Key Points: Guilt and shame share some similarities but have key differences with regards to autonomy and identity. Guilt has genuine utility for children, less for adults. Shame often tells the story, “I’m a bad person,” which is a thought pattern that couldn’t be more wrong, and ultimately hurts both the victim and perpetrator of … Read more
Key Points: George Floyd’s death in 2020 forced me into an uncomfortable but necessary reconciliation with something racist I said during a soccer game in 2017. I realized that I’d internalized a biased viewpoint that I heard repeatedly while playing youth soccer during my formative years in the early 2000’s. Discovering the root of the … Read more
Key Points: In most areas of life, we understand that “more” isn’t always better. And yet, we rarely stop to examine what “enough” might mean from a financial perspective. This can leave us stuck on an endless treadmill, suffering through the pursuit of an undefined goal we’ll never reach. Estimated reading time: 5-10 minutes Listen … Read more
It may be impossible to objectively define what it means to be “good at” something. But, we often don’t give ourselves enough credit for how good we actually are. Perceptions skewed by the extremes inherent to bell curves go a long way to explaining why that’s the case. Using incredibly specific language when thinking about … Read more
Key Points: Capitalism has many features that make it like a game. Unlike any other game, however, we’re basically forced to play it. AI could lead to a genuine revolution in which we don’t have to play unless we want to, thus freeing up a ton more human potential for creativity, but will it? Estimated … Read more
Key Points: Authority usually comes with increased power, privilege, or pay, which leads to increased scrutiny around behavior. In some cases, however, those with soft power enjoy no accompanying perks, but are still held to a higher standard of conduct. Reactions to a recent refereeing incident in English soccer highlights this concept perfectly. Estimated reading … Read more
Key Points: Winning is not inherently joyful, and wins often bring a sense of relief rather than excitement. The time my college soccer team won our conference regular season championship perfectly highlights this concept. When wins bring relief rather than joy, an identity or deeply-held belief was probably under threat. Being unaware of this leads … Read more
Key Points: We originally started playing any game because we found it fun, not simply to win. In almost any competitive endeavor, participants and spectators prefer playstyles that focus on a fast, fluid, and creative offense to overly-defensive ones. The implied social contract in all games offers a compelling reason why. True joy in playing … Read more
Key Points: 1. For a multitude of reasons, those who use steroids have incentives to lie about it. 2. Particularly among young people, this dishonesty skews perceptions about what type of physique can be achieved naturally, which contributes to body dysmorphia. 3. The stigma around steroid usage resembles the one around marijuana–concern about health risks … Read more
Key Points: 1. Sometimes, selfish and dangerous behavior will cause harm to other people. Other times, it won’t. 2. Therefore, we should avoid judging ourselves or others based on a single action. 3. This concept forms an idea known as “moral luck.” Embracing it can help us become more empathetic and forgiving. Estimated reading time: … Read more