Living more sustainably isn’t hard. Our human ancestors did it for 250,000 years. Our non-human ancestors did it for billions. Most life forms do, maybe all except we modern humans. Living more sustainably in a culture that for whatever lip service it falsely pays to sustainability rewards the opposite is hard. Then the problem is people—that is, social and emotional, not technical. After all, it costs less, requires less time,[…] Keep reading →

I’m starting to replace “sustainability” with “not hurting people,” sometimes adding “and wildlife.” I’m not doing it across the board, but increasingly. I’m seeing how people respond. Likewise, instead of describing an activity as “polluting,” to describe it as “hurting innocent people.” For example: Instead of “I’m trying to live more sustainably”: “I’m trying to hurt innocent people less.” Instead of “I value the environment”: “I value not hurting people.”[…] Keep reading →

The difference between an externality and coercion. An externality is a cost imposed on someone else. A cost is something that if you pay for it, you undo the cost or make them whole. An example might be if in doing my work, I undo some of yours and it takes you an hour to redo it. You could in principle consent to the work if I compensated you enough[…] Keep reading →

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 →

Jack Spencer has been a guest on my podcast three times. Now I’ve been on his, and I think you’ll agree it was a fun, engaging conversation. I can’t tell you how much I’ve learned from him. For one thing, when I started doing the Spodek Method with him on my podcast, I enjoyed his sharing about nature so much, I didn’t get past the first couple steps. I had[…] Keep reading →

Thomas Jefferson wrote some of the most inspiring words on freedom and liberty, yet kept his slaves. To this day, people say as a result: He didn’t mean all men are created equal or he wouldn’t have done what he did. He did, so he must have meant all white men are created equal. It’s difficult to impossible to lead without credibility or integrity. Jefferson undermined both by violating the[…] Keep reading →

Do you feel busy all the time, like no matter how much you do, you still have more to do? I used to feel that way, but less so now. I still have to pay bills, buy food, and so on. It’s more that I recognized how our culture rewards companies and industries making us feel that way. Here’s how. Advertisers have learned to manipulate our emotional systems, often better[…] Keep reading →

Compiling resources on Robert Carter III for reference: Why do I care about Carter? A CNN article quoted Andrew Levy, who wrote a book on Carter, on why Americans seem to bury Carter’s story: Levy, whose books include a biography of Carter, “The First Emancipator,” has another suspicion: America doesn’t care – because it’s inconvenient. “It blows an enormous hole in this legacy we’re trying to balance for these founders,”[…] Keep reading →

Here is my twice-daily calisthenics routine at the start of 2025. For context, here is a list of all my sidchas, standard operating procedures, and preferences. I have found discipline creates freedom. This sidcha creates freedom, peace, connection, calm, and more. The calories burned and motivation required are negligible in comparison to those benefits, and are benefits themselves. I started in 2011 with ten burpees a day, then added and[…] Keep reading →