Tribal Impact

Times with the tribe seem to be few and far between, yes especially with the pandemic, but also in general in modern life. Tonight I was able to enjoy precious time with my tribe, and it reinforced how much community impacts us. 

We rarely are without our devices, almost always connected to the internet and the pulse of society. There are some advantages inherent in this, but it also makes it difficult to forge deep connections in the right here, right now. 

Our community grounds us in our expectations and experience. How well we develop our tribe directly influences our ability to contribute to the universe. 

World Shaping

I often wonder how we’ll look back on the pandemic in a decade. Our perspective has already morphed several times throughout these 18 months or so. 

The only other event I can compare it to in my lifetime is 9/11. And that makes you consider the world we inhabit: that two such catastrophes are the mechanisms that have most shaped our world. 

How can someone like you or me combat such fantastical circumstances? By practicing and promoting awareness, and focusing on contribution. 

Modernity Postulations

I’ve heard it said that America is like a teenager: still young and immature, but showing talent in some areas, still trying to figure things out. As a species we seem to be in the same general area with the Internet and global connectivity. 

We kind of know that Facebook and Instagram and Twitter and YouTube are bad, that digital advertising is taking advantage of and altering our psychology. We understand that we’re addicted to our mobile devices and our children are negatively affected by their proliferation into everyday life. 

Can we rise above this, can we recognize the strangeness of the current modern world, and can we do something about it? It’s up to us to decide, and it starts with our daily habits, our smallest choices, and our collective resolve. 

Transitionary Flow

There are times of going along with the flow, and there are momentous periods that disproportionally impact space and time. I feel like you only recognize the latter once you’re in it, when experiencing the transition. 

If you asked me to look back on my life and pick out the most impactful moments, I might struggle to identify specific events. But you know when you’re in it; you can feel the transition shaping what’s to come. 

I do believe success in many ways derives from persistence during the monotonous grind of good habits and choices over a long period of time, but life’s significance seems to originate from the other. Those transitionary times that stand apart, they define who we become and what mark we leave on the universe. 

Connections and Ripples

There seem to be connections everywhere. Call it psychology or a more thorough understanding of how our minds work, but there are links and attachments to everywhere and everything. 

In a sense, we are vessels of all these relations, and it’s a privilege to experience them. On the other, we can look to great examples throughout our history, of those who capitalized and enabled something even greater through that connection. 

It’s a whole wide universe, and we’re just living in it. The choice we have: to institute whatever small ripple we decide to make. 

Everyone Has a Who

I feel it always comes back to who you’re with. At the end of it all, what do we reflect back on?

Meaning, for our species, comes from experience with others. No matter anything else, we value our time spent with others. 

With that in mind, what kind of world are we building? If there’s a who for everyone, how do we maximize the experience for all?

Enjoy Monkey

Chances are if you’re reading this, life is pretty great. With the technology we enjoy in today’s world, there’s only so much we can complain about. 

After a hard day’s work of manual labor, what do we return to? Cloth comforts and refrigerated sustenance, a monetary system that enables attainment of any desire at a moment’s notice. 

We simple apes aren’t doing half bad. We should remember that, and hopefully it pushes us to strive for even better for all. 

Moving Thoughts

I laugh when I think of moving now compared to antiquity. For most of our species’ history, “moving” constituted walking to another place, potentially with some sort of sack or bag .

Today I lumbered up and down stairs carrying boxes of things, back and forth between two bigger boxes. I’m incredibly grateful for my fortune and for where I’m moving, but it was still comical to consider how different the world is that we live in now. 

It’s a useful exercise for recognizing how good we have it. Things have become simple, or easy, but we can still experience the same significance as our ancestors long ago. 

Work Balance

We complain about work or the grind, and it’s especially noticeable after a trip or vacation. But after a day or two, we quickly slide back into our routine.

We are habitual creatures, and we also need some type of work, some type of difficult stimulation, in our lives. It helps us attribute meaning to our time here. 

It also makes the relaxation or “free time” that much better. It’s our sorrows that make the joys that much more pronounced, and the work that provides balance to our freedom. 

Milestone Gratitude

Gratitude is an exuberant feeling that rises the tide of all other emotions. When you recognize that whatever you’re experiencing or possessing is never automatic, it shifts how you feel about achieving it. 

I often write about how social we are, that we require a tribe to ground us. There’s also the first time you experience a milestone, a feeling that only occurs once. 

Establishing one’s home in the modern world is a milestone too few get to achieve. Home is your tribe, but it’s also where you feel safe, the land that is yours. 

Modern Rites

I was listening to a podcast the other day and they were talking about the lack of rites of passage in today’s society. With trying to buy my first property and getting married this month, I can respectfully disagree with that notion. 

Our world is more diverse and connected than it’s ever been before, and our lives are definitely easier now than at any point in our history. Yet with all the diversity and innovation, loneliness and inequality seem to be running rampant around the world. 

I guess the point is there will always be problems on this planet, and we will always need up to rise to the challenge. Sure we’ve inherited a more free and fair world; but maybe our rite of passage is to ensure it stays that way. 

Memorial Day Gratitude

Memorial Day is a hard day for so many. I consider myself lucky for being so far removed from it. 

Yet am I? Are any of us?

We enjoy freedoms because of the sacrifices of many before us. One day we’ll hopefully live without war and violence, but let us not forget the acts of valor that have shaped the world we can live in now. 

Family is Home

And then there’s something about coming home. Traveling expands horizons, but there’s nothing like returning to your tribe.

We experience through visiting other places, but family is home. After exploring we want to come back to what’s familiar. 

We are social creatures after all. Family is home. 

Tribal Thoughts

Being on a trip with true friends just makes me grateful. Companionship doesn’t come cheap, it’s earned and something to be treasured. 

We just take so much for granted. The simple things, like friendship, are the most important. 

Where would we be without the trust and intimacy of our tribe? We are social creatures, and the connection drives us. 

Friendship and Stuff

Waking up to the beach amongst friends changes your perspective. Gosh it’s beautiful out there ya know?

There’s so much to say regarding friendship, but what words can provide justice?

We experience this reality, and company expands what’s possible. We are social creatures whose biology has evolved to work together. 

Here in San Diego, with companions, enables a fuller picture. This is life, let’s live it!

Off to San Diego

With international travel still on hiatus, I’ve been doing a lot more shorter domestic trips, and it’s been great to visit different parts of the US. The country is diverse and vast, and there is so much to explore and learn. 

This weekend I’ll be enjoying the weather and vibrancy of San Diego with close friends, and I couldn’t be more excited. Even the places we’ve been to many times offer different perspectives opportunities; each visit is a new experience.

Spending all one’s time in one corner of the world seems foolish. To travel—and to visit San Diego—is to truly live, to embrace all Earth has to offer. 

Why not Happy

I arose to an epiphany today that I think would be good to incorporate into a morning routine: is there any reason this should not be the happiest day of my life? If we begin each day’s journey with such sentiment, what would the implications be?

I’ve recently written about how nature provides a sort of reset against our comfortably conditioned approach to living. What could the daily ritual of asking this question provide?

By all considerable circumstances, we live the lives of royalty in bygone eras. Why not, why cannot this very moment, be an embrace of the present and of life itself?

Deeper to Humanism

The concept of humanism doesn’t get enough attention. Our current society is embroiled in more primitive conversations about identity, and while a step in the right direction, we don’t seem to be going deeper. 

We exist in a fantastical universe beyond the scope of our  imagination. We’ve been ushered into this complex, ever changing and dynamic world, and we try to make sense of it all. 

We must appreciate sheer reality. Then we can empathize with others, and broach complicated topics with learning intention, and truly change the world. 

Seeing Abundance

A nice meal with family is one of the greatest gifts we can enjoy during our time. How wonderful is it there is wine, and laughter, and good food and the luxury of company. 

After camping in the “wilderness,” I seem to appreciate these fine distinctions of a good life. What else can we ask for, besides health and family and opportunity?

When we detach ourselves from the societal web of narratives, we begin to understand the true values in life. There is abundance, and it’s here every day right in front of us, if we’re able to see it. 

Bear Musing

Back in the hustle and bustle already--it's really incredible how drastic the change is, and how quickly you can be back in it. Every time I get away, it reinforces how much my soul connects with nature.

I can't stop thinking of our encounter with the bear yesterday and the state of awe that entranced us for hours afterward. Viewing wildlife, and experiencing that connection to true life outside of our city fortifications, puts our fortunes into perspective.

In many ways, we are soft and always comfortable, luxuriously enjoying the benefits of generations of hard work. Going out into the woods and seeing a bear is a great remedy against complacency, and offers a brief glimpse into the amazing ecosystem that governs life on this planet.