The Prompted Mind: From Prophets to Platforms
Once, we believed we were being prompted by something sacred. Not prompted in the marketing sense, not nudged by a notification or a swipeable ad, but prompted…
Social and Self-Help
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Generosity and the Just Treatment of Others – a.k.a Don’t be a Dick
In all societies, whether ancient or modern, the question of how one ought to treat others is never entirely settled. Customs vary, laws shift, and religions rise…
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How to Build a Future Worth Getting Out of Bed For
I once had a neighbor who built a greenhouse out of reclaimed windows. Every pane was mismatched, a little foggy, and charming in the way that old…
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Who Gets to Matter in the Meaning Economy?
By most measures, the future has already arrived. The robots have taken the factories. Algorithms have taken the call centers. And AI is now circling the last…
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“Neighborhood Power: Building Community the Seattle Way” by Jim Diers – a review
There are books that lay out policies. There are books that wax poetic about community spirit. And then there’s Neighborhood Power, Jim Diers’ impassioned, practical, and deeply…
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Hard Times Are the Incubator of Community
There are truths that can only be revealed through suffering, and among them is this: in hard times, the soul of a people is laid bare. The…
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A Man Ought to Have a Good Pocket Watch
A man ought to have a good pocket watch. My grandfather told me that once while his wooden leg squeaked against the old pine boards of the…
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The Quiet Divide Between High and Low Agency: Why It Matters More Than Ever
By all outward appearances, we live in a society that prizes independence, ambition, and the self-made person. We celebrate entrepreneurs who built something from nothing, we cheer…
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When the Whole World Starts Acting a Little Strange
A review of “Mania: How Societies Go Crazy” by Lionel Shriver Lionel Shriver has never been one to avoid uncomfortable subjects. Whether skewering the politics of identity…
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The Lost Art of Hustle
I recently overheard a phrase that stuck with me like a splinter: “Not everyone wants to be an entrepreneur.” It was said casually, maybe even defensively, as…