PERSONAL
Sports, podcasts, school, investing, books, poetry, exploring nature, friends and family, binge watching the next Queens Gambit, you name it. I am a jack of all trades, in work, and in play.
Those closest to me have described me as trustworthy, genuine, and personable. My coworkers and classmates have used phrases such as creative and whimsically suave. According to the science of psychology tests, my themes are Adaptability, Ideation, Strategic, Activator, and Maximizer.
Inherent to my demeanour, I like to think big. Conversations around philosophy, social entrepreneurship, and innovation all bring out the 'spark in his eye' as my dad would put it.
My Life
In a nutshell
Recent Discoveries
Since my methods for consuming information are quite diverse, I've decided to share some favourites here.
Podcasts
My most recent fascination has been with the Philosophize This! podcast by Stephen West. His summaries of theories and the philosophers who developed them are elegantly explained with modern relations that captivate the mind for hours on end. If you have the chance to listen to one of his episodes, #152 ... The Frankfurt School - Erich Fromm on Freedom is my favourite of those that I have played. The way he outlines 'freedom to' as an effortful task that many avoid is extremely insightful in today's age of 'freedom from'.
Books
With too many good books to count, my recently read recommendations would be Sapiens and Homo Deus (part of a three book series), and Breath. Sapiens and Homo Deus discuss virtually everything relating to humanity from intelligence to culture and the role of religion in society. Sapiens focuses on the past while Homo Deus considers the future of humanity from a logical scientific approach. My favourite part of this book is the objectivity in which it states things such that there is no opinion provided for whether anything is good or bad inherently. Breath on the other hand will change your life, especially if you're a mouth breather.
TV/Movies
While this is not a recent discovery of mine, I believe everyone should watch Arrival. The movie is about language and how the use of language in thought is actually influential on how you are able to think. Since it involves aliens, it of course takes this language concept to the extreme. As for television, I have come to love Midnight Gospel despite it's unique animation style. The messages conveyed in this show are profound and rich with meaning, from the words themselves to the visuals and subtextual meaning. I was also a sucker for Queens Gambit and Game of Thrones, as was everyone else!
Adventures
Having visited 13 different countries, I am blessed to say that I have had a life full of adventures thus far. While I could ramble on about each adventure, I feel as though it is much simpler to show some highlights from the trips over the years.
Values
Openness
Being open to new ideas and perspectives of the world is fundamental to personal growth. By engaging with novel concepts, critical thinking can filter through those that are valid and those that aren't.
Trust
In order for society to function, there needs to be some level of trust. Currently, that trust is established on the basis of fear of consequence. I believe the ideal environment is one that has established trust on the basis of mutual benefit.
Creativity
At the core of innovation is creativity. The ability to use abstract thought and piece together existing ideas in novel ways is the tool for effectively capitalizing on openness. Without creativity, the future would be yesterday.