Right now April 26, 2020 we are in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic which has basically shut the entire world down. The consequence of this pandemic threatens not only our health but our entire way of life. 

This pandemic is leading us, our society, to a proverbial fork in the road where we will soon have to decide what kind of life we will live from here on out. 

No matter which path we choose there is a good chance that our lives will be much different. The question is will this different life be better or worse?

Article: The Technology That Could Free America From Quarantine written by by Derek Thompson

In the book Doors of Perception, Aldous Huxley discusses the idea that our Brain acts just like a reducing valve. Our brain takes in information but before we become consciously aware of this information our brain begins to reduce that information down.

In other words, when it comes to the world around us, we don’t see the whole story, what we perceive is just a tiny fraction of the big picture.   

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Not all teaching methods are created equal. And better methods produce better students. 

The flip side to this is that there are better ways to learn, and that not all learning methods are created equal. 

So whether it's learning a new language, learning to play the guitar, learning a martial art or learning about the spirit world, there exists a spectrum of possible learning styles ranging from the not so great, to mediocre, to good, to excellent and everything in between.

Have you ever had the realization that you just can’t do it all?

The world is a HUGE place filled with LOTS of people you will never meet, cultures you will never understand, romances that will never happen, languages you will never speak, Countries you will never visit, jobs you will never have, books you will never read, musical instruments you will never learn, and hobbies you will never master (and the list goes on and on and on)...

Onism - The frustration of being stuck in one body, that inhabits only one place at a time, it's the sad realization that we just can’t do it all, that we can only experience a tiny fraction of what the world has to offer. 

Watch the Onism video here

There are lots of ways to develop yourself physically, the truth is that any physical movement you do is way better than doing nothing at all. However not all methods are created equal, some are definitely better than others and the best way to develop yourself physically is to pick a physical hobby!

And by hobby I mean choosing an activity that requires persistence and patience. Something that requires developing skill and mastery. Ideally choosing an activity that is relatively easy to learn but takes a lifetime to master.

Golden rule of physical activity: Do what you can, with what you got!

“There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy” - Fredrick Nietzche

We have a massive plastic problem on this planet. Today we produce 380 million tons of plastic. The world is essentially drowning in a sea of plastic. The solution to this problem is to recycle, at least that's what we have been told...

Netflix series Broken 

In this episode talk about some of the themes contained in the book “Civilized to Death” by Christopher Ryan. As I have mentioned before (and will most likely say again) there is always two sides to every story and the book Civilized to Death does a great job presenting an alternate view of our ancient hunter/gather past as well as looking at the other-side, the darkside, the shadow of our current civilization and modern lifestyle. 

Books: Civilized to Death, 4-hour Work Week

Diamonds are fascinating because they are the hardest known natural substance on Earth. The only thing that can cut a diamond is another diamond. In addition diamonds are also chemically resistant and have the highest thermal conductivity of any natural material. These properties make diamond suitable for use as a cutting tool and other applications where durability is required. So from an industrial standpoint diamonds have some real value and utility..

But from a jewelry standpoint the value of a diamond is utterly worthless...

The Shadow as defined by Carl Jung: Is the unconscious aspects of our personality which the conscious ego does not identify in itself. The shadow encompasses all the different processes of our mind that take place outside of our awareness. 

Shadow work, then, is the process of making the unconscious conscious. It’s the process of exploring our unconscious thoughts, emotions and actions. In doing so, we gain awareness of our unconscious impulses and can then choose whether and how to act on them. 

The person I am and the person you are, is nothing more than the sum of all our actions, and a large driving factor behind most of our actions are the goals we have set for ourselves. 

This is why setting goals is so important because they have the ability to change who we are on a fundamental level.

Always remember:

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. One man’s reward is another man’s punishment. 

Book recommendation: Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus, How growth became the enemy of prosperity