What I value

My values are centered around the transcendentals (truth, goodness, beauty), the theological virtues (faith, hope, love), the cardinal virtues (wisdom, courage, moderation, justice), Wait But Why/Kurzgesagt values (curiosity, rationality, optimism, and authenticity), Mustachian values (efficiency, optimization, reducing waste), Petersonian values (self-help, responsibility, and play), Raptitude values (mindfulness), and Mark Manson values (meaningful struggle).

How I want to live

My lifestyle is focused on frugality (index investing as the golden goose) and minimalism (simple living as the golden ticket). The concepts I want to instill in people are buying back time and learning for learning’s sake, namely, financial independence for leisure and intrinsic motivation for pleasure, and the questions I want to ask are what if money was no object and how would you really enjoy spending your life?

What I’m trying to do

My mission is to reconcile Christianity with humanism and science, with an emphasis on Logos as the golden thread and truth as the Golden Fleece/Golden Snitch/Golden Compass, all in the spirit of philologia and philosophia, i.e., love of learning and love of wisdom. My side quests are 1) to integrate child-centered teaching methods with the classical liberal arts model: interest-driven, nature-based, and self-paced with a nudge toward the great books as part of the great conversation about the great ideas, and 2) to promote the tenets of thrift: self-help, freedom of choice, and responsible habits. My approach is interdisciplinary and generalist, my biases are middle ground and optimism, and my special superpower is curiosity!

The future I hope for

My vision of heaven on earth is one of light academia, techno-utopianism, Cornucopianism, and human flourishing, viz., an eye for aesthetics, a love of learning, a feeling of wonder, and a progression of humanity (e.g. Robert McCall, A Day Made of Glass, Meet the Robinsons). First, I see ideal education as the lighting of a fire for a child’s heart with the cold critical thinking of a grown-up’s head and the ideal school as a gym, library, and garden of exercise, philosophy, and leisure where play is the optimal state and paideia is the ultimate aim—body, mind, and perhaps soul. Then, I see meaningful and purposive work in Ikigai—the intersection of what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. Then, I see happy, healthy, and wealthy societies as walkable/bikeable 15-minute cities with similar political philosophies—subsidiarity, decentralization, and localism. Overall, I see the good life as an earthly eudaemonic odyssey, gamified hero’s journey, and spiritual Pilgrim’s Progress—adventure, learning, and transformation.

Favorite Quotes

“Truth doesn’t mind being questioned. A lie does not like being challenged.”

Friedrich Nietzsche

“The arc of moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

Theodor Parker

“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”

Mark Twain

“More input! More input!”

Johnny 5