This week I finished: The Fire Next Time, by James Baldwin: I’ve known about James Baldwin for years but never read his work. I’ve seen him speak on videos, but a book is another story. A book takes time to compose. Almost always when I finish a book I reread at least the first few paragraphs, sometimes the first few pages. A teacher in college told me that authors can’t[…] Keep reading →

The playing field of leadership is the other person’s emotional system and situation. The more you know them, the more you can lead and inspire them. The challenge is that people’s greatest motivations tend to be their greatest vulnerabilities, so we tend to protect them instead of sharing them. Thus it helps to listen, but many people who want to accomplish things tend toward action. Acting or prompting others to[…] Keep reading →

People’s language and emotions get intense around wedge issues like abortion, gun rights, and tax levels. One side says the other wants to control women’s bodies, the other says the one wants to kill babies. Such characterizations, mischaracterizations, and seeing the other from your view not theirs makes finding common ground nearly impossible. I call this pattern the worst problem in the world. Yet we have to live together. Secession[…] Keep reading →

I enjoyed reading Bill McKibben’s latest book Here Comes the Sun. I found much of it well researched. Still, I don’t think it made clear what I consider its starting point. Before you read the critical stuff I start with about the book, I end on a high note. I’ve written many times how tools like technology, market incentives, and legislation aren’t good or bad. They implement and augment the[…] Keep reading →

I just found this opinion piece in the New York Times from 2023: The World’s Population May Peak in Your Lifetime. What Happens Next? It starts: The global human population has been climbing for the past two centuries. But what is normal for all of us alive today — growing up while the world is growing rapidly — may be a blip in human history. Children born today will very[…] Keep reading →

Last night I dreamed people actually wanted to act, themselves, personally, not just talk. Memories of dreams fade fast, so I don’t remember the details, but I remember people asking, “What should I do?” with interest and curiosity instead of, with cynicism and incredulity, “What should I do?”, as if there was no answer. I dreamed that people realized they had to change their lives and wanted to. I woke[…] Keep reading →

First I have to make as clear as possible: I oppose imperialism, colonialism, and outcomes they produce such as slavery, racism, genocide, and the coercive, often violent and deadly destruction of cultures, including indigenous ones. That opposition contributes significantly to my work, since living unsustainably drives all those results. In light of that connection, since I know no one even trying to live sustainably, which is necessary to lead others[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished: Led Zeppelin: The Biography, by Bob Spitz: I saw a different biography of Led Zeppelin by chance at the library. After reading memoirs of Keith Richards and Bruce Springsteen, plus for a diversion from all the studying of constitutional and corruption stuff, I felt like reading it. I looked up reviews and opted for this one. I loved it. I couldn’t stop. I grew up loving[…] Keep reading →

I read Julian Simon’s book The Ultimate Resource 2. I share his belief in the capacity for people to improve the world, both each other’s quality of life and the natural world. I think he misses some important points. I know of his bet with Paul Ehrlich, who may be a talented scientist, but I don’t think a talented or effective leader. I’ll comment on some quotes of Simon. I[…] Keep reading →