The Monday Mix (14/06/2021)
Hey friends,
The sun is shining, a football tournament is in full flow and the days are long and full of pleasure. What more could you ask for? Ok, a full return to normality. But, this is as good as it’s going to be for now, and that’s no bad thing.
No new posts from me this week, so I’m going to share an older essay of mine. It’s a short read, but if you lived in another country, I’m sure it’s one you can relate to. If you haven’t, it will give you an idea of what it’s like to live abroad.
The Hardest Part of Living Abroad Nobody Talks About
Here’s what I want to share with you this week:
David Eagleman interview
This is an interesting review with the neuroscientist, David Eagleman. It’s a short read, but his views on the human brain and the changes we could see in the future are fascinating. These changes might be too early for us to experience, but there seems to be an exciting future ahead for our ancestors.
How Dissent Dies
A fascinating account of how a democracy can slide towards authoritarianism. This is what has been happening in India since 2014. Narendra Modi’s government is rolling back freedoms and throwing people who disagree with the government in jail. This is a worrying trend across the globe. One we must hope begins to be curtailed rather than ramped up as the decade progresses.
The War on Drugs
The war on drugs is one of the biggest policy failures of recent times. I don’t have figures on how much has been spent on combatting drugs but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s in the billions. For all this money spent, the problem hasn’t been curtailed and criminals are still profiting at the expense of individuals and governments worldwide. Should we legalise drugs? It’s a controversial take, but one we should take more seriously because the status quo cannot continue.
Book I’m reading - Feral by George Monbiot
An eye-opening account of how we can rewild our environment to mitigate climate change. Humans take an active part in managing the environment, but this book argues we should do the opposite. Allow large swathes to be rewilded and left alone. It’s a compelling argument and one we should take more seriously as the effects of climate change start to be felt.
Quote I’m pondering - A happy man is too satisfied with the present to dwell too much on the future. - Albert Einstein
Until next week,
Tom