Category: Life

I wrote the first draft of this post a year ago, the morning after Biden had finally taken the lead in the electoral college a week after the election was held. The race wasn’t yet called by the media companies, but it had become clear that we were gonna get a new president.

I’ve been wanting to write a post about my politics in a general fashion, so this seems as good a time as any.

I believe in constitutional democracy. Rule of the majority, constrained to protect the rights of the minority. But beyond that, I’m not a philosopher. Generally, I’m pretty pragmatic. I just want competent, efficient government.

I went from being a conservative in high school to being politically apathetic in college, to joining the Democratic Party in in the early 2000’s after the twin disasters of the Second Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina. I haven’t left that party, though I fear that I’ve become a raging moderate as the rest of the world has polarized to their comfortable extremes.

I am still sympathetic to the trope that less government is better government. However I diverge with many folks who espouse such a view, because I believe government has a legitimate role in society, and I am willing to pay a little extra for more a well run government.

Beyond competence, I believe in the twin goals in our pledge of allegiance: Justice and Liberty for all.

And when our leaders fail, I hold hope in our democratic process. This system of government gives us a voice every couple years so we can enact a course correction.

This is why it has been particularly distressing to watch one party morph into an embrace of authoritarianism over the past four years. Their continued defense of January 6th has been terrifying. To a lesser extent, I have also been dismayed about vocal extremists of the left and their stifling influence of upon our (non-elected) cultural institutions.

Government is a balancing act. Too much one way or the other is a certain path to disaster.

Let’s hope we rediscover our equilibrium.

Interestingly, this past year has been a marked continuing evolution towards becoming a hardened centrist. I’ve become increasingly concerned with the excesses of the vocal left, and I’ve become amenable to the idea of lessening the the power of the Federal government in favor of the States. Things are so heated, I’m hoping that giving States more autonomy may defang the viciousness of national politics.

Frankly, I’ve also lost interest in what whackadoodle policies might be instituted thousands of miles away; if someone out there doesn’t like it, let them fight it or leave. Maybe my next upgrade in my political evolution will be avoiding the news altogether. After all, the whole point of living in a representative republic is to be free from politics outside of the elections held every even numbered year.

I came across an interesting blog post Hardship and Meaning by Daniel Miessler postulating that hardship might produce a certainty of meaning that seems to be lacking among more prosperous folks in America.

I found the premise reasonable, but I’d curious about the levels of depression among the non-immigrant poor. Is their experience like immigrants, given their similar economic struggles, or is it more like other natives in the middle class?

Non-immigrants are often blind to the strangeness of their native cultures. Aside from the luck of being born into the middle class in America, I think that I’ve been able to reasonably manage the ups and downs of life because my childhood gave me a visceral experience that American culture is merely one option among many choices. My parents were deeply religious and we attended a white church. Even though everyone was in tight theological alignment, our family maintained a cultural identity quite distinct from most of the congregation.

While being “other” came with many awkward moments while growing up, it was also greatly beneficial to viscerally understand the concept of culture as an artificial construct. What seems “universally natural” is only normal to one’s own people. The children of immigrants are the fish that see the water.

In that vein, I tend to find myself drawn to other immigrants. One of the more interesting examples is a white coworker with whom I had developed a close relationship. It took a few years before I found out that his parents were from Europe and that English was not his language at home. Even though our political views were quite divergent, this basic experience of “otherness” was an unspoken foundation of our relationship.

Conversely, I’ve also found myself having a surprisingly difficult time relating to some immigrants who moved the States as adults. They often carry themselves with a certain self assuredness that comes from being part of the majority dominant culture during their formative years. In spite of other cultural similarities, I can have a difficult time viscerally relating to them.

It is a dangerous game to play armchair psychologist (especially in public). I’m certain that growing up as “other” inflicted psychic mental trauma that I’m ignoring, and I should also note that I’m lucky since the burden of my minority is quite mild compared to the stereotypes that other groups endure. The contentious online world usually focuses on the downsides of such an upbringing, so I hope it was worth exploring some of the benefits.

It’s not fun growing up different, but there is deep value in knowing that no normal is universal – every group of “we” is a little bit weird.

I woke up and pulled out my phone.
I read the preface to Orange by John McPhee.
And the first chapters of The Tao is Silent by Raymond Smullyan.

Then I picked up my new copy of the I Ching and read Richard Lynn’s introductory remarks.

My mind was blown.

Three new books.
Two technologies, a pocket computer and a codex.
One morning.

All this information for my little brain.

How do I keep up?

䷲䷵

of making many books there is no end
and much study is a weariness of the flesh

A few months ago, my friend wrote one of the best blog posts of the year about navigating this pandemic. I’m biased because I like the dude, but it is also the perfect encapsulation of how I’ve been trying to live this past year.

I think a more productive way to go about life, especially in tough times like these, is to make the best of the information we have at our disposal and as a corollary, to always try to expand our knowledge of the world we live without worrying too much about things that are outside of our control.

Arnaud Marthouret

In a year of countless tragedies for others, I must admit this past year has gone quite well for me. The main reason is because the hand of fate has spared my loved ones. However, it is also because I haven’t obsessed about the limitations of a year at home. Instead I’ve just focused on the limited options in front of my nose and tried my best to ignore the lost opportunities.

When I get stir crazy, I remind myself about life in 2003 when the original SARS became news. Imagine being stuck at home without ubiquitous high speed internet video and portable multimedia devices for the kids! Then again, my appreciation of today’s creature comforts are surpassed by my gratitude that I’ve finally slowed down enough to start enjoying the great relics of human thought, such as the I Ching and the Havamal. Hell, I just started reading the Bhagavad Gita!

Maybe this myopic attitude on “making do” with a quasi-religious inward turn will end up being a suboptimal long term strategy after a return to normal life. But it has been a great tactic turning for turning a year in quarantine into into one of positive growth.

It’s not a perfect life, but it is worth enjoying “as it is“.

While a completely carefree approach to life might be a bit too much at times, learning to let loose and enjoy life as it is, not an idealized, perfected version of it, is a very good rule for life.

Arnaud Marthouret

I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.

John Adams

I’ve played with various mission statements over the last couple years slowly condensing into the motto “Mutual Delight and Refinement”.

In spite of our current political and medical turmoil, I still hope that the world will continue to improve. I’m well aware this is not guaranteed, just look at the Dark Ages or the brutal centuries of war after the Zhou and Han Dynasties. However, I suspect that staring fully into the abyss would only cast a shadow over today while doing little to help prevent a dark tommorrow.

So I hope. Every time I imagine a future for my own kids, I find them producing something of beauty, making things better around them.

Life is both about enjoyment and betterment.

Let’s make it real.

I’ve been listening to Cal Newport’s Deep Questions podcast where he sells the idea of the “deep life”, a worldview that fits nicely with which goes well with Greg McKweon’s “essentialism”. So it was quite fun to pair the two in an interview episode on Greg’s podcast.

Not surprisingly, it made me think about what really matters in life?

Starting with previous ponderings, I’ve developed a rough motto of “gently enjoy and improve the world together”.

The most immediate “together” in my world is my family and kids.

What matters when “gently enjoying the world” with my kids? Being present, and limiting distraction. Trying to be a supportive of their growth (sometimes gently, sometimes strictly). Teaching them to be good at what they do and to be kind to those around them.

Beyond teaching, it is important to model the good life – developing a valuable skill with careful dedication to earn a living. Outside of work, one should enjoy a variety of quality leisure activities: writing on this blog, reading a variety of books, drawing, twiddling on my banjo, baking bread, and hanging out. If I had more an “excellence” mindset, I might pick one and dump the rest, but I’m queasy with the tradeoff that comes with hyper focusing one’s non-compensated pursuits. I believe that breadth matters in appreciating what the world around us.

But what matters for “improving the world”?

Honestly, I haven’t figured that part out, beyond my immediate family and some small work projects. If I was of a more altruistic bent maybe I would join a service organization, however, there isn’t a group or cause that I feel strongly about.

Maybe it’s just a cop out, but for now, the family is what matters and getting the kids pointed in the right direction is my primary focus. That’s what really matters at this time.

It’s hard enough to improve yourself and those you love, much less the world (even if it’s part of your personal motto). Maybe that part comes later.