No government has ever protected life, liberty, or property when it meant scaling back its own power. Expecting government to do so is like hopping in your family SUV expecting to drive it to Alpha Centauri. That’s not what it was designed to do, and not in the realm of possibility, no matter how much you wish it were.
Tag: happiness
Think Like a Good Capitalist (and Become More Generous)
Maybe that boat you bought isn’t creating value for you because you don’t make the proper time to go out to the lake. Maybe your camera isn’t creating value for you because you never learned photography properly. Maybe your mountain cabin isn’t creating value for you because you’re allergic to mountains or something.
Helping Others, Comforting Upset Children, Estranging Parents, & Freedom (29m) – Editor’s Break 083
Editor’s Break 083 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following topics: whom libertarians want to help; the importance of comforting upset children; why people grow up and estrange their parents; how freedom begins in the mind; and more.
“Welcome to Our Future”
A friend recently told me something scary and … sad. Something I am still trying to digest and ponder. Something which haunts me. He recently participated in mock “job interviews” of some college journalism students. One of the questions he asked them was “What’s the purpose of government?”.
Love and Assertiveness
Love and Assertiveness are two sides of the same coin; one necessitates and depends on the other. Loving yourself requires asserting your rights to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Loving a partner requires assertiveness in creating and protecting an environment of honesty and communication. Loving a child requires asserting certain boundaries or limits around their behavior.
A Mantra for Dealing with Life’s Annoyances
When you’re in a state of stress or tiredness, it can also be easy to get annoyed at little things — the dog barking or construction noises outside, people making rude comments or being late (yet again), tech problems and the state of national politics. Yep, all of these and much more can be super annoying. But being constantly annoyed isn’t good for us. We not only become less happy, we are less pleasant to our loved ones, less open to the world, less devoted to what we care most about, less focused on the important work we’re doing in the world.
Mental Resiliency: Letting Go of the Guilt of Not Getting Things Done
It happens to all of us: we don’t get done what we hoped to get done, then we feel stressed or guilty about it. It’s time to let that go, because it’s not helping us. We can build resiliency around this, with a little mental training. And it will help us in magical ways.
Your Limitations and the Logic of Self-Discipline
Consistency means routine, and routine means discipline. As I’ve worked to implement a new daily morning routine in the last month, I’ve had to call on more discipline than I’ve used in much of my life. If I wasn’t clear about the reason for discipline, I (like most people) probably wouldn’t be doing it. Again, discipline appears arbitrary and unfriendly when it’s not paired with self-interest.
The Best Reason to Drink Coffee
My coworker Chuck told me he drinks two cups of coffee a day. I asked how he came to that decision. He said he chose to because he likes the way it makes him feel. I can’t think of a better reason.
What Explains Nostalgia?
I’ve been puzzling over the concept of nostalgia for some time. What is it? That bittersweet pain you have as a parent when you see your kid growing up and remember in a flash their babyhood. Or the feeling when a song from your youth comes on the radio. It’s a very distinct kind of pleasure mixed with sadness.