Then I realized: I do the same thing, and so do the people around me. That is, we outsource our thinking to a machine, which can’t think in the first place (though that fact is a whole separate piece I am working on).

Since the rise of Generative AI, what I caught myself doing is using tools like ChatGPT or Claude to go through problems. Not as a help, but instead had it spit out an answer that I then (at times blindly) adopted as my own solution.

And going by that post above, and the anecdotal evidence I have, I am not alone in this.

This is not thinking. Again, the machine cannot think. It can only match patterns and emulate writing. But thanks to increasingly sophisticated models, the solution the machine gives us seems like the solution we were looking for.

But if I am not the one thinking, and thus not the one solving the problem (because problem-solving is what thinking ultimately is), I have learned nothing. I have just taken another one's thoughts (and again, the machine cannot think) as my own. I see little value in this.

This phenomenon is, however, not a recent problem, even though Generative AI has exacerbated it. Outsourcing our thinking to other things, or people, is something humanity has been doing forever.

Before Generative AI, we outsourced our thinking to influencers and whatever the algorithmic timelines fed us. Before that, it was to politicians, celebrities, and other people in power. Before that, it was the churches. And before that, it was the shamans. (To be fair, people still do this.)

But at least in these examples, the thinker we outsource to is human. We can, most often, deduce what their agenda is. But what is the agenda of a machine that has been trained by a group of people who probably don’t even understand how that machine works in the first place?

I believe that in this age, at a time when we get inundated with information from all directions, the ability to think is the most important skill we have.

I expect that when, and if, the AI revolution arrives, people who have the ability to think are the ones who will not be left behind. Thinkers will be the ones who will thrive in these uncertain times.

And this is how to think:

I see four parts that are necessary for thought. You need to cultivate all four, because one or two alone may not be enough to form your best thinking.

These are:

• Thinking in silence;
• Thinking through inspiration;
• Thinking by writing;
• Thinking by not (actively) thinking.

Thinking in silence

AI, algorithmic timelines, and generally just the noise¹ we live in, don’t give us the space to think. They hijack our attention and concentration.

This is our fault. Whenever we have the slightest moment of silence—and we call that boredom—we try to fill the void with whatever we can find.

But there is a reason you have your best thoughts under the shower, or as soon as your head hits the pillow. These might be the only moments you experience true silence and boredom.

When we manage to turn off the outside world, we are able to listen to our inner voice. That is thinking. That voice that speaks to you, at times maybe roughly, though that is for another essay, is what thinking is.²

By listening and talking to the inner voice, we can give it problems to solve. We can mentally go through the steps and let our minds untangle whatever we are currently working on. If we feed it with the correct pieces, and let it do its job without interruption, it’ll allow us to solve the puzzle.

This is hard. Thinking is an active skill (though there is a passive element to that, more soon) that burns a lot of energy. The brain alone consumes, on average, around 400 calories per day. To give you an idea: 30 minutes of running burns the same amount. (So feed your brain the nutrients, exercise, and rest it needs.)

I am a strong believer in cultivating silence to let our minds go wild and start forming thoughts. It is not easy, though, modern civilization likes to flood us with distractions. Therefore, I try to find moments throughout the day where I embrace silence. (And I am not talking about absolute silence like you have in outer space. You don’t need 0 decibels; rather, what you need is to not have inputs. White noise is completely fine and might even be beneficial to some. If I struggle with sounds, I listen to a mix of white noise and thunderstorms.)

But embracing silence is hard for me. I struggle with this because I have the tendency to fill the silence with... something. Anything. Not necessarily because I’m afraid of the silence, but because boredom is at times painful. Boredom is just so... boring.

I’m not used to it anymore, so I have to force myself to accept it. And only then can I sit in silence and let my mind work. And every time I give it the space it needs, I am surprised by what that squishy thing in my skull is capable of.

Thinking through inspiration

While the building block above shows how to create space for thinking, it’s inspiration, I believe, that sparks thought in the first place.

Not every thought is worth something. I doubt this is a surprise to you, but if we’d follow every thought we’d ever have life would be pretty fucking weird.

To succeed at thinking, we need to feed our minds the necessary material to refine what happens up there.

This happens through a process I (and I probably stole it) call cross-pollination.

Cross-pollination is when you take a whole bunch of Lego bricks from all kinds of different sources to build your own castle in your mind.

You achieve this by consuming broadly.

But not all consumption is equal.

There is a reason everyone talks about brain rot currently, because mindlessly scrolling through TikTok and watching people do whatever the algorithm gets them views, is not the type of consumption I am talking about.

Rather, we’re talking about content (and it can still happen on TikTok, the medium is NOT the problem) that challenges you.

For me, this content primarily exists as the written word. It is the reason why I read as much as I do. But I also find it in blog posts like these, or newsletters, or at times even on text-based social media like Bluesky or Threads (though let me be real, this is the exception, most content on there is mediocre).

You can find that content also in multimedia formats, be it podcasts, YouTube videos, or (good!) TikTok shorts. Or you find it as a little nugget in some random TV show or movie. Or while talking to other people, or observing nature.

What is important here is that you consume actively. Not necessarily to learn every time you look at something, but by spending focused time with the media.

And yes, for that, you need to put away your phone, turn off your gaming console, or whatever else you are currently doing. NO multitasking. We all know by now that multitasking doesn’t exist. Sit with the material, consume it, and let it feed your thoughts with new Lego bricks.

One very important thing, however, is this: don’t only consume things with which you agree or that you already believe. All this does is feed your idiocy (and we are all idiots) and enforce negative cycles.

Consume stuff you hate. Consume what the enemy created, whoever that enemy is (and then ask yourself, why do you have enemies?). Consume things that are uncomfortable because they might show you truths you want to hide from. Consume broadly and widely, and outside of your comfort zone, because it gives you perspective and shows you things you may not have known.

I am not saying you need to adopt these views. Not if you fundamentally disagree with them, and especially not if they are just plain wrong. Bigots are bigots (and I believe they are bigots because they do not consume what their “enemies” create). But this at least shows you what not to think about.

This is crucial, too. This is anti-thinking, another part of having “good” thoughts. But how do you know what to anti-think if you don’t know what is out there?

Thinking through writing

Yes, I am biased. But I believe that writing is the other necessary skill to succeed in our current times.

Because what writing allows is to sort and distil the thinking you do, break it down into pieces and recombine it with other stuff.

As long as the thinking just stays in your mind, I’d argue that it is worthless. This is especially true for ideas. Everyone has ideas. The world certainly does not lack ideas.

Ideas are not worth anything if they do not lead to future steps.

The first step is to write it down. Because writing is the one other magic trick humans possess.

And before you tell me that Generative AI is taking this from us: LLMs do not write.

What they do might look like writing, it might feel like writing, but it is not writing. Instead, GenAI outputs text, syntactically flawless text, yes, but devoid of any substance. The machine just breaks down writing into a mathematical formula³, robbing writing of all that makes it magical. (And a lot of us lack the necessary taste to understand that this writing is simply not good. Grammatically correct ≠ good.)

So you need to write yourself. And as the screenshot at the beginning of this essay ironically shows, even writing down your problem as an AI prompt clarifies your thought.

There are two ways to solve problems through writing, and I alternate between the two of them: they are writing slowly, and writing fast.

Writing slowly

I’d argue that to write slowly you have to write by hand. Be it on a piece of paper, or like I do, on one of these fancy e-ink devices.

But through writing by hand, you are forced to slow down, simply because your hand cannot catch up to the speed of your thinking. And this allows you to “de-jumble” the mess in your head before you put it down on paper.

This blog post was first brainstormed on the equivalent of two sheets of A4 paper, and what came out was basically a completely finished post that just needed a bit of polishing (to transform bullet points into proper prose, for example).

I write most of my blog posts this way. I also write my journal by hand every morning, and most of my notes are handwritten, too.

Again, this is to make sense of what is in my head, by giving me the space (and the silence, there are no inputs when I do this) to think through things.

(In theory, you could also use an old-school typewriter. Because if you type too fast on that thing, you jam the keys. This is a great analogy because if you write too fast by hand, you jam your brain.)

Writing fast

Another practice I follow is what I call the brain dump. This has to happen on a computer, either by typing if you are a fast typist or maybe by recording a voice note.

The value of the brain dump is by “emptying” your mind. The goal is not to form perfectly finished nuggets of thought but instead to unload all that is in your mind, all that is taking up your mental bandwidth.

Often, what comes out of a brain dump session is not truly valuable if looked at through a vacuum. It is important that you don’t filter and instead write everything down that comes up, unedited and raw.

When you look at this brain dump, you’ll realize that most of it is trash. That is ok, that is the point of the exercise. You want to get the trash out of your head.

But with a certain distance (I never read the brain dumps the day I wrote them), you may find certain specks of gold. Here and there, you see a nugget that, if you disassemble it, might lead to something. And then I’d suggest you take that nugget and go through it by writing by hand.

Thinking by not (actively) thinking

Because thinking is problem-solving, in theory, the result of thought is a solved problem.

Sometimes you can’t solve the problem when you actively think about it. You just can’t find the solution, no matter how much time you spend on it.

In these cases, stop. Take some distance. Let it rest, do something completely different, and ignore it for a few hours or days.

You may have experienced this before. You struggled for hours to come up with a solution, kept failing, and ultimately gave up.

But then, in the unlikeliest of situations, you had the epiphany you waited for. The complete solution to your problem suddenly came up in your mind as if planted there by some alien life form when you were not paying attention.

This is thinking by not thinking. It is passive. It happens without you forcing it, in the subconscious, while you do other things. I don’t know why it happens. I don’t understand what processes run in our subconscious mind in the background, I only know that I’ve experienced this before.

As a writer, the way I use it is to never hit publish on bigger pieces (like this one) the day I wrote them. I often let them sit and ripen in the back of my mind. When I sit down with them again, I often perceive things I hadn’t before.

The same goes when I struggle to fix a problem at work. Giving myself the space to not think about it is apparently what I need to solve the toughest of problems.

So sometimes, don’t think. Some people seem to be really good at this.

Tools for Thinking

I’m planning to expand this section into a separate post in the future, but here are a bunch of tools and tricks I rely on to help my thinking.

While the above steps are the basis needed to think in the first place, the tools below are what help me have “better” thoughts.

• Mental models: You may have heard of Pareto’s principle, aka the 80/20 rule, or Occam’s Razor, or Compounding. These are mental frameworks that might not always be true, but that allow you to see things in different lights. There are a lot of them. In theory, all that follows below could be considered a mental model.
• First principles: Break your thoughts down to the most basic truth. Dig at it for as long as you can until you discover the one raw fact that must be true. Strip away assumptions. Build from there.
• Socratic Questioning: Ask layered, open-ended questions to clarify, probe, explore and question.
• 5 Whys: Ask why until you discover the root cause behind a problem. The first, second or even third level is often not the true reason a problem appeared.
• Inversion: Do the opposite of what you were planning to do. Instead of asking how to succeed, ask yourself how to fail. Then avoid that.
• Reverse-engineering: Start from a finished system. Deconstruct it to see how it was built, then replicate (and improve) it with your own toolset.
• Feynman Technique: That’s what I am doing here. I want to learn how to think, so I teach it in simple terms to the reader. When I struggle to explain a part, I find gaps in my knowledge. I go back and improve.

There are many more tools in my toolset, but these are the ones I (try to) rely on the most. I’ll expand this into a separate post down the line, so subscribe to the newsletter or RSS feed to get notified when it goes live!

Thinking is the most crucial skill we need to develop amidst our current, uncertain times. It will help us make sense of the mess of the world, and especially of the mess in our minds.

By becoming better thinkers, I’d argue we become better humans. And by becoming better humans, we’ll be able to make the world a better place.

None of this is easy. It requires a vast amount of effort from us, not only to take the time to think or improve our thinking, but also to reject what interferes with it.

It is probably why a lot of people will not do this. Instead, they might complain, shout at the clouds or simply give up. It is, after all, easier to feel defeatist than to struggle.

Those of us who hone this skill (and thinking is ultimately a skill) will learn a superpower that brings us ahead of the majority.

It’ll make us superhuman, and I strongly believe this.

So, go and practice thinking.

Some notes on AI: I bashed Generative AI, LLMs and algorithmic timelines a lot in this post.

The reason is I strongly believe we should not be offloading the skills that make us human to machines.

But I still use ChatGPT on a near-daily basis. The difference is that I (now) use it to complement my thinking. I use it for research (and then fact-check, because it still hallucinates a lot), I use it as a learning tool, or to see things from different angles by actively asking it to do so. It often fails, but sometimes it helps me.

Generative AI is a tool we need to learn how to use. I keep comparing LLMs to a friend who has a photographic memory and remembers everything. But he is also just plain stupid. He makes shit up. He doesn’t know what he is talking about, but just parrots what he learned by heart. (And memorizing ≠ understanding.) Sometimes he parrots something really intelligent, but that is more a coincidence than anything else. We just give this randomness more weight than we should, as we find it “magical”.

And as for algorithmic timelines: they are mostly shit. Their only worth is if you use them as a marketing tool.

These are not complete and will be updated over time. Also, read about my philosophy.

1. Mind & Learning

• Curate your inputs. Cut the noise. Cut the hatred.
• Always be reading: One book a week, minimum.
• Learn by doing. You don't need more information, you need more reps.
• Journal daily.
• Don’t shy away from “hard”.
• Meditate like a Stoic, a Buddhist, and a writer.
• Look at the sky more.
• Sleep on big decisions.

2. Creativity & Expression

• Boredom is sacred. Don't replace it with screen time.
• Make weird shit.
• Start before you’re ready.
• Use constraints: They sharpen ideas.
• Document, don’t perform: Be real. Don't lie to yourself or others.
• Writing is magic: It creates something out of nothing.

3. Body & Health

• Eat whole foods. Not everything needs to be “clean”, but your grandmother should recognize it. (Thankfully she was Italian, and recognized pizza.)
• 160g protein/day.
• Train 3–4x per week.
• Run 3x per week.
• Prioritize sleep. Aim for 8 hours.
• Skincare is self-care.
• Hydrate.
• Walk daily.
• Supplements support habits, not replace them.
• Limited to no alcohol: No benefit, so only use it for social reasons, and only in moderation. It's a poison.
• “Mens sana in corpore sano”.

4. Work & Focus

• Batch deep work: Don’t let shallow tasks bleed into it.
• Offload your brain. Write to think. Untangle thoughts with a pen.
• Silence distractions: Phone off, tabs closed.
• Create before consuming.
• Respect the reset: Wind-down is productive.
• Don’t multitask.
• Time is the only currency you can’t multiply.

5. Values & Vibe

• Be useful. Be kind. Be decent. Don’t be an ass.
• Own your weird: Taste is not a flaw.
• Act like you have agency.
• Never half-ass anything: Whole-ass or skip it.
• Be better by 1% daily.
• Don’t skip two days in a row.
• Smile often.
• Own the L, then take the lesson.
• Fuck hustle culture: Discipline, yes. Grind, no.
• Play like it’s a game: Level up, explore, enjoy. Level up again.
• Stop giving unnecessary fucks: Save them. Spend them with intention.

6. Relationships & Social Life

• Be the person people can count on. Show up. Ask questions. Listen. More than you speak.
• Prioritize connection: Small circles, deep roots.
• Respect time together: Be present, no phones. Seriously. No phones.
• Let people surprise you. Don’t write scripts for others.
• Stay open to opposing views. But never at the cost of tolerating bigotry or harm.
• Everyone’s faking something. That includes you.
• Focus on quality time with yourself so you can show up for others.
• Leave things better than you found them.

7. Aesthetic & Space

• Dress with intention, even for yourself.
• Declutter often: Physical mess = mental noise.
• Minimal ≠ boring: It’s edited, not empty.
• “Draw your own lines in the sand”: Set boundaries. Choose your game.
• Your space is your brain’s reflection.
• Curate, don’t decorate.
• Let in air and light.
• Treat your desk like an altar: Magic happens there.
• Digital clutter counts too: Clean your files, phone, desktop.

8. Finance & Independence

• Live below your means: Always.
• Money is freedom, not status.
• Pay yourself first.
• Avoid bad debt: If you can’t buy it without credit, don’t.
• Wait before buying: 2-week rule. Still want it? Go ahead.
• Quiet money > loud money: Buy freedom, not applause.
• You don’t need every shiny new thing: They won't fix you.
• Your financial game is not someone else’s. Write your own rules.

9. Tech & Tools

• Use tools that respect you.
• Learn shortcuts.
• Fix what annoys you.
• Tech is your sidekick. Keep it lean.

If you have questions, drop me an email.

Readwise Reader tweaks for e-ink

Readwise Reader has a few settings that make reading on an e-ink device much better. Unfortunately, some of these settings sync across devices, so if you also use Readwise on your phone, the changes might affect it there too.

1. Font – Select Literata (I don't remember, if Readwise Reader ships this font by default, but we need it later, so download it from Google Fonts and load it via BooxDrop, ADP or however else you get files onto your device).
2. Font Size – I set mine to 18.
3. Line Spacing – 1.2 works well, though I don’t recall if that’s the default.
4. Paged Scroll (Beta) – Turn this on if you prefer paged scrolling over continuous.
5. Page Animations – Reduce them under More Style Options for a smoother experience.
6. Default Paged Scrolling for EPUBs – Make sure this is enabled.

Boox OS settings

In the Boox OS style option thingy:

• Dark Color Enhancement – Set to 70.
• Refresh Mode – I use Balanced everywhere except KOReader (where I use HD).
• Optimize Settings – Turn on Eliminate Font Aliasing.
• Color Tab > Other Colors – Max out the icon color. I heard this improves clarity, though I haven’t tested it extensively.
• Other Settings > Custom Side Buttons – Set them to Scrolling for easier navigation.

KOreader + Readwise + Calibre integration

KOReader integrates well with Readwise for highlights, but it takes some setup.

In KOReader:

1. Tap the Tools Icon.
2. Go to Export Highlights.
3. Choose Formats and Service – add Readwise here.

If you use Calibre, you can streamline access to your library via OPDS:

1. In Calibre (desktop), enable the Content Server – this is OPDS.
2. Either turn it on manually when running Calibre or set it up on a home server.
3. I opted for Calibre Web via Pikapod for 24/7 access. (Calibre Web is a fork of Calibre, essentially the same but web-accessible).

Now, in KOReader:

1. Library View – Tap the magnifying glass.
2. Choose OPDS Catalog.
3. Add your Calibre Web settings.

Now, you can download books onto KOReader directly without cables.

KOreader customization tips

KOReader is powerful but a pain to set up initially. You’ll need to poke around the menus and fine-tune things manually.

1. Open any book and tap the bottom of the screen to adjust reading options.
2. Tap the top of the screen for additional settings.
3. After customizing the bottom menu, save your preferences:
   Top Menu > Document Icon > Document Settings > Save Document Settings to Default.

To apply it to a new book, use the Reset option.

My KOreader settings:

• Margins – 5 (L/R), 7 (Top), 6 (Bottom).
• Page Settings – Page, Book, 96, 8.
• Font – 28, Medium.
• Contrast – 3, 0, Auto, Best.
• Gear Icon – Off, On, Fast.
• Best Font – Still Literata.

Other changes

I switched to the Niagara Launcher as my default. It’s simple and easy to navigate. I wish this existed on iOS.

I also rooted my Boox device using this guide. The guide isn’t fully updated for the Boox Palma. Some steps are not well documented. For example, to get the boot.img from the payload.bin, you need this tool. If you’re interested, email me and I can write a Palma-specific walkthrough.

The main reason for rooting? I installed AFWall+ to block Boox from phoning home. I don’t know if their constant requests are harmless, but I’m a nerd, and I like having control over these things. Until proven guilty, I assume they’re innocent – but better safe than sorry.

You can usually find them at the bottom of my reading page. But since we've just wrapped up a year, I thought it would be nice to look back at my reading journey.

Note: I started using KOReader in April, so I don't have data from earlier in the year. I also read graphic novels outside of KOReader, so those aren't included here.

Stats by month

I read the most pages in December (938 pages) and July (939 pages). Somehow, in July, it took me 2 hours longer (14:30h) to read the same number of pages as in December (12:16h). Since the last book I read was Nexus, I’m guessing it counted me skipping the glossary and note pages.

I read the fewest pages in June, as somehow I only read 82 pages in a bit over one hour. Looking back, I spent most of June reading the comic book version of American Gods, which isn't tracked by KOReader.

On average, I read 641 pages per month, spending about 8 hours and 47 minutes reading. That's roughly 20 pages in 17 minutes per day. This year, I’d like to double that.

I read the most pages on Wednesdays, which is when I commute by train to work.

Stats by books

I read 22 books, if we count the three-part series of American Gods (comic version) as one. The Name of the Wind took me the longest to finish, at nearly 15 hours. This checks out, as the book has over 650 pages. Second longest I spent with Navola at around 570 pages.

My favorite books last year were Limbo, the American Gods comic, and The Name of the Wind.

I prioritized fiction over non-fiction, with 14 fiction books to 8 non-fiction. Most were either sci-fi or sci-fi adjacent.

I also read 5 graphic novels and listened to exactly one audiobook.

My favorite new author was Benjamin Stevenson. Turns out, I'm really into crime novels.

The book with the most highlights is Same as Ever by Morgan Housel.

Goals for 2025

Simple: more. More books, more reading minutes, more time per day.

I want to keep leaning towards fiction (or creative non-fiction) over straight non-fiction.

And I want to read more books by women. Last year’s list was way too male and white.

Hardware

My main machine is a MacBook Pro M1 Max with 64GB of memory. Completely overkill? Yes. Regrets? None. Not once did I feel like this machine is struggling to run through any tasks I throw at it. I plan to work even more with video next year, so we’ll see how long I can keep using this.

On the mobile side, I’ve got an iPhone 15 Pro. USB-C pulled me into upgrading from a 14 Pro. The blueish titanium is nice, but I keep it in a case because I’m not brave enough.

For reading, it’s all about the Boox Palma (my go-everywhere companion) and the Go Color 7 (perfect for longer reading at home). My iPad Pro 11" is still around, but it’s been gathering dust since the Boox devices came into the picture.

I also have a Gaming PC with a RTX 4090, a CPU I need to upgrade, 32 GB of memory and not enough storage. Modded Skyrim taking over 1TB is killing me.

My Mode Envoy keyboard has ruined me for anything else. If you’ve ever tried a custom mechanical keyboard, you get it. Typing on this thing is pure joy. I paired it with GMK Firefly, and lubed Obscura Linear Switches. (I also use this for gaming right now, but I plan to pick up a Razer Huntsman one of these days.)

For a mouse, it’s the MX Master 3S. Not original, but there’s a reason it’s everyone’s go-to.

On the gaming side, I use the Razer DeathAdder.

Software

Breaking this into a bullet list because it’s a lot:

• iA Writer: Minimal, clean, and distraction-free. Perfect for writing.
• Obsidian: Where all my notes live (it syncs highlights with Readwise automatically), and while I occasionally flirt with Notion or Craft, Obsidian always wins. I pay for sync.
• Raycast: Spotlight, but better.
• 1Password: My go-to password manager, but it’s slowly turning into bloatware.
• CleanShot X: Apple should just buy this and integrate it.
• Paste: A clipboard manager that’s saved me from losing countless snippets.
• I use a mix of Dropbox for work files and sharing, and iCloud for system backups.
• Arc Browser: I love this browser, but fuck The Browser Company and their stupid AI-fetish.
• Kagi Search: I’m currently testing this as an alternative to Duckduckgo (and Google). More soon.
• Fastmail: I’ve been using this for years, mostly in the browser. I sometimes wonder if I should switch to Gmail to use Mimestream.
• Things 3: The best balance between simplicity and features. I wish they’d make a notes app.
• Kirby CMS: Runs my site. Flexible without being overly complex. Buttondown for the occasional email.
• I don’t rely on them, but I dabble with ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity.

The funny thing about tech stacks is that they're never really finished. I'm always keeping an eye out for tools that could improve my workflow, but I'm trying to be more intentional about adding new things. The question isn't just "Is this cool?" anymore, but "Will this actually make my work better?"

I might do a deeper dive into some of these tools in future posts. Let me know if there's anything specific you'd like me to expand on.

And a human brain has an estimated 86 billion neurons.

Altogether, we can estimate that human brains on Earth have collectively contained around 10 quintillion neurons (that’s a 10 followed by 18 zeros, or 10 000 000 000 000 000 000).

This is an unimaginable number of neurons (though perhaps not for Einstein and Hawkins?), capable of thinking countless thoughts throughout human history.

And yet, the connections and patterns in your brain are uniquely yours. That precise combination of activity has never existed before and will never exist again.

Whatever you have to say, your experience, your knowledge, and your idiosyncrasies make your thoughts uniquely yours.

So even if it has been said before, it hasn’t been said by you.

Or, as a Pulitzer Prize Winner put it:

“Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But since no one was listening, everything must be said again.”

This blog post was inspired by a lunch I had with a friend. Go have lunch with your friends.

It borrows from philosophies like Stoicism, Buddhism, existentialism, game theory, and evolutionary biology (and probably some more that I don’t know by name).

But it’s personal, shaped by my own experiences, observations, and the questions I ask.

My philosophy centers on balance, creativity, and the belief that humanity (flawed as it is) has a capacity for adaptation and growth. It’s about navigating the complexities of being human while staying curious, collaborative, and open to change.

This is the first time I share this philosophy. N.B.: The way this blogpost was created is by going through years of notes on different topics that are important to me (or that I had notes of). Think of them like chapters in a book.

Meaning

Evolutionary, life exists to reproduce. But as we are self-aware, we have the capacity to create our own meaning.

And meaning comes from engaging with the world: taking on challenges, exploring new ideas, and contributing to something bigger than ourselves.

Journey

Life is about the journey, not the destination.

I believe that life’s obstacles are essential. They give us purpose and keep us moving forward. Once we achieve a goal, we set another.

This is how we grow.

Hedonic adaptation, the tendency to quickly normalize achievements and seek more, can feel frustrating, but it’s also a powerful motivator (as long as it doesn’t turn to “keeping up with the Joneses”).

Progress

Despite the doom-and-gloom narratives we often hear, I believe the world is improving. Social media and human psychology bias us toward focusing on the negative (I could write a whole other essay on this), but when you zoom out, the curve goes up.

That said, progress isn’t linear (nor guaranteed). Technology, for example, has immense potential but also significant risks.

AI and other advancements could lead to incredible breakthroughs, or catastrophic consequences.

The difference lies in how we use them. (Greed, especially the capitalistic kind, is a problem here.)

Systems

Humans and the systems we create are inherently faulty because flawlessness doesn’t exist. (I think something can be perfect for someone, but never flawless.)

The important thing is to build self-correcting mechanisms into our systems. Whether it’s governments, corporations, or personal relationships, there must be processes for identifying and fixing mistakes.

This requires humility: the ability to admit when something isn’t working and the courage to change it.

And it requires education, not in the formal sense of schools and degrees (I could write a whole other essay on this), but in equipping people with the tools and perspectives they need to make thoughtful decisions.

For me, education means teaching people to think long-term and act with empathy, even for those they will never meet. Especially for those they will never meet.

Society

Humans are social animals. We thrive in groups, and I believe society’s role is to provide guidance, not strict definitions of success or happiness.

One of my favorite examples of this idea is Aldous Huxley’s Island. The utopian society depicted in this book allows people to explore different experiences and paths, offering tools for self-discovery without forcing conformity.

This resonates with me. I don’t think society should tell people what to be or how to live.

Instead, it should offer resources, education, and opportunities for growth while leaving the ultimate choices to individuals.

People need to feel free to carve their own paths, but they also need support along the way.

Leadership

A good leader is someone who clears obstacles so others can grow and discover their potential. Leadership isn’t about hand-holding or micromanaging. It’s about creating an environment where people can thrive.

(Though I admit I sometimes struggle with beginners who need more direct guidance. I tend to throw them into the ocean hoping they know how to swim. It’s something I’m working on.)

Authority

Authority has its place, particularly when systems break down or decisions need to be made. In those moments, leaders need to be balanced at heart — decisive but fair, focused on what’s best for the group, not themselves.

Leadership is a service, not a privilege. My issue with authority comes from people who lack this understanding.

Community

I’m drawn to the idea of a small community embedded in a larger society. This model satisfies two human needs: belonging and growth.

In a small community, you find intimacy, trust, and support. But being part of a larger society allows for diversity, innovation, and the exchange of ideas.

The danger is silo-thinking: the “us versus them” mentality that often arises in tightly knit groups.

When people focus only on their community, they can lose sight of the bigger picture, seeing others as competitors rather than collaborators.

To me, the key is integration: recognizing that we can be loyal to our “small tribe” while contributing to the larger whole.

Environment

As the “dominant” species (I hate that I just wrote that), humanity bears a moral obligation to preserve the natural world and protect “weaker” species (I also hate that I just wrote that).

This isn’t about moral superiority but about maintaining balance. Human progress should coexist with environmental stewardship.

Nature’s preservation isn’t just ethical — it’s pragmatic. Destroying the foundation on which we all depend undermines humanity’s long-term survival.

Human Nature

I don’t believe people are inherently good or evil. We’re neutral by default, shaped by the circumstances we find ourselves in. However, we are opportunistic — we act in ways that serve our immediate needs or goals, often without realizing it. This is human.

Game theory, specifically the idea of “tit for tat,” resonates with me here. Reciprocity — doing good when others do good, retaliating when wronged — is an effective strategy for navigating relationships.

But even tit for tat isn’t perfect. A more evolved version, one that forgives after a single retaliation, makes more sense to me.

Holding grudges wastes energy. Everyone deserves a second chance (but not necessarily a third — see more below). Fairness lies in balance, not in blind generosity or endless punishment.

Our opportunism has limits. Our emotions often dictate our initial reactions, steering us toward impulsive, short-term decisions. This is the first level of thinking: instinctive, fast, and often necessary in high-stakes moments.

But experience and rationality form a second level of thinking, which allows us to reflect and make wiser choices.

Most of life’s decisions benefit from the latter. The challenge lies in knowing when to rely on which.

Conflicts

Disagreements are part of life, and they are necessary for growth. I believe in the idea that the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle. Compromise isn’t about diluting your values; it’s about finding common ground that moves everyone forward.

That said, compromise isn’t always possible, and not every disagreement is worth resolving. There’s a point where you must walk away, where giving someone a second chance is generous but a third is enabling.

Forgiveness matters, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of self-respect or the broader good.

Relationships

Personal bonds are essential. Humans are biologically and emotionally wired to connect with others. From friendships to romantic relationships to family ties, these connections fuel the “chemical cocktail of emotions” that define much of our happiness.

And while I value families, I reject rigid definitions of kinship: if your blood relations are hurting you more than nourishing you, there is no reason to keep these ties alive.

Equality

I believe in equality of opportunity.

Giving people tools to compete on a level playing field aligns with my belief in fairness without overcorrection.

If someone is born with fewer advantages, society should help provide the resources they need to succeed.

Money

The idea that “the pie is infinite” reflects my belief in abundance rather than scarcity.

Sharing resources doesn’t diminish individual prosperity; it strengthens the collective foundation on which everyone stands.

And yes, I happily pay taxes.

Traditions

Traditions provide a sense of belonging and continuity, which is vital for many people. But they should never be static.

Traditions that no longer serve a purpose — like strict rules around formal dress codes in modern workplaces, or in-office rules (yes, of course I’d write about that) — need to evolve or be left behind.

At the same time, traditions that adapt to modern contexts can help anchor us in a rapidly changing world.

For me, the key is relevance. A tradition is valuable if it helps people feel connected and supported, but it must change as society grows.

Holding onto something purely for nostalgia or fear of change isn’t sustainable. (I struggle to respect people who say “but we’ve always done things this way” without rethinking it.)

Creativity

This is where I feel most strongly: creativity is what makes us human. It’s our version of play, a trait shared by many species: it’s how we express ourselves, connect with others, and make sense of the world.

Art, culture, and innovation are essential. They remind us of our potential and provide meaning in a world that doesn’t come with pre-written instructions. Everyone can create, and everyone should.

And creativity isn’t about being “good” at something — it’s about the act of doing it, of exploring possibilities and finding joy in the process. (See “Journey” above.)

Altruism

I grapple with the idea of altruism. On one hand, I agree with the notion that even selfless acts are ultimately selfish — helping others makes us feel good, and that feeling can be a motivator.

But does that diminish the value of altruism? If helping someone benefits both parties, it’s still a net positive.

The problem arises when selflessness is performative or when it shields people from necessary truths.

Truths

Talking about truths:

I believe in “lying by truth,” or telling partial truths when full honesty might cause unnecessary harm.

But I also think there are times when hard truths, like ripping off a bandage, are necessary for growth.

Happiness

Happiness isn’t a permanent state. It comes and goes in phases, like a sinus curve of ups and downs.

What’s more important to me is contentment, a steady sense of satisfaction with life, even during the inevitable lows.

Accepting the cyclical nature of happiness is liberating. It removes the pressure to always feel good and allows us to appreciate the moments when joy does arrive.

At the same time, striving for balance in life — through meaningful work, community, health, and freedom — creates a strong foundation for those peaks.

Humor

Humor is fundamental. It’s a form of coping, a way to connect, and an essential part of life. Humor breaks down barriers, fosters understanding, and keeps us from taking life too seriously.

This lightness is critical.

Beliefs

If we cling too tightly to our beliefs or take every setback as a catastrophe, we stagnate.

As I see it, everything is figureoutable. Mistakes and uncertainty are part of the ride, and at the end of it all, we die. So why not enjoy the journey?

Mystery

We will never know everything. The universe, nearly infinite (or rather truly infinite?), is a constant reminder of our smallness.

Rather than being disheartening, I find this exhilarating. It keeps us humble and curious, preventing the stagnation of self-importance.

Spirituality

I reject religion’s tendency to divide people into “us vs. them,” but I respect the role spirituality can play for others. For me, the beauty of the unknown isn’t in trying to explain it but in accepting its presence as a source of wonder.

The fact that we don’t have all the answers is part of what makes life endlessly fascinating.

(But please, don’t email me about horoscopes or tarot cards.)

Final Thoughts

My philosophy is a work in progress.

It’s built on the idea that balance (between freedom and order, self and society, tradition and innovation) is key to navigating the complexities of being human. At its core is creativity, the human trait that allows us to imagine, adapt, and build something better.

We are flawed, opportunistic creatures, but that’s what makes us interesting. The goal isn’t to be perfect — it’s to be curious, engaged, and willing to grow. Life is messy, cyclical, and unpredictable, but within that mess lies endless potential. And to me, that’s what makes it beautiful.

This is what I believe in.

For now, because, maybe I’ll change my mind when I learn new things.

I like a good list, and I write a lot of them. Sometimes, I make lists to remind myself of things I should do more often. This is one of those lists.