chasing answers newsletter #37

A new journey, Awakening from the meaning crisis, If it ain't broke

“I am an idealist. I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m on my way.” - Carl Sandburg

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Happy Sunday!

Woohoo!...........Wait……Fuck!

That was my reaction this week when I got a call from the hospital informing me they had pushed my surgery back a few weeks. 

It was akin to the reaction of a kid who just found out school was canceled on the day they were supposed to give their big speech. 

A brief moment of relief, quickly followed by the realization that I still had to do it.

Now, three weeks of stressing about it.

As is life.

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A New Journey

The past year has been a year of learning new things for me. I’ve attempted to learn how to write, use social media, and be less introverted. 

And now I’m beginning another new journey, a journey into science. 

Climate change is something that has been on my radar for years. Now that I’m a dad, even more so. And in recent years, I have found it to be a daily struggle to go to work every day, knowing that not only am I spending 50-60 hours a week not working on solutions, but the work I am doing is probably contributing to the problem. 

I want to understand the science behind it so I can form better opinions on the topic and hopefully find a way to contribute to solutions. My first step in this process was signing up for Terra.do’s flagship course, Climate Change: Learning for Action.

It’s a twelve-week course that provides an overview of the entire climate landscape, including the science, economics, and policies behind it all. 

For the record, I am not a science guy. In school, I hated science. I have lived in the business/finance world my entire adult life. So, I’m in over my head right now, but I'm giving it everything I’ve got. 

It’s a little refreshing to go into a topic where you have no experience and, therefore, no preconceived notions. It’s like I’m five again, soaking up all this new information as if I’m discovering some secret world no one knew existed. 

I’m a few weeks in, and so far, it’s two thumbs up for the Terra.do community. I’ve been impressed with the classes, live labs, and guest speakers they have featured.

If any of you are interested in learning about the climate crisis, I highly recommend the course. If you list my name as a reference when you apply, you can get 25% off. I get nothing for this, so it’s simply for your benefit. 

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Awakening From the Meaning Crisis

I had never heard of John Vervaeke until several months ago when he appeared on Lex Fridman’s podcast. He was there to discuss his lecture series Awakening From the Meaning Crisis.

In his own words, it’s a series about finding “meaning in life, not the meaning of life.”

Ten minutes into the podcast, I knew I would be listening to the entire series. In the weeks that followed, I did just that. But I listened to them while multi-tasking, so I didn’t get good notes or stop and reflect on the key points. 

Recently

Latham

who writes

whose mountain

brought the series back to the forefront of my attention when he mentioned it on Twitter, so I am beginning the process of re-watching with the intent to capture and retain more. 

The series covers everything from philosophy to religion to our state of consciousness and dives deep into the role of wisdom and what wisdom actually is. 

I can’t recommend this entire series enough. It takes some time to get through it all. There are 50 episodes, and each one is about an hour long, but he does an excellent job transitioning between episodes so you can watch a few, go a week or so and then watch a few more without feeling disconnected from what you have already seen. 

For a sample of what the series offers, check out the short introduction above.

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Best of Twitter

I’m a sucker for simple products that never change. Things that are good enough the way they are and don’t need to jump on the latest trend to be worthy of a purchase. 

For example, the New Balance tennis shoes I wear every day. They’re as simple as you can get, and I love them. I always buy four or five pairs at a time because I’m afraid they’re going to quit making them one day. I’m pretty sure this style is a holdover from the 80s, and I’m all for it.

The tweet below highlights another such item. The BIC Cristal pen has basically been the same since 1955. That’s approaching seven decades without change. I am not a Bic user, but this fact alone makes me want to become one.

Neville Medhora @nevmed

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." The basic Bic Pen has been the same since 1955

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I hope you all have a great week!

As always, I would love to hear from you.

• If you read something here that resonates with you, leave a comment.

• If you would like to discuss something further, shoot me an email.

• If there was something you absolutely hated, @ me on Twitter.

And if there is something you think I should be writing about, please let me know.

If you want to see more of my work, visit chasinganswers.co.

Thank you for reading, and if you liked what you read, please share.

randy