Author: curiousmike

Yesterday I woke up dreading my upcoming workday. OK, “dreading” is a little strong, but I did have some potentially uncomfortable conversations coming up, and I wasn’t looking forward to them. I took this as an opportunity to check in about how I felt about this, and perhaps why. I didn’t journal about it (next […]

My family and I are spending a couple of days at Claytor Lake. We rented a “cabin” (sleeps 16 — long story) and I’m taking a day off work. My wife, daughter, and mother-in-law are joined by my son and his girlfriend, who are visiting us from college. I thought to myself about a week […]

I’ve seldom made decisions easily. It’s part of my nature to ponder all the variables, see things from all angles, and take as much time as possible, before making any decision. Well, almost any decision. My wife and I were married within nine months of meeting each other. I chose my college major in 15 […]

Here’s an interesting discussion about how our brain processes our relationships with others. Things to learn about: Stupid enemy mode (that’s an enemy mode that’s stupid — not a mode involving a stupid enemy) 🙂 Intelligent enemy mode — gifted and ungifted Hot anger, cold anger Christian teachings on the matter Where attachment comes in […]

I’m always looking for examples of people finding ways to get along. If beer is involved, so much the better…

I am a big fan of Stephen Dubner and Freakonomics. Recently, I dialed up the Freakonomics podcast, just looking for something to listen to while I sat in the hot tub. I came across an episode about roundabouts. You know, traffic circles? These are not to be confused with “rotaries,“ which are very large traffic […]

I’m a big fan of both Braver Angels, and of Tristan Harris. My two worlds have just collided, and they’ve collided only days after I launched this site. There’s a new episode of Tristan Hariss’ podcast “Your Undivided Attention,” which you can find at https://www.humanetech.com/

Many people — perhaps most — have heard about the tradition in some Native American tribes of the talking stick. Most people know the story as this… Whoever has the talking stick can speak. Everyone else must remain quiet. The stick gets passed around (or back and forth), until everyone has been heard, and everything […]