Park in the Desert

To put it simply, I was moved today. Joshua Tree National Park is one of the most unique places I’ve ever been; it’s bizarre and beautiful and alluring.

The moon watched over the desert all day, and I asked myself at one point, “how fucking awesome is it that there’s a moon, how beautiful it is and how it affects so much of our planet.” Such thoughts strike you often when immersed in the rhythm of the desert. 

There are so many incredible national parks across the U.S., and they weren’t made by humans—we only discovered them, and thankfully set them aside to be preserved and appreciated. Visiting these fantastical places changes our perception of this wondrous world. 

A Veteran-free Future

California’s scenery absolutely arrested me this morning as I drove out of the Bay Area, through the Central Valley, and over the mountains beyond Bakersfield into the desert. After 7 hours of driving, we were in a completely different environment, but still in California. 

The Earth is utterly beautiful, and I thought of that line in the opening moments of Dune, “my planet Arrakis is so beautiful when the sun is low.” We have the desert, and mountains, and the ocean, and wide open plains and dense forests and vibrant jungles. 

Must we fight over it? I look forward to the day when Veteran’s Day no longer exists, when any wars fought were so long ago that we look back at them as foolhardy, and instead enjoy this most precious planet we all call home. 

Societal Opportunity

Listening to the news while on a run today, I concurred with the anchor’s assessment of our collective feelings about society: we feel there is an inevitable decline. There’s no doubt that the pandemic has made visible many pervasive problems that persist in our nation and around the world. 

And while I may share in that view at times, it somehow, paradoxically, strengthens my resolve: there’s room to get better, which means it can be better. We can build a better world; it’s an opportunity. 

While we fight our way out of this pandemic and its many effects on our way of life, it’s important to also remember the learnings and the potential. We can change the world. 

Those Who Make Law

It is Congress who makes the laws in this country, not the President. I think about this often when engaging in political discussions with others. 

We call so much attention to the executive branch of government, but we argue about things that are controlled by Congress. This same body of government is the only one truly elected by the people. 

The focus must be shifted to those we vote for, and we must do more than vote. If we organize around demanding performance from our representatives, there will be much less to quarrel over. 

Every Day Miracle

It’s the every other ordinary days that life happens. The Monday's in November, the normal workdays with nothing special and a bedtime. 

There exists the opportunities for clear thought and true connection with others. It’s these nights I reach my deepest epiphanies. 

Something meaningful can occur any day; we don’t have to only look forward to the exciting days. From one perspective, every day is a miracle. 

Information Influx

We can be so sure of ourselves and our technological ability to deliver information, yet we still struggle to distribute truth. How confident can an ordinary citizen really be?

Re-enter the importance of openness, the capability to consider new pieces of information and all factors. At this juncture in our society, it’s the most integral trait we can develop. 

It is not too late to protect our environment, and bettering the lives across the globe is not hopeless. We are capable of effecting change; it starts corralling the influx of information. 

Gathering Moment

To gather with our tribe—is there anything more integral to our species? It’s not just social, it’s biological. 

We thrive in groups, and for most of our history they have been manageable ones. We have now come into a new age, one in which we truly embrace the entirety of our human race. 

That, or we fall; the situation could not be any more clear. What will it be from us, in this most pivotal moment?

Communication Across

I enjoy participating in political discussions with others, whether they be friends or coworkers or strangers. The only way we can understand each other’s convictions is if we communicate. 

There are too many silos in the world today, and we often aren’t even aware of our complicity. To push back against these mechanisms we must actively seek out differences of opinion and perspective. 

In the grandest, most longitudinal view, we are not in much disagreement, no matter where we fall on the political spectrum. We all want the same for ourselves and our tribe, we just need to expand our concept of tribe. 

Celebrating Things

As you get older you recognize there are reasons to celebrate: a friend’s birthday, or a reunion with a friend. These are occasions enough, valuable to our life experience. 

It can be hard to separate these occurrences from the lavish convenience of the everyday modern world. Did original thought originate from simpler times of those wanting more, or were those patrons simply the first of many to have those ideas?

Regardless it’s easy to fall victim to the routine of today’s world. When we appreciate true reasons to celebrate life, we embrace what it can wholly offer. 

Problems of Our Times

I mention to people that it feels like the seasons have shifted, and I always seem to get nodding heads. We are truly living in extraordinary times. 

We try (or not try, depending on your perspective) to stave off catastrophic climate changes to our planet, while running social experiments on billions of people through our technology. We’re still learning how to organize when there are this many of us. 

These circumstances raise the stakes, but they also make our time more exciting. We have interesting problems to solve, and the resources to solve them… let’s go do it. 

An Election Day

Today is Election Day in many places. There should be an exclamation point at the end of that proverbial sentence, as the consequences are real. 

I look forward to the day it’s a national holiday, that enables every person to vote, regardless of their “status” in society. We can all look forward to the day that these days correspond to systemic change. 

It’s only a matter of time, right? It is if we choose it is, and today services as another important reminder. 

Clean up Action

We feel better when our environment is clean. I experienced the simplest example of this upon tidying up my room today. 

But are the effects any less noticeable when it’s our neighborhood, our city, our country, our planet? Perhaps it just hasn’t been done extensively enough for us to notice?

There have been pledges and proclamations on the world stage recently about cleaning up the planet. The time is beyond them; these times call for action. 

Spooky Night

Like many holidays, Halloween changes when you’re an adult. As a kid it’s about candy, as an older kid it’s about partying, and as an adult it’s…just another day. 

I don’t have kids of my own, so I haven’t restarted the cycle yet. But I always feel something strange on this night, as if the night is somehow more alive. 

“Scary” was never the word for me with Halloween, it was always “spooky.” Tonight’s a night to steady and hold through, as we are all capable. 

A California Day

Some days are good because you simply get to enjoy them with people you love. Or they can be fun because you leisurely explore a new place. 

Seeing my grandparents in Sacramento today afforded me the opportunity to do both. It always surprises me how different two places can be when they’re only 100 miles apart. 

California is a vast, diverse place, as exemplified by the distance and differences between its capital and largest population centers. Travel in the Golden State can span one day, yet a multitude of experiences. 

The Future Field

Humanity’s problems can be pretty terrifying in their pervasiveness, scope, and severity: climate change, corruption, poverty, etc. However, despair is not a solution, as it only unveils one path forward—failure. 

Maybe we can find resiliency through an honest assessment of the situation. The circumstances are grim, and we must exert enormous effort, but we also contain some crucial advantages for the first time in the history of our species: an awareness of others around the globe, widespread education and literacy rates, and truly powerful technology. 

There is a wide open field before us, not a dark tunnel. We have options, we have choices, and we have the ability to change the world—let’s step up and go do it. 

Meta Questions

Facebook’s keynote didn’t sit well with me today, and it wasn’t because “Meta’s” ambitions were too grand or unbelievable. I just kept wondering, “is this what we should be aspiring towards?”

Should one of the world’s most valuable companies be focused on creating an embodied internet? I don’t believe it’s conflating problems when one questions a company’s actions and intentions when it holds so much sway over the lives of billions of people around the world. 

Even if it isn’t obvious we face more pressing problems, today’s announcement surely sparks societal reflection. Who are we as a species, and where are we going?

Painting the Universe

Health, wealth and happiness are the three prongs of quality of life that everyone always references. On a larger level, we all want to live in a society built upon freedom, equality, and justice.

These attributes seem so simple, and yet we so easily forget them. We so quickly yearn for more, for less substantive circumstances in life, that fade so swiftly when we really examine priorities. 

It all comes down to the question we must ask ourselves individually and on a societal level: who do we want to be? The universe is a canvas, ready for our masterpiece across time—what will we paint?

To Travel this Earth

Looking ahead I’m excited for the traveling I have planned. Hopefully the world will open up more as more people become vaccinated globally, and it will be fun and safe to travel once more.

I’m eager to be seduced by the planet’s beaches and mountains once more, to witness Earth’s pristine beauty. I’m ready to learn more about our species’ fascinating and diverse cultures, to meet strange new people. 

More than all, I look forward to being swept away by the thrill of adventure, that call to explore that only travel brings. How odious it would be to remain in one’s corner all one’s life; I look for the Earth to bring me it’s best!

The Long View

We can easily get caught in the pressing needs of the moment, of the hour or the day. Yet when we look back on a larger scale of years, do we not feel happiness?

This experience of which we can partially control is utterly amazing. If we feel down, we must only consider the grand picture and reflect on how wonderful it all is.

This is our antidote when we despair at our present societal circumstances: look how far we’ve come as a species. We are capable of great good, we just need need to reflect and remember. 

Holiday Community

The holiday season brings family traditions for many people, which is why it's revered. Whether we admit it or not, we value the time spent with our tribe.

Pumpkin carving, turkey trots and feasts, Christmas presents and holiday songs... these customs persist because they bring out meaningful interactions with those we love. And in the Northern hemisphere, they come during the cold winter months, when survival was hardest in times of old.

If we embrace these hallowed practices each year with our tribe, is it possible to extend the sentiment to something larger? Let us expand our sense of community to all those in our species, to all life on this planet, as we whirl around the galaxy.