Learning in Tribes

I sat around the table with my new(er) family tonight and looked at old photos with them. I think I derived just as much joy as everyone else, even though I wasn’t in any of them, even though they were all before “my time.”

We still pass so much learning and knowledge orally. I learned so much from my parents growing up; it was before the internet, and the way to learn was to watch and listen.

We seek strong connection with a tribe due to our biology. We are social creatures that operate at their best when working together with a close group. Can we leverage this tribalism to be inclusive on a global scale? Can we change the world together? Let’s give it a try.

American Baseball

A baseball game is a funny thing. It’s incredibly American, a live event ongoing for more than a century. There are numerous traditions to partake in, common themes to observe. No matter what’s going on in the country or the world (minus the pandemic), we play baseball around the states. What’s more American than baseball?

Challenges & Solutions

Part of what’s difficult is our incredible access to vast amounts of information through current technology. Most people with smartphones engage with people or content on social media every single day; and what’s on those platforms? Hurricanes in the Caribbean, economic despair in Sri Lanka, political unrest across the United States. Sure, there are “made me smile” stories as well—but that’s not featured as heavily in the company’s algorithms. It’s impossible for one single person to navigate all this information and help with everything. We are biologically wired to thrive in small social groups, not among billions and masses, and the sheer size of the Earth and all its diversity makes helping everyone everywhere all the time an insurmountable task. This can feel disenfranchising.

The solution is two fold: with our technology, we have the ability to organize in larger groups and design the parameters of a structured conversation about our problems. Social media does not represent this today, but we can alter how we communicate instantaneously across the globe. If we can do that, we can assess our most widespread challenges and prioritize them, so that we can act intentionally collectively. Second, we can choose our sphere of influence. We can follow our passions to help people the best we can within the realms of the things we most care about. It’s possible for us to do this. We can change the world.

Let there be Music

I’ve come to find a new level of appreciation for live music. Tonight I noticed that there’s no negativity or combativeness on stage when a band plays together; only cohesion and creativity. Love emanates from the group and cascades through the audience before rebounding back to the musicians. This dance is a credit to humanity’s ability to consult with each other through different mediums in the universe. It really is incredible when you consider it, and to contemplate that this communion is happening constantly throughout the entire planet… it truly is a big beautiful amazing world. Let there be music.

Children’s Inheritance

Spending time with children really shows you how they are the future. They are so innocent and fragile, shaped by the frameworks and behaviors you demonstrate to them. They are happy just because, not for any particular reason. Children are the ones who inherit the world we leave them. What kind of Earth will they live in?

Building in Resets

You ever take a break or have a period of inactivity and come back ready to conquer the world? It’s almost as if our human biology is hard wired for alternations of rest and work. It’s the same reason why goal setting can be so powerful.

Our current society doesn’t really match this natural tendency; sustainability (and thus prosperity) is not the overarching aim of our economies. We can work on that. But in the meantime, that’s why it’s important to build in resets for ourselves and our tribes.

State of the World from 10,000 feet

One. More. Flight. A fellow passenger said to me last night, “it’s good how at the back of the plane we get an opportunity to practice our patience.” I believe he was entirely genuine, and I found his comment enlightening.

There is so much negativity in this country and in the world at large right now. It doesn’t seem like things are going right; the economy is suffering, it feels like every modus operandi is geared toward the benefit of companies and corporations, and the political arena appears hopeless.

But there is also much good in the world. Life is better for the average person than it was 200 years ago. More people than ever are engaged with changing our world for the better politically, and through the proliferation of technology we can identify and communicate about our problems better than ever before.

It’s important to accept the dire reality of our predicament, but also to embrace the progress thus far achieved, and to believe we can propel further forward. It will take grit and determination. I believe we can do it.

Travel Lessons

I always find the journey home an introspective exercise. We get to compare whatever we just did, the culture that we just experienced and the climate and nature we were immersed in, and then consider our “normal” lives outside of travel.

We have the freedom to be whoever we want to be. If we solved some of the greater forces affecting us all, I suspect, from the traveling I’ve done, that almost all of us would want the same exact things. To travel; for showing me that.

Angel’s Birthday

Birthdays are a funny thing—we celebrate the person as an accomplishment, for being alive one more “year,” in that they’ve been along for the ride one more time as the Earth goes around the Sun.

Despite the funniness, birthdays are special. They represent a pure happiness for spending time alongside that someone, and are the representation of the joy that we feel, to be here alive with this person right now in this place in the universe.

I feel so privileged to celebrate my wife’s birthday in Aruba. You deserve it Angel, and thank you for all the awe you bring to this world.

Inner Peace

You can be irritated or flustered or at peace in any place, any environment. We have full control over our internal worlds, and our behavior shows our interior environment. If you watch and listen, you can glimpse that inner climate in others.

What a Planet

My partner and I really do enjoy the Earth. It’s such an incredible phenomenon to explore. It’s the only thing we know, to rein in our expectations and understanding of the universe. But it’s also undeniably spectacular. This may be all we know in our lifetimes, but we know enough to enjoy it. Thank you Pacha Mama.

Passing it On

The days are starting to run together. But in observing interactions here, I’m grateful I was taught two important things: that you’re not better than anyone, and in turn no one is better than you. Secondly, the people in our lives are what matter. When we’re gone, our impact can be measured by those still here; how they remember you, and how they live. It’s important we pass this on.

Reflection on Independence

I’ve always kind of struggled with the fourth. Back when I lived abroad for a few years I saw the nationalism from a distance, and I was a bit disillusioned.

This year, I feel much chagrin. The country I was born in, that I will always call home, is in a transition. The Roe v. Wade decision is the most high profile example of a series of policy decisions in this country that I do not agree with. Women are the most sacred beings on this planet—how can we accept such a course of action?

On the anniversary today I stand with my wife, I stand with my mother, and I stand with my Granny. Today is an opportunity for reflection. The United States can be and is great in many ways, but there are also several ways to course correct. It begins with the most basic decency of half our population.

We are indeed in a transition. But we have the ability to decide how this transition progresses onward; we have the power to determine the type of world for our children. On Independence Day today, let us reflect. So that tomorrow, we may act.

Aruba Perspective

Time can certainly become lost on a desert island. I’m struck by the bright blue water here, the way the wind shapes the island, and the exotic birds that flit and flourish in the surrounds. Surprisingly I do not feel an immediate sense of island fever. It must be the rum.

Despite the mechanizations of discouraging precedent and policy as of late, we still inhabit a diverse and beautiful planet. Earth may be home by default, but imagine if we moved to it from another origin in the solar system, if we were Martian and expanded to Earth. We would be incredibly allured by the majestic scenery, the myriad of life. We can still be. We just have to see it. Aruba is proving a good provider of that perspective.

Back to it

I saw more of Aruba today on the taxi ride to our hotel than on my last visit here. The powdery fine white sand, however, lived up to my embellished memories. It’s truly an island paradise here, and the locals are warm and friendly. I guess it’s back to the Caribbean.

Little Havana

Even within one city, microcultures permeate and coexist alongside each other, block by block. It was fascinating today to learn a little bit about Cuban history in Little Havana, a neighborhood extremely different than South Beach. On Calle Ocho, despite the fair amount of tourism, friendly people greet one another, looking to enjoy good food and refreshing libations while participating in the joyful live music. Here people just want to live life, slowly but with flavor. Such places are always a refreshing reminder for me, that we are here on this Earth to love, and to enjoy.

South Beach Vibes

I was very impressed by the quality of the beach today here in South Beach; it easily gives San Diego and any other Californian beach a run for their money. The vibe here is relaxed and confident. People are ready to have a good time, enjoy good food, and move to the music. The Latin culture here serves as an interesting contrast to that of California’s.

This is why I travel: to experience new places, that might resemble somewhere I know well but yet have their own unique flavor. The world is a grand place, and there is so much to experience. What a wonderful planet we inhabit, that we get to experience and explore. Let us remember such perspective when we think about the policies we want to govern ourselves.

Welcome to Miami

One year later, we get to take our originally intended honeymoon: good food, good drinks, and good beaches. Miami is certainly a destination for such, and an alluring place at that. I look forward to engaging in an ancient human past time, something every sapien who has ever lived has done: wander. Show us South Beach, what you have to offer.

Wondering about the World

As I get older I recognize how significant the big events are—the ones with family.

Or maybe we’re all just still recuperating from the pandemic, because it sure seems like it.

Is it any harder to know what’s true today than previously? It probably is in many ways with the prevalence of information, all the noise. But also easier because the average person is so much More knowledgeable.

It can be a tricky world at times. We must navigate it with care.

Grateful for Granny

We remember the people who were meaningful to us. All cultures commemorate brith, marriage, and death, and I’ve participated in all three celebrations recently. I guess that’s life.

But besides longing to be with the person who’s gone, today I’m mostly just feeling grateful. I’m thankful I had such a wonderful grandmother, someone who touched so many others’ lives so deeply.

I kind of had this realization this weekend: we are all temporary, and all that really matters is how you treat others while you’re here, and to that end, how much better the universe is because of you. My Granny epitomized kindness, and left the world a better place. I love you Granny, and I promise to do my best to do the same.