AMTIFY™

  ≈≈ Is a Square Round? ≈≈ ∞ A Modest Proposal for Civil Political Discourse ∞ When is a Square a Circl e ? Friends of mine like to point out, frequently and with actual mementos, that I have a hard time admitting I’m wrong. Their evidence surrounds me: a sign that says, “I am not arguing, I am just explaining why I’m right,” another proclaiming, “As long as everything is exactly the way I want it, I’m totally flexible,” and a button that reads, “I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken.” All gifts of love, obviously. I know this because they still answer when I call. And truth be told, I get it. It would be very hard for me to argue with them about that. I would, but it would be hard… 😊 Which brings me to my favorite kind of discussion: supporting statements like “a square is round.” It’s absurd, challenging, and oddly satisfying. It invites openness, curiosity, and discussion, not instant conclusions. And in that way, it’s not far from modern political debate, assumi...

≈ Today’s World Is Stressful. It’s Your Job to Manage It ≈ Some Thoughts On a Strategy.   In the crowd I “hang” with, we agree on a lot. (Quotation marks because most of the hanging is done through texts, and phone calls, with occasional face to faces that require travel). We agree on favorite places we’ve been. Favorite restaurants. Favorite vodka. Bucket lists. Life philosophies. We’ve known each other forever. And then there’s the stuff we don’t all agree on, worst places we’ve been, whether Clapton is the best ever, and restaurants, like the place everyone loves but one of us still actively warns complete strangers to avoid. Yes, and some politics, a little. Yet, somehow, miraculously, we still talk to each other and enjoy being with each other. No shouting. No unfriending. No dramatic exits from a group chat followed by an obscure social media meme. It’s a modern miracle worthy of study. This is called a choice. (Remember that word, it keeps coming up). There are things w...