Love has nothing, zero, nada to do with being nice. Love is all about discrimination: separating the good from the bad, choosing the good, and enacting it. With "the good" aiming at long term ethical flourishing, not politeness or "look at me" gestures. To do it well requires knowledge, discernment, effort. You don't love your child by serving unlimited candy and iPads. You don't love your spouse by refusing to confront them about their abuse of service staff. You don't love your people by indulging their fanciful notions in politics. No. You love them by doing what's right and being prepared to stand by your convictions in the face of opposition and loss. To do that, you must A) actually be motivated by love, and B) know what's right. A is mostly a (difficult) decision, and the continuous recommitment to that decision when it is inevitably tested and found wanting. B is just as difficult: it requires said knowledge, discernment, and effort. You need a system of measurement appropriate to the domain you're acting in and you better know both the limits of that system and your own limits in applying it. I sometimes say that "moral certainty is the most prized possession in the world". People will kill to get and keep it, and they will kill in its name. Providing it is a dangerous game, especially at scale. This is the terrifying power that "scribblers" hold: to walk people through the depths of their own soul and convince them that this makes them angels. It is why prophets and innovators are persecuted always. Not because they are right in their pronouncements (although they very well may be), but because they manufacture an alternate source of moral authority. And with everything invested in the status quo, "they" can't have that. Because where there is moral authority, people and their resources inevitably follow. This should be a profoundly encouraging message for you if you understand it. It means that in a time of degeneracy and decay, instead of groveling for a job or handout at the feet of pharisees, you can do difficult things that test your resolve, call out evil, and grow a collective capable of overcoming it. Now, few will do so — power laws are in everything and the risks are real. But the ones who do and succeed? They will inherit the earth.

Today I spoke at Palestra Forum in El Salvador. The title of my talk? "What We Leave Behind: Values, Constraints, and the Legacy of Civilizations" Below are my slides and the thoughts I shared alongside them 🧵

Sailing in the British Virgin Islands, poasting on Nostr, got my girl and good dudes with me — Iife's good!

Ever heard of the creative process? I learned its power from Robert Fritz after my friend Nick introduced me to his work. The basic pitch is simple: professional creators don’t rely on flimsy inspiration for their creations. Instead, they: 1. articulate the outcome, 2. take stock of current reality, and then 3. take action to close the gap between the two. It’s so deceptively simple and yet so incredibly powerful. Since learning this, my creative output has grown immensely. I’ve organized a course, started working out consistently, strengthened my relationship, executed a couple of professional projects, and more. I even created my own card deck to assist in creating something using the creative process (pics attached). I’m curious: what has held you back from creating the outcomes you want? What if all the huffing and puffing in the process wasn’t necessary? Do you really want the outcome or do you prefer being perceived as creative?

If you're an ambitious man in the Extended European Habitat, I want to hear from you! What is your approach to life, your strategy? Why have you (not) given up? How do you deal with economic hardship? I want to know how you approach these and other related questions. I am writing a book that offers you a framework. I want feedback on whether it makes sense to you. Reply below to share your thoughts. Share this post and I'll send you a sample chapter.

Athlete of the Soul It sounds fake and gay, but there are athletes of the soul out there. Compelled by fate or as acquired taste, they keep on picking the hardest challenges to undergo. Not necessarily physically or even mentally, although those too. No, they train the soul. When few choices are hard, only hard choices actually made differentiate you from the rest. That much has always been true, and perhaps this truly is not anything new, and yet, it feels that way to me. Don't let the staccato nature of your thoughts stop letting them flow, just shoot, aim, and go. I have worried, and that perhaps is my gravest sin. Imagination belongs to the uses that produce the greatest bounty, and worry just consumes it. It really is true that people throw away their lives for the triflest things. A Taylor Swift concert, the banana peel purposely laid out for a practical joke. People die for the stupidest of reasons, and they give up their lives without dying for even stupider reasons still. I watched this John Mayer video once where he explains his creative process and it's what I employ just this very moment to write this piece. You just start strumming, or in my case writing, and you make it work. Don't think about it, do it, and do it, and do it more. The craziest thing is what this process yields. It's not even a process so much as a gusto, a deeply vitalistic impulse, an expression of faith. Small perhaps, yes, but one nonetheless. Writing has been a strangely bimodal affair for me: I rarely do it but when I do, it consumes me completely. I largely attribute it to having very little to say. Some squawk as a way of life, but rarely have I seen those constitutional squawkers edify anyone, let alone themselves.

10th draft coming together nicely. Very pleased with it. If all goes well, this will be edited and published by fall.