“The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates Do introspective, intelligent people enjoy life more than the masses? Often not. Ben Casnocha wrote this after the death of David Foster Wallace. Awarded the MacArthur genius grant, Wallace was brilliant, but unfortunately, as Casnocha writes: Wallace’s suicide raises for me the question about the correlation […]
How to Chip Away at Your List of Necessities
I’ve just completed my first full week without electricity. And the experience has made me think about all the things in life we supposedly need. We each have a list of necessities, things in life no decent human should be without. Some of these are imposed by society, others we impose on ourselves. However, the […]
Should Your Twenties Be for Work or Play?
I recently turned 21. In a discussion with a friend, we decided there are two major perspectives people take when approaching their twenties: work or play. In the first, people view their twenties as the time to make ambitious career moves. Working 60 or 80 hour workweeks in university or at a job is easier […]
What the Heck is Spirituality?
Am I the only person who thinks spirituality is an overused word? I love the English language, so I hate to see when a word is applied so frequently it becomes vague and meaningless. Second, I dislike the connotation that spirituality is universally good. Spirituality, according to Wikipedia, the most infallible of sources, is: Spirituality […]
I'm a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, podcast host, computer programmer and an avid reader. Since 2006, I've published weekly essays on this website to help people like you learn and think better. My work has been featured in The New York Times, BBC, TEDx, Pocket, Business Insider and more. I don't promise I have all the answers, just a place to start.