We can change the world.
Today I head into the woods. More specifically, we return to my favorite place on the planet: Yosemite Valley.
I look forward to what we all need: an occasional disconnect, a mental refresh and a spiritual reset.
Here’s to communing with nature and seeking oneness with Mother Earth.
True love might bring the greatest happiness in life, but friendship also significantly contributes to a fulfilling life.
Seeing friends often is important.
We couldn’t do that during the pandemic, and it feels like it happens less often now with our devices and virtual worlds.
Everybody needs a friend.
The man as a person aside, I often think about Dr. Seuss’ line, “life is a great balancing act.” It’s a simple yet wise statement.
We can pursue success in multiple arenas in life, but excelling in all of them seems impossible. We have to choose what we give our attention to.
Almost all of us choose love or vocation. When we look at it that way, we’re much more similar than we are different.
I could be blind. I could have nothing to eat. I could be alone. But I’m not.
I try to appreciate simple facts such as these each morning, to spur feelings of gratefulness.
Because life is beautiful.
Life goes on, and keeps going on. As the years pass I’ve realized my fondest memories are often simple dinners with friends or family. It’s the people in our lives that matter. If we remember that, we’ll treat strangers better, and the world will be a better place. The goings on will be more memorable.
Nothing like a summer baseball game to make you feel American. Hot dogs, balls and strikes, the National Anthem.
There are many things we can enjoy together as a nation. We only need to look at what’s right in front of us.
What happened at the Trump rally today is appalling. It makes one scared about their country.
I don’t even know how to react, still. I’m still processing. But I’ve realized that although I’ve never voted for Trump nor ever will, I’m glad he appears relatively unharmed.
We have a choice as a country. How we move forward through this election and in the immediate future will go a long way in determining the success of our country and our democracy.
We naturally return to baseline. It’s a biological mechanism that ensures survival.
Can we agree on a baseline that every human on the planet should have the right to enjoy?
Then anything beyond that (which so many of us enjoy daily, including myself) is bliss.
If we remind ourselves how good we have it, compared to how bad it could be, we can temporarily elevate above baseline in a positive way.
And that’s what gratitude is.
It’s easy to succumb to reactionism today. Our phones, constantly attached to our bodies, feed us information continuously throughout the day. Thus presidential gaffes become quick news.
Reading this Truman biography during an election year was coincidence. But the contrasts between the Oval Office in 1950 and today could not be more jarring.
As citizens, it is our responsibility to govern ourselves and to direct our representatives. A phone call or letter can be the most effective way to make our opinions known, our voices heard. Facing the “choices” in November, now is the time for us to be proactive citizens, and to make our history.
Fulfillment, success, happiness, meaning, purpose. Every human can consider these concepts, the slight variations between them. I remember writing my thoughts and convictions regarding how I wanted to live my life back in my early twenties, while living outside Cape Town, South Africa. I scribbled in a notebook alone at a table for hours at a time, simply pondering.
And I have revisited my principles and life philosophy often, sometimes modifying them. To consider how we see the world, how we define our own experience in life… this is a fundamentally human trait, and a right. When more of us think deeply about what we want, what we feel is just, and how we want to live, the world becomes smaller and more beautiful.
We may “never know what is in store for us,” as Truman said, but I believe we can also influence fate.
I believe thinking about contribution, about creating and producing rather than consuming, affects our inclination for overall output. It’s easy to become complacent with “earning a living” and watching tv in your free time. And that’s not necessarily bad.
But in the end, if blessed with long life, I think we look back on how we contributed to the world. It’s where we derive our pride and fulfillment. How much have I contributed to the universe today? What have I created?
These questions, while sometimes painful, help us grow.
It’s easy to get mixed up or confused about purpose in life. Especially in today’s world, distraction abounds. But I think at the end of one’s life, you think about love and your fulfillment of purpose. The best way we can serve ourselves and the world is to discover that unique purpose, and pursue it with earnest.
Recovering from traveling and the time change, I read a lot of my Truman biography book at home today.
I can’t help but feel we are living in a momentous time period politically. That we must rise as citizens and actively guide our country toward our desired direction.
Most people in this country, and in the world at large, can agree on basic, just policy. We all want the same things: love, freedom, health, and opportunity. We can show this with our votes and our voices this year.
Will we rise?
Airports are a good barometer for cultural differences. Because everything is fairly standardized internationally within airports, you can isolate variables to an extent and gleam glimpses of how locals really behave: what they eat for breakfast, how rigid or chill their adherence to procedure is, etc. I noticed this while passing through the Rome, Barcelona, and San Francisco airports today.
It’s also somewhat of a microcosm for our planet: despite our smaller differences, we’re all one species living on this one rock together.
Today was the journey back to the mainland and back to Rome. We hauled our bags up the cliff from our perched villa to the “main street” on Ponza, then drove our Jeep Samurai-Santana back to the harbor. An hour ferry back to the Italian coast, then a quick zip to the beaches of Sperlonga.
The beach was incredible; shallow, sandy, and devoid of crowds. The hilltop town towering in the distance was as picturesque as the villages of Cinque Terre. It was one last magical day in the sun.
I often tell people Italy is my favorite country. This trip reinforced that even more. Rome, Ponza, Sperlonga—amazing places that each captured my heart in unique ways. Europe is a fascinating continent, and our time in Spain, just one week ago, seems like another lifetime.
People on this continent have been perfecting their way of living for centuries. I respect their culture and hope to continue to learn from them. We’ll be back some day, hopefully soon. But now it’s time to make our way back.
I’ve been reading a biography on Harry Truman and have felt more patriotic. I enjoyed the most atypical Independence Day here in Ponza, Italy: we rented a boat and cruised around the island, stopping for a swim amongst the towering rocks. There was no English spoken anywhere around us.
Yet for all the bliss experienced today, I also felt lingering background thoughts about my country. Truman faced perilous times at the close of World War II and immediately after; his immaculate character was necessary to keep the country afloat. It feels as though we are in similar dangerous times. There are multiple sinister wars abroad, the country’s economy feels precipitous, and the two candidates in our upcoming election seem completely inadequate.
It’s thus time for us ordinary Americans to be extraordinary citizens. To talk about domestic and foreign policy, to write to our representatives, and to of course vote. We must be the change we wish to see in our country and in the world. We can help lead the world toward peace, we can fix our economy so that all have a chance at a decent life, and we can nominate leaders of whom we are proud and confident. But it takes doing.
Two hundred forty eight years later, on America’s birthday, we need true patriotism. Are we willing to provide it?
No alarm clock. Politics and the news machine fades away. Simply looking out at the view. Such isn’t suitable for a lifetime maybe, but for a few days? It’s important to take breaks. Ponza is bliss.
I got to chat with my old housemate today who is also currently living the island life, in Greece. Being here automatically unlocks possibility. With basic needs met, the simplicity and beauty of the island feels like all you need. Millions of people around the world have inhabited islands for millennia, living out a simple, but likely fulfilling, existence. It’s just another way. I’m grateful to experience this and wonder more.
Sometimes exotic places require a lot of effort to reach, and it’s better that way. You appreciate your surroundings when you have to sacrifice time and sleep to reach them.
Ponza is a minuscule island off the coast of Italy in the Tyrrhenian Sea used as a retreat/hiding place for Roman Emperors. I feel like royalty in our villa on the cliffside. Tiny and secluded, this rock is inhabited by friendly and quirky individuals. And can’t such be said about the Earth as a whole?
We’re exhausted, but ready to enjoy a place I had never heard of a few months ago. What an amazing planet and an incredible time to be alive.
Rome is hands down my favorite city in the world. The vibrant energy of the city center is unmatched: local Italians indulging in the wild beauty of life, with tourists clamoring to share in the culture. Roma is a living, breathing open air museum with thousands of years of history. Art is all around you. Italians are content with their place in the world. All is well in the Eternal City, where fresh water flows freely from fountains everywhere, one walks the same cobblestones as Caesar, and you can bask in the passion and glory of one of the world’s most renowned cultures. I am grateful to experience a few days of all the majesty.