Slow Thinking and Slow Living

I only know my time, but wow does the world move quickly. Our technology brings us incredible speeds of communication and computation. And the advent of machine learning may contribute to an even greater acceleration of change in our society.

And yet, are we more connected now than 20, 50, 100 years ago? Or do we just know more things faster? Another way to think about it: if we are more connected in today’s world, does our biology enable us to benefit from that increased connection? Or do we suffer?

There are many difficult questions to answer. The only way we can approach solutions is if we slow down to think about their repercussions. Instead of reacting constantly, we can employ slow thinking and slow living.

Humans in Harmony

Humans are one of many animal species on Earth. Once we recognize we’re part of the planetary ecosystem, not above it, we can pursue harmony. But not before.

Mother’s Day 2024

And then there’s Momma. Twenty-one inches I was apparently; now as an adult you wouldn’t believe it.

There’re a group of people in the world who give birth to other humans, who further our species, literally. These humans, we call mothers, raise and teach our young how to behave and how to live.

Everything we know, all the art and science, all the innovation that’s taken us to the moon and back, all begins with our mothers.

I know I can credit anything I contribute to my mother. I love you Mom, Happy Mother’s Day.

Guardians and Beauty

I think about how important it is for children to have positive adult influences (besides their parents) in life. There’s a reason we call them guardians.

I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have fantastic grandparents, aunts and uncles, great coaches and teachers…all whom have contributed to my psychology today.

I relished the opportunity to do that with my niece today, who is shaping into a kind, compassionate young woman.

We’re only as beautiful as we want to be, together.

People are good

I know the single biggest controllable factor for happiness in the modern world.

When you see a world full of idiots and assholes, your experience is frustrating and discouraging. When you see people as generally good and nice, the world opens to you.

Decide people are good.

Onset of Summer

As the temperature heats up, molecules move faster, and that includes us. Summer is in the air in California, and its residents can’t withhold their excitement.

We’re at the precipice of one of my favorite times of the year: Mother’s and Father’s Day, the end of the school year, and the launch of summer. The year feels full of possibility, as we’re still not half way through.

How can we make this summer enjoyable, not just for ourselves, but for the world? How can we contribute just a little bit of ourselves to the larger global ecosystem?

Such considerations will enable future summers to remain enjoyable.

Wonder in 2024

It can be hard to see the beauty with all the increased prices for everything, the red lights run, the online negativity…

I find it easiest to go back to the most basic things—the flowers blooming all over the Northern Hemisphere, the fact we’re all here together in this magical moment, the breath.

When we step back, figuratively and literally, we see can see the wonder of living on Earth in the year 2024. It’s important for us to see it.

Slow Reality

Periods of rest viewed externally can resemble laziness.

But we all need opportunity to calibrate to our new reality, the one we inherit every week or fortnight.

Thinking and living slower can be a good thing, for us as individuals and as a society.

Reflecting in the Wrap

Some days just wrap you up and spit you out. It can be hard to keep the bigger picture in perspective when life is “hitting you fast.”

But that’s also kind of the twist. We have to roll with whatever’s presented to us, keep going, and hopefully, find some time to reflect on it all.

Because it truly is one big beautiful amazing world.

Weekend Time

I champion the idea of a four day work week in the 21st century. But until that becomes the norm, we can cherish the magic of Saturday and Sunday. Bill Watertown said it best, that it’s not the weekend unless you waste some time. Part of life is to simply experience and enjoy.

Contemplating Consciousness

I can’t overstate the importance of my tribe. They are the dearest elements of my experience.

I imagine most of the other eight billion people on this planet feel the same.

And that’s the point. We all care for our loved ones. We’re all here together. Can we elevate our circle of care to the entirety of our species? Can we raise our consciousness to be global?

Connection Level

We claim to be more connected than ever before. Our technology certainly enables forms of communication across great distance.

But it’s ironic: we’re less connected than maybe any point in our species’ history.

Because on a fundamental level, in this particle soup we call the universe, we are already inherently connected to everyone and everything; to the Earth and its top soil and plate tectonics and water cycle; to all the organisms on this planet as part of the biological ecosystem and the food of our food and the bacteria in our gut; to the people of every corner and culture and to the memories of our ancestors; to the very elemental particles coming from space that interact with the magnetic field of our planet. We are connected to all of it, a part of it. It simply is.

Can we feel it?

Decisions to Contribute

Decisions before us can fractal our world view. Should I pursue this career tract? Do I go back to school? Would I be happy if I moved here?

As I’ve grown older I’ve realized these questions never go away. There will always be hard choices in life.

But we can’t remain transfixed by the prospect of consequences, or continually look back into the past. We are who we are because of the journey we are on, the route we did take.

And to live well is to show up daily, understanding but not overthinking decisions, trying our absolute best to contribute to the world.

Resisting Media Attention

I think my first foray into adulthood was learning to direct my attention how I wanted, instead of the media. We are continuously inundated with stories, told to care about them. But we can attain more meaning in life by pursuing that which we all want: heath, love and time.

Living all of it

You only get so many workouts in life. What may seem monotonous or even torture—we don’t live forever. I find it helps to cherish the little things, to find joy in the “annoying” drive to the store, or that really hard set, or the daily commute. It’s not easy, but wouldn’t you give anything to ‘suffer through’ such a moment one more time on your death bed? Life is short. But we can live all of it.

Weekly Learning

A week can be an eternity. I often think back to a year in the past to reflect on how I’ve changed, what I’ve learned. The same can be done on a weekly cadence. And it’s much more encouraging when you can say with confidence: I’m always learning. When we continuously learn, the future can always change.

Bay Boating

Fog… on the water… today on the bay was absolutely beautiful.

We reflected how fortunate we are to live in such a paradise.

Experience equals your observations over the years, and I made them today.

We all live for the same reason.

Mars and Venus

Women withhold their physical pain, show their emotional pain. Men withhold their emotional pain, show their physical pain.

Gross overgeneralization? Yes. Applicable to many of us? Feels like it.

We’re more similar than we are different; yet we resemble a bimodal distribution. What interesting monkeys we are.

Remembering Down South

I was recounting my time in Texas last week and was speaking about the people. Southern Hospitality is a real thing.

But I also recall how similar our viewpoints were. Indeed many folks are more politically conservative down there, but not necessarily more conservative. In fact the friendliness represented a type of openness to experience, so to say.

And we agreed on more than the narrative would have you believe. Texans I talked with disliked the same things about the Bay Area that I dislike. They complained about the same local issues I found displeasing.

Most of us aren’t up North or down South, but somewhere in the middle. The loud minority gets all the media attention, but they’re not the bulk of the reasonable, considerate people in this country. We’re all American after all.

The Power of Death

I write often about the oneness of humanity. How we are more similar than we are different. The most powerful connection we all share:

Everyone dies.

Every single person who ever lived, everyone alive today, and anyone who will ever be born, will all die. It’s our shared ultimate fate.

So while we’re here together, on this one planet—how should we live?