Progressive Change

It can be overwhelming, at times, to think about solving all the world's miriad problems. It may feel a bit like playing whack-a-mole. But perhaps that is an artifact of reductionist thinking, compartmentalizing life's myriad problems into separate problems to be solved with unique solutions for all of them.

What if the solution to MOST problems in the world was a much simpler algorithm? What if a global solution existed that minimized the inefficient work of trying to tackle every individual problem uniquely?

It turns out there is. 95% of the problems that impact your life can be solved by three things:

1. Daily aerobic exercise (30+ minutes, recommended). Anything that gets your heart rate up to about double your resting heart rate will benefit you mentally and physically.

2. Eating a whole food, plant based diet. This improves your health too, and has the added benefit of significantly reducing climate change (by about 75%) and washing away the sin of animal cruelty. You become more civic minded and compassionate.

3. Abstain from all social and most mainstream media. This is tough to do, but literally makes you smarter, happier, and more relaxed. Social and mainstream media have become toxic, vitriolic, and poisonous stuff.

You may be skeptical of the thesis of this post. So, the good news is...you can PUT IT TO THE TEST! Simply practice the above three things for about a month and see if you don't notice the positive changes. You can always go back to your old ways if you don't. But I happen to know for a fact that you will experience noticeable positive benefits within about two weeks. I encourage you to try it for a month though, just to confirm that those changes are genuine and lasting. You won't want to go back. But you can...

Take care!

Notes to Self

Some people reflect on their goals and values and visions for their respective lives at the end of the year, translating any perceived discrepancies between actual and authentic narratives into "resolutions."

Not me, man. I tend to do these kinds of reflections when I am on vacation, regardless of time of year, such as this fortnight of vacation I am currently experiencing in New Zealand and Australia. My reflections primarily tend to revolve around diet and exercise, because these two domains (and correlates of mental, physical, and spiritual well being) are ones that are sometimes difficult to optimize whilst on vacation. I am currently (in Brisbane AUS) craving a healthy salad or grain bowl, for which there seems to be a dearth in this locale. The Aussies generally adhere to a Western style diet that is, in some ways, sh!ttier than the Standard American Diet, with lots of fat, refined carbs, meat, and salt. We've been getting by thus far on this trip finding vegan options, but I am eager to get back to my healthy routine when we return to Madison WI next week.

My plan is to drink more smoothies for breakfast, like Deborah does. I also want to eat lots of salads and meal prep healthy batches of chili, curry, and "dish" (my word for concoctions of my creation that don't fit easily into typical recipe descriptions). I plan to prep and freeze some vegan burritos and eat more fruit as well.

I am eager to get back into my regular aerobic exercise routine too, intentionally directed at disenfranchising the Diabolical Forces in the Universe. In the colder winter months, this typically comprises Peloton exercise bike workouts.

The End.