It’s nice to know about problems and people seem to like complaining about them, but these reactions don’t compare with solving them. Acting takes resolution. Gandhi wasn’t just thrown off a train. He resolved to fight the injustice. Some historical heroes who transformed cultures wrote their experiences of such moments of resolution. We can learn from them. I find their words inspirational. Robert Carter III Robert Carter III freed his[…] Keep reading →

People like hearing me share my vulnerabilities. I’m not special. People like hearing anyone share their vulnerabilities too, but I noticed it this week about myself. At the beginning of this week, I thought about blind spots. We all have things we do or don’t do, or know or don’t know, and we aren’t aware of the consequences differing from what we expect. Learning about them can help us improve[…] Keep reading →

This post is about how to think about fixing historical wrongs, like reparations for past injustices. Imagine playing soccer on a tilted field. Amazingly, I found an image of such a thing online, but it shows a field tilted sideways. I mean tilted so one team has to run uphill on offense. Almost surely one team will have an advantage, though my soccer-playing friends can’t tell which. [Edit: I since[…] Keep reading →

Some people in my workshops describe early times practicing the Spodek Method as causing them anxiety. From my experience with performance arts like acting or sports in front of a crowd or, in attraction, learning to approach women, I know performing where others can see you can cause people without experience anxiety. I also know that mastering that art can transform that anxiety into joy and glory. Everyone who became[…] Keep reading →

I try to avoid just quoting news. That’s for social media, which I avoid. But sometimes the news merits it. Quoting the Washington Post: Haven’t shown causation (yet) The original paper’s conclusion points out they’ve only shown correlation, not causation, though not showing it doesn’t mean it isn’t there: The present data suggest a trend of increasing MNP concentrations in the brain and liver. The majority of MNPs [microplastics and[…] Keep reading →

The picture below shows a new cafe down the block from me that shows how polluting our culture has become. Let me count the ways. First, it has no seating. You buy your coffee and walk away. They save rent for not providing space for customers. They give you disposable everything. They save the salary of someone washing, the rent for space for a dishwasher and cups. It’s glowing red[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished: The First Emancipator: Slavery, Religion, and the Quiet Revolution of Robert, by Andrew Levy: I wrote earlier on the article Levy expanded into this book. Carter plays a big role in my book. Levy describes him as the anti-Thomas Jefferson and the document he freed his slaves with as the anti-Declaration of Independence. Beyond the biographical parts, Levy asks why Carter appears so little in our[…] Keep reading →

Context: I post about addiction not to comment on the individuals in the pictures but to reveal our culture. The images are only the most poignant representations of it, but they differ only quantitatively from, say, TikTok, Amazon, flying, McDonald’s, Facebook, doof, or other addiction. My goal in connecting it to ourselves is not to make anyone feel bad, but to empower people to act. If you don’t know the[…] Keep reading →

I hear people say “we have to have a conversation about…” some controversial topic like racism, abortion, and the usual topics. Yet the controversy shows we’re talking about them. So what do they mean if the conversation is already happening? What they don’t mean While I can’t read anyone’s mind, I know they aren’t saying they want to learn new views. They can learn by reading and watching. If they[…] Keep reading →