A plan for effective change.

There are many things wrong with the world. But to have change on any meaningful scale takes power. Power can be capital, which is money. And after a while, political power and vast amounts of money begin to look like the same thing (in some places). So here is a

Be practical.

So what if you know what your ideals are? If you know something is wrong, then go out there and fix it. What else is there to do? Otherwise, you are just pontificating in isolation. You must use your knowledge, your decisions, and your skills on the real world. Learning

When we help others, we help ourselves.

One answer to why we care about the welfare of society, is because it helps us directly. This is not just about charity, but truly about why we care about our community so much. If you think about it, many people are literal strangers. But still people go out and

Having a ‘depressed’ phase isn’t so bad.

Young teens who experience an edgy phase are a good thing to have. It’s a symptom that they realise value systems should be inspected. Being edgy might just be a by-product of realising that they’ve been taking things for granted. Instead of living out what other people have

Why do we care about others?

When you picture what you would do with immense wealth, after all your carnal desires have been met, the answer is often something in service to others. Think public infrastructure, systems for culture, and giving people opportunities. But why do you want any of those things? In fact, why do

Everything is frivolous.

If you don’t know what to do with your life, maybe your standards are too high for what constitutes an acceptable answer. You keep reaching out and searching for what to do with your life – and end up doing nothing. You think about what to do with your life,

Good connections are precious.

Treat your connections with valued friends as the precious things they are. Don’t take such things for granted. As many things require effort, so does maintaining a relationship. You could click well with people, but just because you talk easily with someone doesn’t mean you will be able

Meaningful things are not easy to achieve.

One reason consumerism has such a hold on people is because they promise an identity without any of the work. Which is obviously a façade because the money you use to purchase something – I assume, must have been earned from your hard work in the first place. But leaving that

Your consumption habits are not an identity.

What you buy is a preference, and there’s nothing wrong with having preferences. Everyone is entitled to them of course. And there is no reason to shame others for their preferences. But they are not a good expression of your identity. There’s a difference between buying something to

Status games are a losing bet.

No one wants to compare themselves to each other, and neither do you. It’s the hollow feeling of doing something not because you want to, but just so you can place yourself over others. Picture buying something because everyone is buying it, with an overproduced, grotesque ad to prompt