Key Thinking (Aloud)

I want the caution to accept things I cannot change, the daring to change the things I possibly can, and the wherewithall to know the difference.

Do you believe in magic? Fate, destiny, astrology, tarot? When are weird events more than just coincidences? Maybe the energy we put into the world manifests in tangible ways. Or are we just imagining things?

Ok I admit it: I'm getting older. I care a little less about new music, career obsessions and even girls! Us millennials are no longer the "young people". And I'm noticing small things in Zoomers (Gen Z, born post 1996) that make me conscious of a subtle generation gap. Is it possible teens and college kids care way more about the pandemic, for instance? Are more supportive of a nanny state and au...

It's ok to acknowledge mistakes - we all make them! I'm ok with embracing my regrets, and trying to use them to gain wisdom through accrued life experience. It's hard though, especially when obsesssing over every missed opportunity, every wrong turn in life while lying in bed at night... We don't make it any easier for each other, the way we scrutinize our social utterances, our trendy beliefs or...

Homelessness is bad. That shouldn't be a controversial statement. Why aren't we doing more to solve it?? Is this really a politically divisive or difficult topic? The morality of it is clear: to let more and more people live in the streets is pathetic - it's an embarrassment! Let's honestly address this.

I'm not appreciating whatever rubric is being used to determine what is "essential" these days. I know what I need in my life, and I don't feel like the government understands it. I appreciate a concern for public health, but I think we're losing track of balance these days.

My take on the DC stuff, radical belief systems these days, threats to our livelihoods and how it's all just a bunch of noise, in a way. It's important that we regulate our emotional responses to all things, and prioritize in our lives things that actually matter to us, really. Like love, hobbies, bonding, etc, you know?

I'm in California for the winter, and I'm identifying with it.

"Zwischen den Jahren" is the theme of this quick podcast ep. I'm on a bit of a holiday with my parents and brother, recording this in a very slow, somewhat dulled mindset. I talk about some holiday movies and what it means to be traveling right now.

This is a stream-of-consciousness one, a little lighter, a little empathetic, and of course some politics, but also depth. Let's be one with the universe yall.

Trans activism has been simmering for a while. I've been paying attention, wondering what my role is as a well-intentioned person who cares about progress and justice. I've decided that it does not include adding he/him to my bio, my by-line, my email signature or anything else. I have a few reasons for that. Does it make me a transphobe or bigot? You can tell me.

A difficult and explicit look at abhorrent behavior, especially depicted in various films. Why Irreversible is the most traumatic film I’ve ever seen It’s important that we calibrate our moral intuitions Victims and villains: what are the rules? #metoo, Harvey Weinstein, _The Morning Show _and power dynamics Understanding maturity and agency The burden of male sexuality vs our higher ideals Michae...

I'm embracing contrarian thinking. I've never thought of myself as controversial, but people tell me I am. I just appreciate nuance, and despise groupthink. It's important to seriously consider facts and goals before forming opinions, and this podcast offers a space to do that. LibLefts get made fun of a lot on reddit.com/politicalcompassmemes, and maybe that's fair. But it's how I identify, despi...

Topics covered in this one: Podcasting as writing What is real? What can we trust? Covid news, election controversies The Social Dilemma and our individual realities Fake news masquerades generic ideas as facts Privacy vs vulnerability The Great Hack and weaponizing data We must be better at discerning information The psychology of conspiracy theories Vigilance against corruption Reality is satire...

How are you feeling? I've been better, and I want to talk through it. Society doesn't really know how to address the topic of mental health - not intrapersonally, not interpersonally, not more broadly, regarding the least fortunate on our city streets. And we're not quite aware enough of our typical behaviors and socio-political attitudes, and how our mental health contributes to such topics. So l...

Some thoughts post election: I voted from Berlin, and I’m proud of that, even if my vote in New York doesn’t mean much. I really expected Biden to win easily, so again I have to eat my words, as the election remains too close to call. Too much deja vu, for sure. The Dems are pathetic. Regardless of what happens. I’m not too worried about Trump’s wild authoritarian LARPing. Leftists need to underst...

I'm not a big sports fan. I think sports are an imperfect entertainment, an emotionally draining investment and a poor substitute for narrative fiction. But we love sports as a society for deep psychological reasons, and it IS satisfying when our team wins. The Los Angeles Dodgers are my favorite sports team, and they've (finally) won the world series. I'm especially happy for my dad, to whom this...

Civic duty is important. But how much is voting a civic duty, really? Maybe it depends... Depending on your particular circumstances, voting can be really tricky, actually. One might wonder if it's even worth it... It probably depends on the urgency of the particular election, the details of your district, and the social pressure involved. Isn’t stigma a major factor in this decision? I'm personal...

I keep getting canceled. Not "officially" - I have no boss that can fire me. But I feel it all around, in so many of my social interactions and conversations. I feel the cold shoulder of prominent opinion turning on my provocative nature. Society doesn't seem to embrace contrarian thinking these days, and the room for challenging questions keep dwindling.

Our modern political fight is full of tired slogans, ambiguous chants and outlandish demands. Let's get specific, and target a true enemy of the people: the war on drugs. This policy - American and global - unjustly targets minorities and the poor, it costs billions of dollars a year, and it infringes on the personal liberties of citizens. Insofar as the war on drugs aims to ameliorate the problem...

I'm looking forward to Donald Trump no longer being president, for many reasons. For that to happen, Joe Biden must be elected in November. If you live in a swing state, please vote for him. If you don't, I can't blame you at all if you don't feel like it. I outline the reasons why Biden - and the Democratic party generally - is hard for me to support these days.

This news story caught my eye today. I want to make a point about it: the police can be stupid, violent, poorly trained, misguided, aggressive and overly burdened... without being racist. Let's reform the police so this kind of story doesn't happen, even if the victim isn't black. Or can we only reform policing in the context of race?

What is feminism? Are you or I am feminist? It depends on the meaning of this word, and on context. Let's explore the ideas of this political movement over time, and also ponder its more personal, psychological implications.

Despite continual progress, the USA remains unequal and unjust across a variety of metrics. Insofar as race remains a major issue in the fight for social justice, we should be dealing with it. But is "White Fragility" a productive way to confront such issues? I answer a 20-question test to figure that out.

The Enneagram is a model of nine personality types. It is commonly used in self-help, business management, and spiritual development.