I think some of the hardest problems humans face boil down to the machinery of life itself. If we can figure out the science behind diseases and disorders we will live longer, healthier, happier lives. As we understand more about genes and how they build proteins and create life we will gain more and more … [Read more…]
Man’s power comes from his ability to change the environment and himself to suit his needs. Very little of this power is due to muscle. It’s due to the trillions of connections in the brain. I think it’s sad when people get paid to use their muscles and not their brains. There is so much … [Read more…]
Different people have different priorities. Some may want to make the lives of others happier, and some may most enjoy discovering new laws of reality. These aren’t diametrically opposed, but they illustrate that there is more than one “right” path. If we don’t have the same preferences, how can we all get along? I feel … [Read more…]
Regardless of our impressions, I’m not sure any people we have as heroes really have it figured out so much better than us. Human questions about existence have a timeless quality. People thousands of years ago were pondering their place too. Probably as the species grows in consciousness it becomes more of an issue. A … [Read more…]
I’m riding the California Zephyr train to Chicago. There is a woman here with two small kids that she’s basically ignoring as they are loud and waking people up. Is it any wonder that so many people grow up and don’t live full and happy lives? If your own mother isn’t going to pay attention … [Read more…]
“The life expectancy of early man has been estimated as about 25 years.” — paraphrase from Cohen MN. (1989) Health and the Rise of Civilization I think it’s really amazing how much we humans use nature to our ends. I talked with a man recently who works on the electronics in satellites, the job he’s … [Read more…]
It seems to me that all life is a game, on differing levels. Some people like the game of a career, some like to raise kids, some like to further science, some like to play video games or watch TV all day. There is no game that is any more legitimate than any other. They … [Read more…]
“I would stand and look out over the roofs of Paris and think, ‘Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now. All you have to do is write one true sentence that you know.’ So finally I would write one true sentence, and then go on from there. It was … [Read more…]
Scientifically I believe individuals are products of their environment. I think evil people are caused by evil environments. Regarding capitalism and private property rights, I understand that they can have a tendency to concentrate wealth. My main problem with a system of government is that it institutionalizes violence. I think every system of government tried … [Read more…]
Make time to work on yourself, not just in yourself. You gain leverage when you view yourself neutrally. When you are dispassionate and able to not take self-criticism personally, you can grow more effectively. When you work on yourself, you aren’t held back by ideas of being consistent with history. You can evolve by shedding … [Read more…]