Writings

The lack of a currently viable solution is not a legitimate reason to disregard a problem. See also

So many things in our lives we know are awful for us, but we keep them in our lives anyway. Social media, junk food, most so-called “news”, extreme amounts of internet and screen time, etc. What if we just STOPPED? What if we just got rid of them? What if we stopped being ok with the things we know our making our lives worse and shorter, and replaced them with the things we knew were good for us — good books, lavish amount of time with friends and family, whole food, time outside, real journalism, etc.? ...

TL;DR: You need a password manager to use the internet safely and efficiently today. I use and recommend Bitwarden. In 2020 there were nearly 8 Billion online accounts compromised by hackers.1 Statistically speaking, at least one of your accounts was probably in that list. Several of mine were. When a hacker compromises an online account, many times the email addresses and passwords of those accounts are among the compromised content. Because many people re-use the same email address and password in many places, when a hacker gets a hold of a user’s username and password, it is super easy for them to take that username and password and start trying that combination on other online accounts… Like your email, your work accounts, your bank, or other valuable or sensitive accounts. ...

You’re wrong about something. I am, too… Likely many things. It’s good for us to ponder that truth once in a while. We are all working with incomplete knowledge, meaning we can’t possibly be right about everything. The universe is too infinite and expansive. The physical, biological, and social systems on our planet are too intricate and incomprehensibly dense. There are assumptions that you and I hold about reality that are assuredly incorrect. ...

Creation works in cycles. Air in, air out. Food in, food out. Day in, day out. Respecting the seasons we’re in — knowing where we are in our personal cycles — can mean the difference between keeping rolling forward, and derailment. Ever try inhaling and exhaling at the same time? So it is with doing the right thing in the wrong season.

Download Audio Blessed are those who do not jump to conclusions, for they will see the world with unveiled eyes. Blessed are those who humbly assume they’re not right about everything. They will inherit understanding. Blessed are those who react with sadness instead of outrage, for their tears are seeds that will grow into trees of joy. Blessed are those who love vehemently, unconditionally, and indiscriminately, for they will be beacons of hope in an ultra-polarized world. ...

Update — September 2022: Technology apparently changes FAST. Many specific tips and techniques in this guide have become out dated since I first wrote it in 2020. İf there is something here you’ve tried that’s not working, message me about what you’re wanting to do, and I’ll be glad to help… And maybe I’ll update that section of the guide at the same time. 😅 “The sugar high of convenience is fleeting and the sting of missing out dulls rapidly, but the meaningful glow that comes from taking charge of what claims your time and attention is something that persists.” ~ Cal Newport In my last post I highlighted a few reasons (among many, many more) that I’ve decided it’s time to say “Baby, bye bye bye” to Facebook and my other social media accounts. (If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend reading it before reading this one. Last post gave the why for what I’m doing. This post goes really deep into the details on the what and the how). ...

Download audio /mp3/social-media-dtr.mp3 “Addiction is a condition in which a person engages in use of a substance or in a behavior for which the rewarding effects provide a compelling incentive to repeatedly pursue the behavior despite detrimental consequences.” Twelve years ago, I spent a week at summer camp like I had many summers before. And just like those many summers before, at the end of camp my new friends and I exchanged our contact info so we could stay in touch after we all got home. In previous years, we would share our email addresses, our MSN accounts (remember those days!?), or in the rare cases of the closest of new friendships, we might share our phone numbers (this was back before any of us had cellphones, so this was actually for calling on the family landline — not for texting). ...

I read a book this year that convicted my heart more than any other (non-Bible) book that I've read in recent memory. I've been chewing on it for two months, and have been trying to figure out a way to share it... but I've struggled to put effectively into words what's been on my heart, so I haven't... However, seeing the story floating around about this most recent shooting in a church in Texas has stirred up my heart again... so bear with me as I try to work some of these emotions, experiences, and thoughts into intelligible sentences... ...

I originally wrote this on my Facebook account back in 2019. I’m reposting it here, partly because you can see some of the seeds that lead to my later decisions, and partly because I’m wanting to start sharing more book recommendations, and I think this counts as a decent “first”. I just borrowed this book from the library, and loved it so much that I read it in a single day! It has put into words an approach and philosophy towards social media and digital life that I've been throwing around in my head over the last few months, but have struggled to put well into words. Because of how valuable and limited of a resource time is, I've fought over the last while to structure my tech usage to be as useful and meaningful as possible, and as little as a time-waster as possible - not completely ditching social media or digital entertainment, but GREATLY limiting the amount I use it (Probably less than 1/100th of the amount of time I used to use it), and being much more purposeful with HOW I use it, WHEN I use it, and WHAT I do with it. (one example: I no longer use any apps on my phone that have infinite scroll (FB, Instagram, Twitter, etc.), and have disabled the main-page news feeds on Facebook and YouTube on my laptop). That might sound like a super out-there thing to do, but even just that single choice (no infinite scrolling) has helped greatly increased my joy and sanity when it comes to engaging with technology, and has allowed me to be more invested when I am actually engaging with people on social media. All that to say, if you feel like you'd like to take your time back from social media, and instead give it to the people, goals, hobbies, or whatever you actually care about, I highly recommend you give this book a read. Here are links to where it can be bought, but a library is a great place to get it too. http://www.calnewport.com/books/digital-minimalism/