Five on Friday: Good Old Days, Social Distancing Dystopia, and Kimbra
Issue VII
Every Friday I send an email with five pieces of content. These are things I’ve found insightful, inspiring… or just interesting.
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Here are five things from my week I thought were worth passing on.
Today at a Glance
Quote: The good old days fallacy
Tweet: Success in school vs. real life
Article: Social distancing dystopia
Podcast: Stephen Kotkin on Ukraine
Bonus: Kimbra, somebody that you used to know
One Quote
“Do not say, ‘Why is it that the former days were better than these?’ For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.”
– Ecclesiastes 7.10
Solomon the Wise gave this advice 3000 years ago. It’s funny how people have always longed for “the good old days”. It says something about human nature: We see the past through rose colored glasses and tend to be overly pessimistic about the present. I think this is because the past is known (and therefore, safe) while there’s so much uncertainty about our present and future.
Our present moment is filled with challenges. But that’s always the case in life. It’s not wise to be overly pessimistic about it or to live in the past.
One Tweet
Is the way we run our primary education system preparing children for success in the real world? It’s a legitimate question that deserves attention. Some have written about it but I think this visual does a nice job capturing why it’s important.
One Article
A Future Where We Never See Each Other - Freddie deBoer
“So many people seem dead set on spending their entire lives in their holes, surviving with Amazon and Instacart and DoorDash and Peloton and Netflix and Pornhub… I genuinely wonder what happens to basic civic functioning when people never interact with any of their neighbors. It feels dystopian to me.
“What will it mean for our democracy, when the idea of being around strangers becomes something exotic and threatening, something that you go to great lengths to avoid?”
This short piece explores whether the past two years have stolen something important from us about what it means to be a society.
One Podcast
5 More Questions For Stephen Kotkin: Ukraine Edition - Uncommon Knowledge
Apple Podcasts / Spotify / YouTube
“War is always a partial or full miscalculation.”
Historian, academic, and author Stephen Kotkin sits down with Peter Robinson to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This conversation is filled with insights to help understand the crisis and some of its possible outcomes.
For a brief analysis of what led to the invasion, I found this video helpful.
One Bonus
Kimbra is somebody that you used to know… sorta. The native New Zealander is best known for her vocals on Gotye’s 2011 hit single.
As an artist, she’s probably too outside the box to ever hit it big and that’s a shame because she’s immensely talented. This live performance of her song Two Way Street is sublime (and far better than the studio version).
I’ve never seen an artist so in the moment with their music. Watch and be mesmerized.
Extra: another live performance, this one capturing a bit more of her creative chops.
Personal Note
This past weekend we packed up my mom’s household goods and moved her to Vegas. My middle son Ethan joined me for the drive and it was a good time. I’ve found over the years that long road trips lead to deep conversations. This was a good one.
Thanks for reading and if you like Five on Friday, please share it with others who might enjoy it too.
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