Month: October 2024

The first search engine felt a bit uncomfortable to use with having a computer tell us the answer to any question we typed in. But still, you had websites to choose from to see that answer.

AI is different in that (with a few exception) the user doesn’t see how it came to the conclusion it did.

Which is fine when asking what temperature to preheat your oven when baking a loaf of bread. But when we are trusting the machine to tell us how to think, how to feel, who to date, where to work, where to live—we are turning over the best part of what it is to be human…

…Agency, curiosity, exploration, creativity.

We don’t always need the “right” answer to every question. What we really seek is clarity.

Some things are black and white. True and false.

In other words, we can’t fight with gravity. It just is.

So, with everything else, we have this grey area.

And when we are in the public discord deciding how to conduct ourselves, we miss the opportunity to move toward dignity.

When not sure what to do—move toward dignity.

The label of doctor is earned. So is that of a mechanic. In this culture, when money is exchanged, it is usually handed to an expert with that title.

Most of us don’t squirm at the label of parent or sibling. They are inherent if you qualify.

But then we hesitate when we are called funny, artist, or great leader. Because the bar isn’t set on what those things mean. And so we “earn” these titles in the common language of economics (i.e., money exchanged).

What we have to divorce and separate is this hold money has in our everyday language.

The thing about memories is that they are so forgettable. They change with time, and we distort them.

This blog is a way for me to remember—at least how I used to think about things.

Setlist is also an excellent way to remember concerts.

Instagram was certainly set up with this in mind in its early days.

Having gentle reminders so we can make room for the next thing is an incredible hack to remember.

Humans are obsessed with documenting our existence to let the world know we are here. But perhaps a better approach is to remind us where we have come from.

If we think about our own experience in life: all the pain, joy, sorrow…we can become so isolated in these powerful emotions. We don’t realize everyone is feeling the same thing—doing their best to get through the day. When we walk around with this kind of prajna, this kind of insight and empathy, people are no longer obstacles.

Back in their day, it was really hard to fit Dinosaur Jr. into a genre. And so was the Descendents.

And sometimes the best stuff is sort of recognizable but something you can’t quite put your finger on.

The hard part isn’t to give criticism. Everyone knows how to criticize everything.

The hard part is receiving criticism and not internalizing it. It’s understanding that it is about the work and not you as a person.

Perhaps, then, the absolute master is the one who knows how to criticize in a way that the recipient will accept.

Sometimes, we work so hard to get into a fellowship, a company, or a school, but then the reality sinks in that we made it. Now what?

Getting into med school is hard. Finishing med school is even more challenging. Then, the day comes when you have to slice someone open. That I imagine is harder too.

The rate of change is as important as the actual change. When change happens too quickly, the instinct is to slow things down. This could be wise, but it can also be a sign of an unwillingness to move.

We spend a ton of time thinking about what is going wrong today and how it will affect tomorrow.

But we don’t spend enough time imagining all the things that could get better.

That’s the thing about opportunities: We don’t know where the road will take us. More importantly, to understand, it’s rarely the problems we see coming that surprise us. On the contrary, it’s the problems bubbling in the background that we can’t see coming that are the natural source of anxiety.