It seems like six months can’t go by without a major magazine company running a thinkpiece that either satirizes or openly criticizes people who enjoy #vanlife. Here’s one from January 2021, right in the middle of the pandemic.
The one thing that’s consistent about all these pieces is the author of the piece (who is not a #vanlifer themselves) invariably misunderstands what #vanlife is about.
Invariably, they conduct their “test” of #vanlife in extraordinarily luxurious camper vans rented on their behalf by their magazine. We’re talking 2021 extra-long wheelbase Mercedes Sprinters with 500 watts of solar panels, full showers with…
There’s something romantic about the idea of intellectual debate between two well-meaning people. Get two smart people in a room together, agree to a conversation in which both participants only appeal to rationality, and surely the truth will prevail.
Of course, it never works out like that in reality. Most conversations between two well-meaning people go nowhere. Most of the time, feelings get hurt and people do dissolve into personal attacks or emotional appeals. …
I grew up in a wealthy suburb of Ohio called Dublin. It was the kind of suburb where people had formal dining rooms and parents bought their children cars when they turned 16. Our town’s official motto was, I shit you not, “It’s greener in Dublin.” (They changed that a few years ago.) Residents of Dublin had another name for it: the Dublin Bubble.
Inside the Dublin Bubble, life was upper class. Nobody dropped out of high school or got pregnant— and when students inevitably did, their name was spoken in hushed undertones and quickly forgotten. Everyone went to college…
In my early twenties, I was simultaneously going to college and running a business I’d started called Pufferfish Software that made apps for autistic children. As part of the local startup community, I found myself at a lot of local pitch contests and networking events, listening to people struggle to find funding for their startup.
While it can be hard to predict which entrepreneurs will succeed over the long run and which will fail, it was always easy to tell which ones weren’t going to succeed anytime soon. …
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about religion lately. I suddenly and unexpectedly became an atheist a few weeks ago, and everything I thought I knew about the world, I didn’t anymore. That’s fine, of course — the process of reinvention has been fascinating — but it has evoked some interesting reactions in the people around me.
For instance, Christians around me have started acting as if I think they’re stupid.
Whenever it comes up that my beliefs have changed, they’re eager to present sophisticated arguments in defense of their belief system. I’m usually familiar with these arguments, because…
This article contains affiliate links.
Most people read less than ten books a year. With books being one of the most important and powerful ways we can learn, it’s important to make sure you’re reading the handful of books most likely to make a positive impact in your life.
Like anything else, picking the right book to read is a skill. You can learn how to do it and get better at it every time you pick a book. Here’s how.
What have you been thinking about lately? When you’re on a Zoom meeting and google things in the other…
When I tell people I read roughly 100 nonfiction books a year, I get three kinds of responses:
I’ve noticed a trend with the people who listen to podcasts and watch YouTube videos but don’t read books, and it’s that they’re always pretty superficially educated on whatever they’re educated about…
Self-help is an incredible resource. Self-help books can help you get fit, learn how to use money effectively, eat well, and a million other things besides. If you’re facing a personal problem, chances are there exists a self-help book and a therapist who can help you get that problem knocked out quicker than you can believe.
But sometimes, self-help isn’t the answer.
A few years ago, my life was one gigantic self-help project. If ever I found myself with an ounce of free time on my hands, I asked myself “How could I productively use this time?” At the time…
This article contains affiliate links.
For a few years now, I’ve been plowing through reading 80–100 books a year. The number of books I’ve read will be over 500 by the end of April. That’s a lot of time spent sitting in my reading chair.
As I prepare to cross over the 500-book-mark (heh heh), I’ve been thinking a lot about how one picks the books they read.
Something I’ve noticed as I’ve plowed through 500+ books is that most books are just shittier versions of longer, better books.
This is the story of my lifelong journey with spirituality and how it came to a rather abrupt end. May it help others along the road.
My younger self wasn’t sure of much about my future, but I was sure I would always be a believer.
Of course, what I believed in changed several times. In my pre-teen years, I was convinced of the existence of a Protestant God and spent most of my time devouring and re-devouring the works of C.S. Lewis. …