This article is my way of thinking through, slowing down, digging into the nuance, and voicing my opinions on some of the big issues we’re working through these days.
Continue reading Waking the tigerThese times keep getting stranger and stranger.
The COVID-19 pandemic keeps us socially distant, digitally dependent, and teetering on an edge of uncertainty.
The economy is in shambles.
The geopolitical relationship between the US and China is disintegrating.
And over the past week the tragic killing of George Floyd, protests, and riots have ratcheted up local, racial, and political tensions.
It’s like we’re living in a big tinderbox and every day presents another series of sparks.
There are many ways to respond to these conditions, and I plan on putting some thoughts together on that topic in a future article.
In the meantime, in today’s article, I’m going to highlight one place I found peace, truth and inspiration in this storm: Tolstoy’s brilliant novel, War and Peace, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.
Continue reading War and PeaceToday we’re going to revisit my theory of kinetic social bonding and delve deeper into a part of the equation that I think is particularly relevant these days: time together.
To start, let’s quickly review the general theory of kinetic social bonding:
Kinetic social bonding: the theory that shared physical movement at higher speeds strengthens existing, and facilitates the development of new, social bonds.
Continue reading Time togetherThis past weekend I fasted (no food, only water) from Friday night to Sunday night.
It was my longest fast to date — my previous max was the weekly 24-hour fast I’ve been doing for the past month — and my first attempt at a 48-hour fast.
I thought I’d share how the 48-hour fast went, along with my notes and takeaways from the experience.
To begin, though, let’s talk about why I decided to not eat for a couple days in the first place.
Continue reading My first 48-hour fast“The machine was broken,” I said, looking up at the officer from my seat on the rumbling train, like a busted stowaway. “Can I just buy a ticket from you?”
“It’s too late,” he snapped. “There are many places you can buy. Now it’s more expensive.” A vein popped on his neck as he scribbled my citation in his black gloves.
“What’s going on?” the other officer asked, stomping down the aisle to us.
Continue reading Day at the beach