“There are two distinct ways to be politically moderate: on purpose and by accident.“— Paul Graham, The Two Kinds of Moderate, December 2019 What is the opposite of partisan politics? Where everything isn’t defined by Red vs. Blue, or labeled D, R, or I? I call it lowercase politics. A mix of small “l” liberal, smallContinue reading “Lowercase Politics”
Category Archives: Essays
How Revolutions Really Start
What Modern Protesters Can Learn From The American Revolution If you watch Ken Burns’ The American Revolution documentary, it’s shocking how okay most early American colonists were with being ruled by the British. Sure, there were protests in colonial America, but most colonists were willing to remain British subjects as long as they got representationContinue reading “How Revolutions Really Start”
You’re Not Burnt Out. You’re Existentially Starving.
“Those who have a ‘Why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘How’.” ― Viktor Frankl quoting Friedrich Nietzsche, Man’s Search for Meaning Let me guess: Viktor Frankl calls this feeling the “existential vacuum” in his famous book Man’s Search for Meaning. Frankl was a psychologist who survived the Holocaust, and in this book heContinue reading “You’re Not Burnt Out. You’re Existentially Starving.”
The Joy and Pain of Writing a Book
You know that feeling when you see someone else succeed in a way you want to succeed? I call it the four stages of jealousy: One of my favorite mental models is to “Explore Your Emotions“. Most people instinctively avoid their emotions, especially negative ones. This mental model teaches you to stop and dig intoContinue reading “The Joy and Pain of Writing a Book”
To My Mom
I never do this for anyone before they die. But I’ll make one exception here. I have a tradition of writing a letter to my loved ones when they die. Dear Mama still makes me cry. To Zeus is my ode to the best dog. But I’ve always felt bad that one of the greatestContinue reading “To My Mom”
To Zeus
“I bid you beware,of giving your heart to a dog to tear.”— Rudyard Kipling, The Power of the Dog I remember how scared you were that first day we met. You were the dog that was “tough to adopt”. We knew your story, how badly you had been treated in a breeding mill, and thatContinue reading “To Zeus”
On Being a Father + Founder
One night after a particularly bad loss in one of my startups, I came home and my wife said, in what she meant to be reassuring but felt crushing at the time, “at least you’re a great dad.”
A Positive Agenda for America
People > Politics Our politics really is rigged. But it’s not rigged by some shadowy conspiracy. It’s rigged by money. Billionaires are now spending 39 times more on federal elections since Citizens United in 2010. Most politicians are loyal to their donors, not you. They’re more worried about losing their campaign funds than losing votes.Continue reading “A Positive Agenda for America”
In Defense of Effective Altruism
The Worst Form of Ethics, Except For All The Others This would’ve been a lot easier in August 2022. Flash forward 15 months, and the EA movement is in trouble. RIP: Effective Altruism (2011-2023). Right? “The measure of a man’s life is not the number of his breaths, but the action he takes.” – AristotleContinue reading “In Defense of Effective Altruism”
Dear Mama
“I wish I could take the pain awayIf you can make it through the night, there’s a brighter dayEverything will be alright if you hold onIt’s a struggle every day, gotta roll onAnd there’s no way I can pay you backBut my plan is to show you that I understandYou are appreciated.”— 2Pac, Dear MamaContinue reading “Dear Mama”