Of the many reasons to meditate, here is what I consider the most valuable. Say you’re a runner. Imagine if every time you ran, at random times, without your awareness, your feet just started running in a different direction than you wanted. And on top of that, your feet started kicking each other equally spontaneously, randomly, and unintentionally. Your mind does just that—no matter how much you want to focus[…] Keep reading →

July 4th, Independence Day is about freedom. Usually political freedom. I’m posting today on personal freedom. Last month I posted a video on how more than a year’s worth of garbage fit in a canvas bag. I made two videos that day—one with my shirt off to show the result to my body of avoiding garbage. I held off on posting the shirtless one to stay more conservative given my[…] Keep reading →

I like food. I don’t like skipping meals. Sometimes I can’t avoid missing them. Obligations arise and I have to do something for a few hours nonstop. Sometimes I know the only options are so disappointing, unfulfilling, or involve so much plastic, oil, or other things that will lead me to regret that I’d rather eat a big next meal than what’s available. Most of my life skipping a meal[…] Keep reading →

Immigration is a wedge issue in the U.S. It gets a lot of media attention. I’m going to admit that I don’t understand the controversy around illegal immigration. If the nation decided on laws for how many immigrants to receive, why the support for people who came here illegally? Should the laws change? I would support laws changed through a reasonably democratic process. Otherwise, what’s the point of immigration laws?[…] Keep reading →

Why do people say “Excel spreadsheet” instead of “spreadsheet”? They say “I’ll email you an Excel spreadsheet,” wasting words, while they would never say “I’ll drive my Ford car to the store.” The pattern is different than using names like Kleenex to mean a tissue. People say “Can you hand me a Kleenex,” not “Can you hand me a Kleenex tissue.” As a Linux user who dislikes proprietary software, I[…] Keep reading →

From the New York Times (my emphasis): STOCKHOLM — “Sex must be voluntary — if it is not, then it is illegal.” This is the straightforward language of a new Swedish law set to change the way rape and other sexual crimes are prosecuted in the country. It is the first law in the country that acknowledges sex without explicit consent as rape I normally don’t write about this topic,[…] Keep reading →

I’ve quoted Martha Graham many times. At last I got the video of her saying the words. She describes how a performer achieves freedom through conforming and discipline better than anyone, in my opinion. I believe what she says holds for any active, emotional, expressive, social, performance-based field, including leadership and entrepreneurship. The dancer is realistic. His craft teaches him to be. Either the foot is pointed or it is[…] Keep reading →