Happy New Year 2025!
Three Themes for the New Year: Understanding Envy in the Modern World - Authenticity - Valuing Family and Community
Preface
A central point of focus that will be discussed in detail throughout this publication is gratitude. Experience gratitude and feel blessed for what we currently have every day. The pressure from social media to live a lavish and exorbitant lifestyle makes it easy to forget how good we have it when someone else’s success or abundance is always being flashed in one’s face. Everything could always be worse. There were three truly humbling experiences that I encountered throughout the year 2024. First, a trip I took a trip to Brazil where I saw what some of the Favelas looked like and had kids approaching me because they wanted some of my water. This was a level of poverty that I had yet to see in my lifetime. Second, I had a friend stop by my house in ATL while he was driving through town. He showed me a picture of a village where his mom grew up in Honduras. These structures were absolute shacks, and it was a very underdeveloped area. It was the stock photo image of what one would think about or see on google with the prompt, “third-world country”. He told me how hard it is to believe that his mom came from there. It was a crazy sight for him to see, and how it was surreal to look at that photo. We went back and forth about how lucky and blessed we are to have been born in the United States. Both of us were humbled and felt gratitude. Lastly, a near-death experience for one of my best friend’s uncles, which I will describe in more detail below.
The uncle of one of my best friends went to the hospital and was diagnosed with a heart condition along with a short period of time to live. Once he arrived at the hospital, he was hooked up to a bunch of machines and fed various medications. His condition continued to get worse, and it was a sad sight to watch him rot away in the hospital. At a certain point, my friend and his family made the decision to bring him home and provide care for him to live the rest of his life on his own power. So, he left the hospital and decided to kick it on his own. It’s been several months and he is still alive with an improved condition. My friend’s uncle has far exceeded expectations for his remaining time in this mortal world and is grateful for every day. I had a chance to sit down and talk to him a few weeks ago when I visited Florida. He looked great, happy, and as healthy as one could be at that age. I said, “What has been your favorite part of every day since you’ve gotten back from the hospital”. His response was, “The moment when I open my eyes for the first time every morning. I know I’m blessed and I feel joy”. For me, this was a profound yet simple response. For him, there is no telling how much time he has left in this earth, and is enjoying each day to the fullest. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to spend time with him on various occasions and gain some of his wisdom over the last few years. He is family to me. Our latest conversation was truly humbling and helped me really slow down to appreciate the small daily joys that I find in my own existence. Just like him, one of those joys is being grateful to spend time with my family.
For better context, while reading the remainder of this, it is essential to think critically about the lives and history of other people around us in the United States to better understand one another. Once a greater sense of awareness is established and shared, then it can serve as a medium to achieve longer-term goals synergistically. I have written this piece from my perspective growing up in the United States as a late-wave Millennial. This is the world I have seen and experienced.
Introduction
Let’s return to being real with one another and appreciating the value of genuine connection to the world around us. Raise a hand if valuable time was spent this year creating some type of social media post that was either only specifically highlighting the good moments in one’s life even if the experience was poor, made out of spite for someone else to see, to gain/ set a sense of status, entice envy, to fabricate a reality that is not authentic to oneself, or could be all of the above. Arguably worse, if time was spent being envious of others, focusing on what we do not have, viewing someone else’s content that was advertising an unrealistic lifestyle that perpetuates fantasy life expectations, and THEN letting that person monetize the viewership to continue to support a fake and material-driven lifestyle. Now that many of us are good and triggered (10% are canceling here, so approximately 90% of readers remain), we can proceed with today’s discussion. I admittedly am at fault for at least one of the above at some point within the last year, so no, I am not here to take the high road on anyone. However, I want to use these shared probable experiences as a neural pathway to address envy, authenticity, and valuing family.
Unrelated to the above, so stick with me for a moment. Just so happened that we had a middle-of-the-week change in the calendar year and for this reason, I am a few days behind on my Happy New Year. Larry David would disapprove of these late New Year’s wishes that I am sending out. According to him, there is a three-day window for when it is still appropriate to wish people a happy new year. Larry, sorry to disappoint, but I have been traveling this past weekend, so we are just going to power through this one. Let’s start the year with a laugh (see the Curb Your Enthusiasm clip below).
*Larry David- Curb Your Enthusiasm
Understanding Envy in the Modern World
Childhood of Late-Wave Millennials
It is crucial to place a greater emphasis on understanding envy as it applies and serves as a motivator for many of the negative externalities that we observe stemming from social media. Before getting more granular, I want to refer back to last year’s publication, “Happy New Year 2024”(click to read) where we discussed technology in a positive manner and an optimistic point of view as it relates to our daily lives. Briefly, we have never been more connected and able to maintain larger/ more powerful networks in our entire human existence. The efficiency with which we can communicate and maintain relationships has brought us closer together and would be inconceivable for prior civilizations. Specifically, my generation (late-wave millennials), and very early Gen-Z grew up in various stages of technological change and exponential growth, which has given us the privilege to understand, utilize, gain productivity, and live a better quality of life. Meanwhile, we were some of the last children born in the US to live a more traditional and innocent childhood. No need to be humble here, we gained strategic advantages (unknowingly or knowingly) by acting as early adopters at every stage of innovation and this is complimented by simple/ unspoiled childhood. Combined, this enables us to live and interact pragmatically within both realms. It is more natural for us to prioritize taking time to unplug and valuing quality time. We are stronger and more well-rounded for these experiences.
What follows is not me arguing against technology. No, I am not advocating for us to be Luddites walking around with hammers smashing computers and servers in data centers. First, I wanted to establish why technology and social media hold value and have a place to continuously improve our lives before discussing some of the negative externalities. What comes next is that we need to reflect critically about the type of reality that we want our children to experience, learn, and grow. What type of childhood will we foster? What are some of the known issues with technology and social media that we can avoid? How will their relationship with technology develop and what will that resemble? What values will we emphasize? Late-Wave Millennials have the tools, background, and experience necessary to provide a more balanced lifestyle and relationship with technology. However, that will require us to be educators, mentors, leaders, and role models.
Childhood of Gen Alpha and Forward
Most of the children growing up in today’s world (Generation Alpha 2010 - Present) have not cultivated the same aforementioned well-rounded relationship with technology. While they are incredibly proficient with technology at early ages and will be able to leverage their tools throughout their lives for greater productivity/ innovation, early research is already showing poor communication skills, incredibly short attention spans, challenges learning, and narcissistic tendencies. Remember, this cohort of individuals has only lived as part of a society where practically everything is on demand at the touch of their fingertips. All they have ever known is instant gratification, unrealistic expectations, and bogus self-images based on either what they see online or how they see themselves through a filter. Unfortunately, these negative externalities of their environment set them up to potentially struggle with mental health and self-worth in the future. They live in a sphere where it is nearly impossible to not compare themselves to their immediate peers or anything/ anyone that they see on the internet.
This is part of the reason why I want to talk about Envy. Gen Alpha are not the only people in the US who are subject to struggles with mental health. It has become more prevalent across both Millennial and Gen Z age groups. One could argue that some of this is social media and technology-related. However, I evaluate that the second derivative of that overall issue traces back to envy. Not just as a negative emotion that some people experience while using social media, but envy as a reflexive driver that pushes certain algorithms, advertisements, and sales which fuels the social media economic machine. What is Envy?
What is Envy?
According to Helmut Schoeck, author of Envy: A Theory of Social Behaviour, “Envy is a drive that lies at the core of an individual’s social being, and which occurs as soon as two individuals become capable of mutual comparison.” Schoeck goes on to discuss how this is an urge that we have to compare ourselves invidiously with others. “The pure act of envy can be described thus: the more closely and intensively the envier concerns themselves with the other person, the more they are thrown back in self-pity”. There is an inherent human inclination to make unfavorable comparisons with others which influences social interactions and behaviors. As it pertains to our discussion, it leaves certain users with a sense of inadequacy and amplifies the sense of desire while perpetuating the classic enough is never enough.
In some ways, envy as described above, is a near-perfect self-sustaining economic engine. Contemplate the basic principle of comparing oneself to a neighbor. My neighbor got a new car, so I want to get a new car. My neighbor got a new boat, so I want to get a new bigger and better boat. I get a brand-new watch, so my neighbor goes out and gets a brand-new watch that is more expensive. It is not completely negative as this behavior is one of the many drivers of capitalism. Creates goals and aspirations for people. Inspires people to work harder, innovate, and create prosperous new businesses. However, we are seeing this emotion be weaponized against our youth through celebrities, fake influencers, and advertisers as they warp the expectations of viewers and distort our general self-image. Should it be normal for one of the top Christmas Wishlist items for Gen Alpha for 2024 to be skincare products (for context, the oldest kids within this generation are approximately 14)? During a recent chat with a close friend from UF, we talked about the idea that social media has increased expectations of material conditions, lifestyle, and standards of beauty. For most of human history, the masses have not been able to view how the elites or the “haves” live in this dimension of personal detail and intimacy. These algorithms, whether on purpose or inadvertently, love pushing envy and it has never been easier for any of us to succumb to these negative emotions, nevertheless our youth.
I was recently staying at the Broadmoor hotel with my family. We were celebrating my brother’s graduation. I noticed that there were a ton of families there. Maybe it is because my friends and I were just discussing US demographics, but this was one of the first times that I noticed the heavy population of early-wave millennial parents and their Gen Alpha children. While I was hanging out in the hotel lobby with my family by the fire, I overheard a family walking by us. The son was talking to his sister saying, “Ughhh I wish that I was a natural blonde”. The sister’s response was, “Well, you are not. I do not like my cheeks. I want to get filler”. Neither of these kids were older than 12. I was somewhat taken aback because I could not believe what I just heard. How have we gone from a care-free environment to one where, of all the potential problems and suffering, our youth is concerned about their natural hair color and getting filler in their face? This is outrageous and out of touch on so many levels.
Improve Mental Health, Longevity, and Productivity
We may as well recognize how envy can be manipulated from contributing positively towards a well-oiled capitalist economy that is filled with healthy aspirations, to being used to reinforce materialism along with unrealistic expectations, especially amongst our youth. There has been a dramatic shift caused by the erosion of childhood innocence and traditional childhood experiences to valuing appearance over substance (“I wish I looked like her”). I am happy that we took some time to reflect. Given the late-wave millennial background (having the best of both worlds), we are exceptional candidates to learn from early mistakes that have been made by early-wave millennial counterparts (just lost another 10% and now down to 80% of readers). There is an opportunity to lead by example and place a greater influence on establishing a healthier relationship with social media and technology that in turn, will be positive for mental health, longevity, and productivity. The ultimate goal is to foster an environment that encourages and even rewards authenticity, honesty, self-worth, truth, and meaningful relationships over superficial/ envious comparisons. For the sake of brevity, we will move forward with just a discussion of authenticity as a potential step in the right direction to act as a remedy for many of the ailments mentioned above.
Authenticity
Let’s cut the bullshit, and let’s be real. Is that direct enough? Time in the mortal dimension is finite, and why waste it spinning over something that either does not matter or dancing around whatever problem delicately in a circuitous manner rather than taking a straightforward approach while being true to oneself. As our generation continues to mature, time only keeps moving faster each year and there is nothing that we can do to stop that from happening. In a recent dialogue with one of my friends UF (Go Gators), “Maybe it is because I have grown more mature, but I am starting to realize more and more how little time I have”. It is just the natural progression, and we have to be comfortable being uncomfortable with that reality. I found this statement to be very relatable. There are countless goals to chase, places to see, and experiences we want to undertake throughout our lifetimes. The technology and innovation we have navigated throughout our lives open so many more doors to seeing and learning more about our world than any other civilization or generation historically. This also applies to our careers and personal lives. How do we maximize the value of each day? How do we fit all of the things that we need to do vs. want into a singular day’s slice of time? To start, we can be more authentic with ourselves, our loved ones, our communities, and the world around us.
What is authenticity?
Authenticity refers to the quality of being genuine, real, or true to one’s self. It involves living in alignment with one’s core values, beliefs, and identity, and expressing oneself honestly and transparently in one’s actions, thoughts, and words – Chat GPT. This is a solid definition. A few other components of authenticity from my point of view would be as follows.
Self-awareness: Be in sync with one’s core values. Understand one’s own emotions and beliefs. Know what one wants/ desires and what motivates one to achieve goals.
Honesty: Tell the truth and say it like it is whether it is with oneself or for others. This involves being straightforward. Get to the point and be direct. However, please note, that this should not be mistaken for being overtly blunt to the point of lacking empathy and being insensitive. This is a quality of acting truthfully and in a manner that does not deceive others.
Vulnerability: Having an openness to share one’s thoughts with others. This involves being willing to express emotions without recourse and having the ability to embrace/ discuss our imperfections without fear of judgment. Vulnerability may be a more challenging and complicated component of authenticity because it leaves us in a position where we are potentially unguarded to emotional harm. However, if expressed properly, it builds trust, promotes personal growth, and creates deeper connections with each other.
Integrity: Involves having and upholding one’s strong values and moral principles. Doing the right thing because that is what should be done no matter the circumstances. This means being consistent and accountable to oneself along with others, which promotes a culture of respect. No matter the challenges, this is a commitment to being true to oneself.
Receptiveness and Acceptance: This is about the quality of being open-minded. Having the ability to listen first to what others say and receive new ideas, advice, understand the experiences of others, and weigh various perspectives. Listening is an overlooked craft, and it will take us further toward building authenticity if implemented appropriately. Then, acceptance, is being able to accept ideas and others. Perhaps more importantly, being able to embrace one’s true self and not feel the urge to conform to any type of societal expectation or pressure.
Self-awareness, honesty, vulnerability, integrity, receptiveness, and acceptance are some of the key pieces of the authenticity mosaic. All of the above and authenticity broadly allow us to be more genuine and real with one another. Applying these qualities helps us to form more meaningful relationships and connections with one another. It increases the value of ourselves and the value of others. This is the backbone of long-term personal and productive growth. Lastly, being authentic to one’s beliefs (more on this later) fosters resilience during turbulent times.
A recent dialog between some of my close friends and I put authenticity at the front of my mind. I speculate that it goes so much farther than what I have highlighted above as it pertains to time. It is a potential remedy for many of the aforementioned ailments that arise from technology, social media, and other negative emotions such as envy and feelings of inadequacy. Moving towards a society driven by authenticity would be a natural mean reversion away from the decay of the US government, civil duty, and institutions that we have witnessed as a slow bleed and slow-motion train wreck throughout our entire lives since birth.
Authenticity combats envy and the sense of inadequacy that is created in this modern social media sphere. Over time, we have seen this exponential ramp in technology, the erosion of government, and the hallowing of institutions expedited by the rise of social media, which has left authenticity in the dust. By taking small steps to practice and encourage authenticity, we can live more fulfilling lives and build a better future for our children mentally, which will enable them to live out a traditional US innocent childhood experience. Eventually, if the small steps are successful, there will be a larger cultural shift towards authenticity and this will become apparent in new forms of art, new businesses, movies, or social media content. Just as current algorithms are pushing unrealistic expectations and comparisons to our youth, the feedback loop would work positively the opposite way. If there is actually a shift in cultural preference, then those creators who are incorporating authenticity in their products and content will be rewarded. We cannot rely on the government or tech monopolies to mitigate many of these risks that we are seeing among our youth. The people have to slowly make the change in terms of cultural preference themselves, and then, the economic engine will champion authenticity. Just as we see it today negatively, this will work as a positive reflexive feedback loop in the opposite direction. Ultimately, we end with a more genuine and honest environment to co-exist that promotes a more meaningful connection with the world around us.
Valuing Family
Family is all we’ve got and a source of strength amongst us. It is the foundation of any strong support system and general network. Family values are growing stronger, and as we become more mature, this is a larger focal point of our lives. Universally, this is something that most people share as an important value not just in the US, but all around the globe. As such, we can find common ground here. These are the people who have and will always be there for support.
This is a valuable component of education as well. We learn so many of our core values, principles, morals, social behavior, habits, and other learned traits/ characteristics from our family/ those closest. Based on the environment around an individual, this can range on a wide spectrum from really good to really bad. As family relates to this overall discussion, it is the logical first place to educate our children with core values and implement the practice of authenticity. From there, these interactions reach out farther into one’s immediate community.
Our children are blank canvases, and it is our duty as functioning members of a principally oriented community to be strong role models and leaders for the youth. In the book, Sapiens, the author (Yuval Noah Harari) says, “A colt can trot shortly after birth; a kitten leaves its mother to forage on its own when it is only a few weeks old. Human babies are helpless, and dependent for many years on their elders for sustenance, protection, and education. This fact has contributed greatly both to humankind’s extraordinary social abilities and to its unique social problems. Lone mothers could hardly forage for enough food for themselves and needy children in tow. Raising children required constant help from other family members and neighbours. It takes a tribe to raise a village”.
It was striking how I read this passage while connecting the dots and piecing these ideas together. This really highlights the extended care that is required for our children to develop the skills needed to take on reality. We can find strength through additional collaboration. At some point, the sense of community and responsibility to one’s community started to diminish. When and why did people become so closed off and unapproachable? It has become much more common for people to be less willing to talk to each other in public and significantly easier to pull out a smartphone rather than engage. It should not just be on the immediate family to raise our youth and provide leadership. As we move back towards traditional family and community values, the quote above accentuates that ensuring a positive future for our youth is a communal effort.
Right now, acting as educators or strong role models may be as important if not more important, than at any time in recent history given the social dynamics that we face (social media, envy, feelings of inadequacy, false idols). It has also probably never been easier for our youth to improperly identify someone as a “leader” or a “role model” based on what they see on the internet. Just because someone is “on the internet” or has a “following” to many, that automatically grants some type of authority or credibility. By having strong family values that practice authenticity, ideally, our youth looks to the household or immediate community for guidance or leadership rather than finding a false prophet on the internet. In turn, this sets the foundation for resilience against societal pressures and combats negative feelings or envy, inadequacy, and false idols.
Aside from focusing on authenticity, as mentioned above, another practical step that families and communities can take is to revitalize the relevance of faith (wow, adding this to the discussion was a quick way to lose another 10% of the readers). Additionally, we will mention the role of faith, mindfulness, and gratitude.
Faith
Starting with faith, I have recently been having more conversations about this topic, and one of them was very close to the time of writing this work. Before going any further, I want to clarify that I am not arguing for a specific faith. My friend and I discussed Pascal’s wager, which basically says it is better to believe in something than nothing at all. What is the risk of believing in something greater than oneself (whatever that may be)? Maintaining some form of faith/beliefs is grounding. It helps to lay the groundwork for the moral fabric of society. This can be a source of strength during hard times and holding onto simple beliefs that surround oneself can be grounding. With this, we must embrace and welcome uncertainty. Recognize, that we do not live in a universe that is black and white, but one that is gray. We must use the tools and resources around us to make the best decisions with the information that we have available. Having some form of faith and core beliefs can be a starting point and a guiding light through that darkness.
Mindfulness
Throughout this dialogue, we have expressed many of the negative externalities of social media on the general population, specifically the youth. The constant unrealistic comparisons derived from envy are one potential source of mental hardship and suffering. Our generation has been very blessed not to ever experience the hardship of total war, famine, real political instability, or a Great Depression-style economic crisis. Sure, we had our version of Pandemic Lite, but let’s add some context here. The black plague in Europe was estimated to take out approximately 30% to 50% of Europe’s population. We did not experience that type of hardship. On a relative basis, we have not had it bad at all. However, who am I to argue what someone individually is going through in their own life?
One of my favorite all-time quotes is, “Nothing in life is as important as you think it, while you are thinking about it” (Daniel Kahneman, Thinking Fast, and Slow). We have a central tendency to overthink things. That in itself is enough to put a strain on one’s mental health and create some form of relative suffering. Since we are talking about the mind, the degree of personal suffering is relative and can be inexplicable. This phenomenon is interesting. Why could someone who relatively “has a nice life” (by global standards) be subject to a similar form of mental hardship that someone may experience in a country where they are spending time and resources just to have access to clean water? When I was in Rio, Brazil earlier this year, there were children wearing rags for clothes that ran up to me holding cups to ask me for water. I proceeded to pour them a few cups of water. This was a type of hardship that no one in my immediate network nor myself has ever truly known. According to Macrotrends, as of 2005, approximately more than 95% of people had access to clean water, and today that stands close to 97.5%, so this would be an unusual experience for anyone growing up in the US over the last 20 years.
However, despite the lack of “hardship”, we still each have our individual daily struggles. For an individual who is suffering or experiencing hardship, it can’t be assumed that everyone can see it or will understand. Here are two additional quotes that are applicable. “Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts”- Buddha and “We suffer more in imagination than reality”- Seneca. Both speak to the power of our own minds. To me, this really highlights the strength we can receive from building the right frame of mind around positivity and the choice of joy. On the negative side, this can amplify one’s own downfall. A person’s existential crisis may be unique soley to that individual, and because they are thinking about whatever it may be, it is engulfing their universe. The last key takeaway from these quotes above is that most of the time, we have a substantial amount of control over our suffering and much more than we give ourselves credit. One solution to utilize and teach our children is mindfulness. Peter Attia discusses the following in his book Outlive, “Mindfulness helps because it reminds us that when we are suffering, it’s likely not coming from a direct cause. Much more often, it is because we are thinking about some painful event that occurred in the past or worrying about something bad that may happen in the future. Suffer less and experience less pain when recognizing the source of that pain is in one’s own head”. Mindfulness can also be found through faith and one’s core belief system. Additionally, this brings attention to living in the present tense. The reflective process of “Be here now” (Ram Dass). This allows and reinforces individuals to break free from the sticky negative thought feedback loop while facilitating a feeling of freedom.
Gratitude
Whether it be from the pressures of social media to live a lavish and exorbitant lifestyle, unrealistic comparisons, feelings of inadequacy, or any other type of trigger, let’s focus on leveraging gratitude as a community. It is extremely easy to forget how good we have it when someone else’s success or abundance is consistently being flashed in one’s face. Be grateful for the little things. Especially, family, community, friends, and all those that make a difference in our lives. Everything could always be worse. Practice and teach gratitude every day by expressing appreciation and thankfulness to loved ones and anyone considered family.
Gratitude isn’t just an individual practice. As families and communities, teaching gratitude strengthens the bonds within the community and adds to the cooperative nature that we are working to create. This can be a tactic to counteract negative feedback loops driven by envy that result in the feeling of inadequacy. Ultimately, this redirects that energy towards feeling abundance with what we currently have. The ripple effect is real, and the resultant positive feedback loop then takes effect. It reminds us that life is not just measured by what we lack, but the many blessings that already exist in our lives. Through family values, faith, mindfulness, and gratitude, we can advance authenticity.
Conclusion
Let’s cut through the bullshit and be real. Life is too short to spend time trying to be someone else, and chasing the tail of the dopamine hit comes from the creation of envy at the cost of a false perception. Fade materialism in favor of substance. Let’s be grateful for everything that we currently have because it’s likely much more than we can ever fathom. Don’t waste each other’s time. Get to the point, and do not be afraid to say what needs to be said. Oftentimes, that difficult insight or conversation is what someone needs to hear. That is a part of being authentic. Slow down and take extra moments to appreciate family and those who made it possible to be here today. Express gratitude and feel the abundance in those situations. Use authenticity as a tool to build up the community and teach strong, principally oriented values to our children. We can help create a world for them that is much more authentic. One in which there will be a superior quality of life driven by family, Faith, mindfulness, and the expression of gratitude.
Acknowledgments
While writing this piece, I started by focusing on a few fundamental questions about the state of our lives and the perspective was for/from late-wave millennials. Not going to lie, it was challenging to get started this year. Obviously, my goal was to not procrastinate, but here I am starting to write about two weeks before the new year. Time continues to move faster day by day. Keeping up with work and way of life can be challenging itself, and makes it difficult to create the time to have these deep thoughts and conversations. In a way, that makes me feel somewhat sad because we should all have the capacity and afford the ability to take more time for mindfulness and reflection while still living the quality-driven lifestyle that many of us are seeking.
My appreciation and gratitude are expressed to my friends who took the time to inspire me and provide valuable thoughts of their own to help shape the discussion that I am presenting.
The process began by creating questions that would encourage me to reflect deeper and seek answers or other connective deliberation. After taking some time to incubate thoughts, I reached out to my friends and network through various channels to prompt these same inquiries. Several conversations took place at my house, late-night phone calls, or in the group chat in the days leading up to this publication. In fact, a major catalyst was a discussion we had in the group chat where I proposed the musings, “What do y’all think is the most important thing to our generation?” and “What is something you think that we collectively value regardless of our cultural differences or political affiliations?”. Instantly, I was met with multiple responses. I was sitting on a plane, and everyone who answered was in a different state, so talk about the beauty of the connectivity of technology that is also destroying many other individuals. It truly is a double-edged sword, but I firmly believe that the late-wave millennial generation knows how to wield it to our advantage and begin the process of mitigating the negative fallout. As a group, ideas started flying around, and along with them came the much-needed laughs. I am incredibly blessed to have so many quality friendships and groups of friends where we can have these types of conversations off the rip.
We will finish the discussion here and say thanks one more time to all of those who have crossed my path along the way. In one way or another, it has influenced or impacted the way that I view the world. For that, I am thankful. Below are the questions about where this piece was born, my favorite quotes from the year, and the end. Happy New Year heading into 2025!
Top Reads 2024
Outlive - Dr. Peter Attia
Fossil Future - Alex Epstein
How to Decide - Annie Duke
The Fastest Tortoise - Ken Hersh
Randomness - Nicholas Nassim Talib
Be Useful - Arnold Schwarzenegger
End Times - Peter Turchin
Favorite Quotes That I Encountered in 2024
“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed” - Michael Jordan
“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once”- Albert Einstein
“Depression is your avatar telling you it’s tired of being the character you are trying to play” - Jim Carrey
“Great questions are a much better indicator of future success than great answers” - Ray Dalio
“I am convinced that courage is the most important of all the virtues. Because without courage, you cannot practice any other virtue consistently. You can be kind for a while; you can be generous for a while, you can be just for a while, or merciful for a while, even loving for a while. But it is only with courage that you can be persistently and insistently kind and generous and fair” - Maya Angelou
“You can find your best life by doing one more than the world expects of you” - Ed Mylett
Expectation is the root of all heartache - William Shakespeare
Best of Luck,
Aaron David Garfinkel
That was well said. Really great analysis of culture shifting through the digital era. Im very curious to see how the young generations transition to adult hood in comparison to the many older generations.