There’s still a lingering depression when we consider that heroes like Schindler can backslide, or make stupid decisions, or make cruel ones (like abandoning a spouse) after having done something great and good. There has to be an antidote to that despair. Or what is the point of doing good in the world if it can be so easily lost?
Author: James Walpole
James Walpole is a writer, startup marketer, intellectual explorer, and perpetual apprentice. He opted out of college to join the Praxis startup apprenticeship program and currently manages marketing and communications at bitcoin payment technology company BitPay. He writes daily at jameswalpole.com.
This Halloween, Celebrate the Commercialization of Sweetness and Surprise
Have you ever noticed how no one complains about the commercialization of Halloween? Halloween is one of the most honest, self-aware holidays. It knows it’s about costumes, candy, parties, and fun scares. It knows money will be involved. And yet you won’t find too many people who don’t like Halloween.
Love Is Powerless
The lure of domination lurks wherever we hold the keys. And there isn’t much self-actualization going on in a relationship between unequals. If you really want to see someone come alive and become more “themself” – in other words, if you want to love them – you’re going to have to give up the keys. You have to surrender your power.
Networking – It’s Not Just About the New People
Your connections are your customers. So if you have a LinkedIn account stocked with a couple of hundred current connections, maybe now’s the time to spend less time on growing your network and more time on nurturing the connections you have. Networks aren’t just about breadth – they’re also about depth.
Why I Don’t Like Being “Ahead of My Peers”
I won’t lie – it’s nice to be told that you have a leg up. I’m a competitive person just like anyone else, so it’s great to hear that some of my life choices have put me “ahead.” But despite all of the ego gratification I get from being told that, there’s part of me that really doesn’t like the idea. And another part doesn’t believe it’s entirely true.
Building While Rome Burns: Every Startup Company’s Job
It’s so tempting to spend all our time solving the problems we see. Everything within us wants to. Everything within us thinks building should wait until the fires are out. But if you’re dead set on moving forward, you have to murder those feelings.
Why I Don’t Trust the Popular Kids
To be at the top of that social pyramid – to be winning the game – in school isn’t exactly a sign that you’re Captain America. I’ll take the misfits to that world, thank you very much. If you were awkward, clumsy, afraid, unskilled, or not powerful in school, there’s tremendous hope ahead of you.
Stop Complaining About Your Commute
Driving is an amazing gift. It’s underrated as an expression of skill precisely because so many people have the skill. And its precisely the fact that so many people can get into these rolling hunks of metal and arrive safely at their destinations every day that’s so impressive.
Is This Decision Going To Be Terrible? 6 Ways To Know
Post-mortem deconstruction of a choice is far easier than deconstruction in the moment. Still, with just a bit of rigorous checking, we humans can catch the warning signs of a bad decision from far off. Here are six questions to ask yourself before making any major – even potentially major – life decisions.
How Game of Thrones Made Me Appreciate Family Values
Graphic violence. Excessive sexuality. Drunken brawling. Betrayal. Deception. Incest. Most people know Game of Thrones for these unsavory plot elements. You wouldn’t think a show like this would teach you to appreciate family values. But for me, Game of Thrones has probably done more to make me appreciate my teetotalling, conservative upbringing than anything produced by the purveyors of “family friendly” entertainment.