Me or We?

What do humans and porcupines have in common? Well, that's a bit of a leading question, so I'll just tell you what I'm getting at. We may share many similarities with porcupines (I can't think of any off the top of my head), but at the most basic level we share a common instinct to survive. Yes, at the root of human nature resides the fundamental instinct to survive. We face an interesting dilemma: as living beings, our survival instinct drives us; yet as we interact with other human beings, we also see the need for cooperation. The issue is that survival and cooperation frequently conflict with each other. Furthermore, many moral and ethical practices demand that we not only cooperate, but that we give up selfish interests for the benefit of other human beings. Realizing this, I see why it's so difficult to "make the right choice" at times. It's not logical to do so. But, nonetheless, it is the right thing to do. We fight our natural instinct to be selfish in favor of a greater good. An interesting paradox, don't you think?

So You Want to Be a [B]illionaire?

Time is our most precious resource. Think about it: while some of us watch TV or take naps, Google is building a car that can drive itself. Humans have a tendency to overlook the opportunity costs of real-time decisions, evidenced by how much time we waste. What if I wrote a piece of music instead of watching movies this week? What if I invented a new way to efficiently encode data instead of posting funny pictures on Facebook? (Get the idea?) Each individual has a unique set of talents and abilities they can use to make the world a better place, and each decision we make concerning their use is an investment in some way or another. Why not invest in worthwhile ventures? Granted, there will always be a need for an outlet; we have to have some way to unwind or we break. Remember, however, that planning for these outlets is also an investment in our future productivity. Let's be more conscious of each decision we make, paying particular attention to the things we invest in and the opportunities we pass up.

Becoming Professional Amateurs

(4/4/2013) Note: Sorry the audio is so bad, I could hear it just fine when I had my headphones plugged in but without them I can't hear it at all. Here's a transcription:

"Growing up around social networking, I've noticed that people have a tendency to be too outspoken, and in many cases it's offensive. It's so easy to publish online material now that most people don't think much about what they're saying. Until the last decade or so, your journal was the only place you really put your unedited thoughts. Now everyone can read them. Granted there are lots of positive thoughts shared, but we need to be careful about what we say online! Let me read you a comment I found on FB today:

"'The gay agenda is all about destroying the family... they feel the need to justify their immorality by telling everyone else that we must accept it.'

"Look, there is no persuasive argument here. It's simply hating on someone else. Hating has existed since the beginning, but the ability to communicate it has not until now. What we say has a much stronger influence than it did in the past, and we need to use that power wisely. I believe in expressing personal beliefs, but let's do it with appropriate tact and respect for others."