“Nothing,” economist Milton Friedman once observed, “is so permanent as a temporary government program.” And nothing makes a government’s programs — or, more importantly, changes in its core values — more permanent than the loss of collective memory that comes with generational changes. We’re hitting a big one soon. It worries me.
Tag: value
How to Become a Self-Help Rock Star
Today I would like to say something about the value of enthusiasm and optimism, but the chances are high that you’ve already heard a million quotes about the virtues of whistling while you work or the value of doing everyday chores with a sense of pride. Instead of giving you another quote about this topic, I’ll share an important distinction: Inspirational philosophy versus Inspired practice.
Regular Self-Interested Human Beings
There is a lot of debate on how liberty-minded people ought to handle personal association. Often this ends up being a point of angst and cognitive dissonance. I thought I would share some of my ideas on the matter.
Individualism, Liberalism, and Verbal Accuracy
If you value liberty and morality, please do not misuse the word “individualism” by suggesting that it has anything to do with anti-social behavior, and do not misuse the word “liberalism” by suggesting that it has anything to do with libertinism or welfare statism.
The Magic of Seeing Everything as Sacred
What would happen if we changed the way we saw every single thing around us, including other people, including ourselves, including every little thing we see?
10 Ways To (Almost) Instantly Grow Your Self-Confidence
There are moments in all of our lives when we can go from a feeling of low confidence to feeling unstoppable. These moments usually happen only at rare occasions, and they seem more like near-miraculous exceptions rather than rules. But what if we operationalized these as regular parts of our lives?
Simplistic to the Point of Absurdity
When someone proclaims to have a certain philosophy, belief, or disposition, do you believe them? Let’s imagine they say they are charitable, but rarely give to charity. Let’s imagine they say they are an altruist, but they have two kidneys in a world where people die for not having one. Let’s imagine they say support the “metoo” movement, but they rape women for sport. What do you think of these people?
Easy Work Is Hard Work Smartly Applied
When someone says “I live a balanced and healthy life”, that means something like “I don’t spend all my time and energy doing income-related activities. In addition to working hard at my job, I also work hard at staying fit, eating healthy, spending time with family, making room for my hobbies, attending birthday parties, and other things that are important to me.” That’s not the opposite of hard work. That’s the definition of smart work.
How To Have the “Best Years of Your Life” (Again)
It’s the rate of rapid change and development and self-discovery that makes the teen years the best and most memorable/important years of many peoples’ lives. It’s the feeling of potential. It’s the feeling of camaraderie. It’s perfectly possible to replicate and even top these elements of your “best years” at any time in life.
Women Aren’t Especially Empathetic
I had a student years ago that was active, playful, distracting, had a short attention span, liked to roughhouse, was an independent thinker and lacked reverence for authority. However, he was incredibly non-malicious and friendly. The teachers and parents (mostly women) in the organization strongly disliked this child.