewing it from this perspective, there’s no argument, so...what are we doing with our time?

Crowd Decisions

Lots of decisions to make in life huh? As advised, I’ll take it as it comes.

We get to choose who we surround ourselves with, and that proportionally affects the environment we live in. It precedes many of the other potential decisions we might face. 

That extends to the entire planet. Can’t really get away from each other—so let’s make it work. 

Spendin’ Time

Time is each person’s most precious resource. Don’t we owe it to each other to recognize that?

We have inherently known this for millennia; surely there have been grandparents around the world explaining this to their grandchildren for thousands of years. So what is it that prevents us from collectively communicating this simple yet profound truth to each other?

The ultimate gesture is to tell another you love them, that you want to spend your most valuable resource with them—your time, your life. How can we leverage this fact to the world for all?

Live with Love

I don’t know if it’s from a recent book or movie, but I’ve realized a new maxim for me (and us): live with love. Love is a choice, and putting it out into the world causes reverberations beyond what we can see. 

If we reject the idea that love ‘happens’ to us, that it’s an uncontrollable condition, then we regain our greatest power. Our most impactful ability is to generate and transfer love onto other beings, and this foundational capability enables all other good we can do in this world.

Love cannot be extinguished by anything external, it’s something each of can choose to emanate. What a simple and beautiful epiphany—live with love. 

Storywriters

We are biologically disposed to make and see stories. Do you ever watch a movie or finish a book and feel melancholy when it’s over?

So what’s our collective story? We can craft whatever individual stories we want about our own individual lives, but how do they all come together?

We are the arbiters of our civilization’s fate. We decide what story to tell; we are the storywriters.

Travel World

I had this passing thought today, of a world in which most people traveled. Not in an anarchical sense, but just of humans regularly visiting different places around the globe. 

There are so many distinct cultures within our species, each beautiful in its own way. There are millions of other species, spread across a multitude of geographies and environments. 

In this world passing through my head, we lived in awe. It’s any other emotion odd?

Roots of Progress

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. 

Story Connection

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?

An Abnormal Year

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. 

It’s About Time

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.

Past and Future

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. 

Somewhere in the Middle

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.