Here’s the community chat-space for June. I’m going to make this one open to all subscribers, just to see if that’s a good idea (too many voices? just enough?) Talk about whatever moves you. I’ll check in and respond to any questions thrown my way.
Thoughts about money and uncertainty while riding home on my scooter in Indonesia:
Rides on my faithful Honda moped have become a little refuge for self-reflection and rumination since being in Indo. It’s a bit like the private moment with your thoughts you get while sitting on the toilet, just in motion.
I’ve found it difficult not to be overstimulated since coming here. I quit my job, sold all my shit and jumped on a plane with my girlfriend and only a faint idea of what might happen henceforth (Chris and Tangentially Speaking made me do it). Now every aspect of my life is perpetually up in the air. New, insane, uncertain. A quiet moment to consider how I feel in the midst of this is always welcome, and it always comes while I’m on the scooter.
Today I was riding home from BJJ training (there’s a dingy little gym in town, used to be a brothel, but we have a sick crew now), and I was mulling over the dreaded topic of money. In the change rooms I’d had a conversation with my mate, a good-looking Belarusian guy who is a proper digital nomad. He has his own e-commerce business and I assume is doing well from it. But me? Well I walked away from decent money in Australia and now make a couple of bucks from writing. I am always taken for a proper digital nomad but really I’m just some guy with only a dim idea of what dropshipping is.
We talked about the desire so many Westerners in Asia have to escape the system - houses, insurance, bills, some safe managerial job that you are somehow clinging to for dear life. My mate says we all think we can walk away from the system but it will always follow us. We have to be capitalists, maybe marginally freeing ourselves from it but largely working within the system. I always kind of quietly agreed with that sentiment. And I felt a bit insecure knowing he’s running a stable business and planning for the future, while I am masquerading as someone like him but basically winging it.
You know what struck me as I rode home though? I’m not panicking. I think even the lines in my face that developed prematurely in my 20’s are fading. I feel a shit ton more relaxed, more confident, more sure of myself being uncertain every day and winging it in Asia than I did in the apparent safety of my ‘good’ job and shiny shoes. The risk of dying miserable on the way to a secure job far outweighs any of the risks out here. Maybe my feeling is blissful ignorance and soon my life will crash and burn. Or maybe it’s that thing bigger than both money and uncertainty - personal authenticity.
Thanks for the open thread Chris and keen to hear if anyone has some thoughts around this. Cheers and well wishes to all
Hey y'all, curious to know what's a random great song that you have come across recently? One that you suspect no one in your life knows about, but should. I'll start things off: "Insan Insan" by Fazil Say (youtube below). I believe it is Turkish and religious/spiritually themed. I don't speak the language and don't consider myself particularly religious/spiritual, but wow does it pack a punch! Best listened to after sundown, sitting in a chair or lying in bed, pensively contemplating your existence:
People who are able to travel long-term, how do you take care of ageing parents? I feel like I am getting to a point where I can travel but my parents need me for so much I feel like I can't just do this long-term.
Hey Chris, this is something that's been on my mind recently and has been sort of a thing that has made me enjoy the pod in general less.
I really don't mean this as an attack at all, but think it's a valid conversation that the TS community rarely glances over.
The simplest way I can put it is - What makes the eco-village model different than the horde wealth and live in a bunker model.
Now my feelings go far beyond this specific example but this is a good way to illustrate it for me. It just seems like a lot of the remove yourself from society thinking is pretty similar to the thinking that most in the community would agree is very bad that a stereotypically shitty rich person would have, "I'll focus on taking care of myself my friends and my family" just dressed up in what is pretty similar to green washing.
I get the criticisms of modern life, but also I feel a lot of times the circumstances of us living under an incredibly exploitative kleptocracy is so often ignored. Permaculture is a technology just like all technology we have today. It seems pretty clear to me that what drives or technology affecting are lives in such a negative way is the incentives of our economy and systems.
How does running away and starting a small community help anyone but yourself and those lucky enough to be included in your community.
Also do you believe that further down the line if this kind of movement grew substantially that the government would not get involved in these planned communities? They sort of tried this kinda thing back in the hippy days and the US gov directly interfered and undermined these kind of communities.
To be able to build these communities u need to buy land which requires a level of wealth most people will never have, even if pooling from a large group of friends that vast majority of Americans live paycheck to paycheck so they won't have that ability. So a part of me feels that this is people who have directly benefited from the exploitation of others who are worse off than them and are just leaving the mess behind and saying that's those people's problems. To me this is very similar to any wealthy person who just accepts they will make money by exploiting others and then isolates themselves from those who are exploited, like white flight in the mid 20th century, or nimby policies.
It sort of reminds me of my feelings on the current psychedelic movement where it seems like just ways to make rich people more comfortable with their place in society. And I get that this is accessible to many people who aren't necessarily ultra wealthy, but the vast vast majority of people will spend their whole lives working hard for nothing and will never have any ability to build up savings.
For example we have a wave of fascist legislation going through all over the country, leaving to form an eco community will shield you and those close to you from that mostly however there's an acceptance there that you have no power to help others who will be terribly affected by these and many other issues, which is not true. Whole I don't have much faith in our gov the idea that it is completely out of our hands is a load of crap.
And I just wanna end off by saying it's all love here, I do get where you are coming from and at the end of the day there's no use suffering just bc others do, at the same time there are a lot of things we can do to make the society we have better.
Your message as a whole has helped me a lot, your a big part of me learning to not hate myself, helping me realize I wasn't the problem like I used to think and that instead these fucked up conditions we live in are.
Also I don't know if it is just me, but from my perspective it seems like you have been recently going more in a direction I don't like and less in the loving compassionate angle that really attracted me towards your pod. Although this could very well be more related to changes in myself that I'm projecting onto u.
Hi everyone, I hope spring has been treating you well! I’m looking to connect with others who live in intentional communities and are familiar with the process of joining one. I’ve found some online resources (r/intentionalcommunities, for one) but have mostly found a lot of people in the same position as myself. I’m strongly considering moving off the East Coast to find my place and people. The popular IC model in New England looks like private homeownership on individual lots. The fractious, isolated lifestyle out here is becoming untenable for me. I want to contribute to a community of people who share my values and find radical solutions to challenges of contemporary life. I’m a single parent of a four-year old for whom I hope to foster a true sense of purpose, meaning, and place. The learning curve of parenthood for me has been staying put, but even that is difficult here on Cape Cod, as rental leases tend to lapse at max 6 months to make room for short term vacation rentals. I’m a fast learner, hard worker, and exceptionally-dedicated person. What I lack is a shared sense of purpose in a larger community, and I find that void hard to navigate. If anyone has any guidance or even a contact to share, I’m all ears - very grateful ears!
Hi Chris. Just wanted to say thanks for being a big inspiration and source of knowledge. You are one of the people who inspired me to start my own podcast, which, without exaggeration, has changed my life!
Here's a question for you and the community: Have you ever been in a city that you felt allowed you to live in tune with your human nature? Or is urban living by definition contrary to our evolution?
I'm an urban planner/designer and this is a fundamental question for me.
I’m at an interesting crossroads (many options intersection) in my life where I find myself more freed up than ever before. And when I say freed up I would say emotionally freed up and loosened. The last two years I’ve felt Incredibly weighed down by something that one might call grief. As I start to feel this lift and have tons of observations about the impacts it’s had on my life and relationships I am finding myself unsure of where to go next in this journey. What a fun opportunity to be a bit lost. The ideas I see myself coming to are: buy a house? Get a PhD? Continue to travel? Buy property and start that retreat center I’ve been creating in my mind? Shift my career? Invest further in this career? Maybe all these questions can remain open and I can see if any or all get clarified. I’m thinking writing this out is an experiment in itself. Just to see what came to mind and what I even thought of as options.
Hi everyone! I've been working on a project to build community, inspired by Chris and what I've learned from his writings about Fiercely Egalitarian Tribal Societies. It's been an ever changing process but this is the current state of the project: Helping to Bring Together People to Form Co-Owned Ecovillages! If you're interested in learning more, here's out Telegram Group, and FB Group:
Hey Chris, I'm just down the road in Mosca and have a bunch of free time on my hands and some skills to help with your Crestone project feel free to reach out if you need an extra set of hands, happy to help.
Hey Chris - I have (a long-winded) question I’d love your opinion on...
I’m new to Substack, I joined because 1) I’m writing a non-fiction book about skateboarding and I wanted to “grow my audience” as they say, so I could promote my book. 2) I write about a bunch of other things (that aren’t about skateboarding) and I just wanted to share my writing.
And I hear all this advice on substack that “you need a niche if you want to grow an audience”, some people have even suggested I should just write about skateboarding and not share my other pieces.... but I find that limiting and not honest to my writing or who I am.
So my question to you is - given what I have just explained - what would you do in my situation?
Would you stick to the niche of only writing about skateboarding?
Or would you write about whatever you want?
Or would you maybe do a third thing like make two substacks, one for skating and one for other stuff?
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
P.S - I realise this is a long question and you have limited time so I understand if you can’t answer.
Either way I appreciate you and all that you do - thank you.
Anybody here ever gone back for a second bachelor's degree in a totally different field? I'm pursuing jobs with university maintenance departments, which offer 100 percent tuition remission so I could do it without needing to go into more debt. The goal would be to pursue masters coursework after. But that would of course mean dedicating the majority of my non-working hours to study and schoolwork for years. It gets me thinking about a concept brought up here a lot, the two currencies: money and time. Money is usually renewable, time isn't.
Hypothetical question for Chris and anybody else: if money were not a consideration - both tuition and potential future salary - is it worth pursing higher education just for the love of learning, the pursuit of knowledge itself?
As I read over the comments, the words “sex” and “sexuality” jump out at me…and remind me that it’s appropriate to share my message about sex in the hopes of sparking a discussion…and potentially some healing.
I’ve spent the past decade writing 5 books (fiction and nonfiction) to explore the mystery we call “sex.”
My fantasy series, THE SECRET SEX LIFE OF ANGELS, is an epic, erotic, tantric quest of one man’s initiation into the ancient “sexual mysteries,” My nonfiction book, OUR SECRET SEX LIFE: The Key to Humanity’s Destiny reveals some of the secrets we all carry between our legs and the hidden connections between sex, society, and survival. The book’s premise is that sex is much more than we realize. More than procreation or pleasure, sex is fundamental to our Humanity in ways we’ve forgotten and consequential in ways we can’t imagine.
After millennia of patriarchal and religious “mind-fuck” we’re ignorant of the fundamental and consequential importance of this defining aspect of our humanity.
How we conceive of, feel about, and engage in sex shapes relations between men and women, dictates the dynamics of family, and ultimately influences the values and structures of society. Consider sex the “source code” for society.
Since our SEX OS is so fundamental and consequential, the “story” we tell ourselves about sex will determine the kind of society we create, the health of that society, and possibly even the fate of that society.
But our SEX OS has been been hacked! And the consequences are catastrophic!
Could our hacked SEX OS and the collective trauma of shame we’ve all inherited about this defining aspect of our humanity be at the root of our self-inflicted, existential crises? Can a specie ashamed of the way it creates new life survive? Are we fucking up the world because our fucking is fucked up?!
The Hindu Vedas, India’s millennia-old holy texts, understood the fundamental importance of sex and warned that a society which doesn’t view the male and female genitals as symbols of divine principles and revere them as sacred instruments is doomed.
I apologize for the rant but I’m passionate about this. At 76 my impending mortality fills me with an urgency about getting this message into the world to inspire a cultural conversation and sexual healing.
I’m taking this opportunity to engage the Tangentially Speaking community and Chris in a discussion. Not just for better sex lives, but for society’s health and, ultimately, civilization’s survival.
Here’s a link to a recent article (5 minute read) I write that explains what I'm talking about::
Humans are so smart that I'm continuously dumbfounded by the society/culture that we have created. Why do most people work at jobs they don't like, why do we create so many toxins in our environment, why is there so much suffering in the world(wars, starvation, etc). I feel like if an alien race were to observe us they might think they are so smart how is this the best system/way of life they have come up with? Not sure what to do with this it's just frustrating that's all. 😏
I've been undergoing the painful process of coming to terms with the fact that I'm in a relationship that isn't going to work. Returning to the podcast has been a tremendous help in cutting through the fear and sadness swirling through my mind to focus in on my authentic voice saying "It's time".
I'm young and dumb, so I thought I could prepare myself for this, but you can't. It feels like my future has been blown apart, but this podcast and the people around it have helped me realize that the world and my possible paths aren't as small and constrained as I thought they were. I can sometimes mistake an open sky for a dead-end wall.
Im grateful for what I've learned here. Sending love to anyone else going through their own tiny obliteration. Fucking dramatic, but man it really feels like that!
Hi Chris, do you feel like your PhD was worth it? I'm in my 50s and feeling like earning it would be a credibility piece for me (i.e., the letters) but not sure it's worth the $ and time.
Hey Chris (and TS family) just chiming in here to say you NEED to check out an artist called Ren. All his stuff is great, but I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on his video “Hi Ren”.
I read Civilized to Death when it first came out. That book is solid gold -- it spoke to me in so many ways. I am at home in a deep forest or when living out of a bag, as I often do. I despise my smartphone and have been known to break them out of frustration. I was in the military from 18-38 and got out 10 years ago last month. Traveled the world for a while (30+ countries) and worked as a fire lookout for the last four summers because it gets me away from civilization - but, not enough! I am very healthy for a middle-aged man.... tall, good looking, and can outrun most dudes half my age. I commonly get hit on by vapid women a decade or more younger than me. Lately, I'm stuck in a rut - probably a "mid-life crisis" but, it just feels different.... like I'm spinning my wheels and no one is around to help push this car out of the mud. I need more purpose and meaning in my life. I need to meet others who share in my disgust of what is happening with humanity, the climate, society.... and do something about it! I feel a strong desire to "tribalize" with others like me except they are usually too far down the path of destruction. I know it is difficult for me because I was good at being a Soldier for two decades and now... nothing feels like it measures up. Being useful would be great! I would also like to meet someone but when I go out and interact with the public or attempt to date (god forbid) it seems to be a disaster and I retreat back to my cave. Why does it seem people are satisfied just staring at a screen or thinking about how they can get rich (and get over). I feel like I am right and they are wrong but I don't want to end up being "that guy" who thinks he's got it all figured out, because, damn it, I surely don't! I just don't get how people can live this way.... in the rat race, phone in face, eating shit food and waiting to die. It all seems pointless and perfectly acceptable to most. I don't fear death.... I fear not living life to the fullest!
Thank you for opening this space Chris! I should have looked at this more when I was paying for it. The book Glimmer by Kimberly Shannon Murphy is currently moving me. I wish I read it as a teen, and I wish more people understood sexual abuse and flashbacks. I would love to hear you interview her.
Your willingness to vulnerably discuss human sexuality has been so freeing for me. This book has complimented the courage you seeded in me to really explore why we live the way we do.
Also, it leaves me with way too many dark questions around how we became such a dysfunctional species.
Hey Chris - You seem like a guy that lives life with no regrets. But maybe I'm wrong. Is there anything you regret? What is regret about anyway? Are there any positives to regret? I don't know why I'm asking these questions, they just popped in my head. Curious what people think.
We are the most advanced creatures on the earth. Intelligent apes that can do anything. Yet, weve given dogs easier lives than us. We work 12 hour shifts and buy large homes so dogs can have bigger spaces than ourselves. Today I worked and sweated 8 hours. I come home… my dog has moved from the couch to the floor. Why are coyotes living in luxury while monkeys do all the work? Surely monkeys could have thought of a better system then to let dogs have everyday off and we have 2 day vacation a year. This is like if lions were working an assembly line (assembly lions) while zebras got to hang out all day in the sun. Whats up with this? Love u Chris. ❤️
In this modern world, I often find myself thinking, "This isn't natural. This isn't how we're meant to live". My attempts to soothe that are walking around trees, being around other people, playing music. Or drinking to cope/numb. How do you deal?
Just chiming in to watch the experiment unfold. I haven't been following the TS arc (or any others really) for awhile now, just due to being preoccupied with day to day stuff. I'm a woman near 40 living on the PNW coastline farming/gardening and I don't have a political orientation outside of "where does your food come from". I'm interested to see what's going on in this particular niche these days. Hope everyone's well.
Thoughts about money and uncertainty while riding home on my scooter in Indonesia:
Rides on my faithful Honda moped have become a little refuge for self-reflection and rumination since being in Indo. It’s a bit like the private moment with your thoughts you get while sitting on the toilet, just in motion.
I’ve found it difficult not to be overstimulated since coming here. I quit my job, sold all my shit and jumped on a plane with my girlfriend and only a faint idea of what might happen henceforth (Chris and Tangentially Speaking made me do it). Now every aspect of my life is perpetually up in the air. New, insane, uncertain. A quiet moment to consider how I feel in the midst of this is always welcome, and it always comes while I’m on the scooter.
Today I was riding home from BJJ training (there’s a dingy little gym in town, used to be a brothel, but we have a sick crew now), and I was mulling over the dreaded topic of money. In the change rooms I’d had a conversation with my mate, a good-looking Belarusian guy who is a proper digital nomad. He has his own e-commerce business and I assume is doing well from it. But me? Well I walked away from decent money in Australia and now make a couple of bucks from writing. I am always taken for a proper digital nomad but really I’m just some guy with only a dim idea of what dropshipping is.
We talked about the desire so many Westerners in Asia have to escape the system - houses, insurance, bills, some safe managerial job that you are somehow clinging to for dear life. My mate says we all think we can walk away from the system but it will always follow us. We have to be capitalists, maybe marginally freeing ourselves from it but largely working within the system. I always kind of quietly agreed with that sentiment. And I felt a bit insecure knowing he’s running a stable business and planning for the future, while I am masquerading as someone like him but basically winging it.
You know what struck me as I rode home though? I’m not panicking. I think even the lines in my face that developed prematurely in my 20’s are fading. I feel a shit ton more relaxed, more confident, more sure of myself being uncertain every day and winging it in Asia than I did in the apparent safety of my ‘good’ job and shiny shoes. The risk of dying miserable on the way to a secure job far outweighs any of the risks out here. Maybe my feeling is blissful ignorance and soon my life will crash and burn. Or maybe it’s that thing bigger than both money and uncertainty - personal authenticity.
Thanks for the open thread Chris and keen to hear if anyone has some thoughts around this. Cheers and well wishes to all
Friends,
I have been following Steven Donziger’s saga ever since his appearance on Tangentially Speaking and he is still fighting the good fight. I just signed a petition for the UN to sanction the US for the unlawful detention and removal of his passport preventing him from traveling internationally. https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/add-your-name-to-our-new-petition-to-the-united-nations-seeking-a-legal-ruling-that-the-biden-administration-restore-stevens-full-freedom-including-his-right-to-international-travel?source=direct_link&
Hey y'all, curious to know what's a random great song that you have come across recently? One that you suspect no one in your life knows about, but should. I'll start things off: "Insan Insan" by Fazil Say (youtube below). I believe it is Turkish and religious/spiritually themed. I don't speak the language and don't consider myself particularly religious/spiritual, but wow does it pack a punch! Best listened to after sundown, sitting in a chair or lying in bed, pensively contemplating your existence:
https://youtu.be/fEzpsVi1Qd0
Cheers! -Kurt
People who are able to travel long-term, how do you take care of ageing parents? I feel like I am getting to a point where I can travel but my parents need me for so much I feel like I can't just do this long-term.
Hi Chris. Just wanted to share a bit of music which I recorded recently. Hope everything is going well!!
https://youtu.be/yqMMZf5l0iI
Hey Chris, this is something that's been on my mind recently and has been sort of a thing that has made me enjoy the pod in general less.
I really don't mean this as an attack at all, but think it's a valid conversation that the TS community rarely glances over.
The simplest way I can put it is - What makes the eco-village model different than the horde wealth and live in a bunker model.
Now my feelings go far beyond this specific example but this is a good way to illustrate it for me. It just seems like a lot of the remove yourself from society thinking is pretty similar to the thinking that most in the community would agree is very bad that a stereotypically shitty rich person would have, "I'll focus on taking care of myself my friends and my family" just dressed up in what is pretty similar to green washing.
I get the criticisms of modern life, but also I feel a lot of times the circumstances of us living under an incredibly exploitative kleptocracy is so often ignored. Permaculture is a technology just like all technology we have today. It seems pretty clear to me that what drives or technology affecting are lives in such a negative way is the incentives of our economy and systems.
How does running away and starting a small community help anyone but yourself and those lucky enough to be included in your community.
Also do you believe that further down the line if this kind of movement grew substantially that the government would not get involved in these planned communities? They sort of tried this kinda thing back in the hippy days and the US gov directly interfered and undermined these kind of communities.
To be able to build these communities u need to buy land which requires a level of wealth most people will never have, even if pooling from a large group of friends that vast majority of Americans live paycheck to paycheck so they won't have that ability. So a part of me feels that this is people who have directly benefited from the exploitation of others who are worse off than them and are just leaving the mess behind and saying that's those people's problems. To me this is very similar to any wealthy person who just accepts they will make money by exploiting others and then isolates themselves from those who are exploited, like white flight in the mid 20th century, or nimby policies.
It sort of reminds me of my feelings on the current psychedelic movement where it seems like just ways to make rich people more comfortable with their place in society. And I get that this is accessible to many people who aren't necessarily ultra wealthy, but the vast vast majority of people will spend their whole lives working hard for nothing and will never have any ability to build up savings.
For example we have a wave of fascist legislation going through all over the country, leaving to form an eco community will shield you and those close to you from that mostly however there's an acceptance there that you have no power to help others who will be terribly affected by these and many other issues, which is not true. Whole I don't have much faith in our gov the idea that it is completely out of our hands is a load of crap.
And I just wanna end off by saying it's all love here, I do get where you are coming from and at the end of the day there's no use suffering just bc others do, at the same time there are a lot of things we can do to make the society we have better.
Your message as a whole has helped me a lot, your a big part of me learning to not hate myself, helping me realize I wasn't the problem like I used to think and that instead these fucked up conditions we live in are.
Also I don't know if it is just me, but from my perspective it seems like you have been recently going more in a direction I don't like and less in the loving compassionate angle that really attracted me towards your pod. Although this could very well be more related to changes in myself that I'm projecting onto u.
Hi everyone, I hope spring has been treating you well! I’m looking to connect with others who live in intentional communities and are familiar with the process of joining one. I’ve found some online resources (r/intentionalcommunities, for one) but have mostly found a lot of people in the same position as myself. I’m strongly considering moving off the East Coast to find my place and people. The popular IC model in New England looks like private homeownership on individual lots. The fractious, isolated lifestyle out here is becoming untenable for me. I want to contribute to a community of people who share my values and find radical solutions to challenges of contemporary life. I’m a single parent of a four-year old for whom I hope to foster a true sense of purpose, meaning, and place. The learning curve of parenthood for me has been staying put, but even that is difficult here on Cape Cod, as rental leases tend to lapse at max 6 months to make room for short term vacation rentals. I’m a fast learner, hard worker, and exceptionally-dedicated person. What I lack is a shared sense of purpose in a larger community, and I find that void hard to navigate. If anyone has any guidance or even a contact to share, I’m all ears - very grateful ears!
I've been known to make a list of things to do that includes things I've already done, just so I can cross them off!
Hi Chris. Just wanted to say thanks for being a big inspiration and source of knowledge. You are one of the people who inspired me to start my own podcast, which, without exaggeration, has changed my life!
Here's a question for you and the community: Have you ever been in a city that you felt allowed you to live in tune with your human nature? Or is urban living by definition contrary to our evolution?
I'm an urban planner/designer and this is a fundamental question for me.
I’m at an interesting crossroads (many options intersection) in my life where I find myself more freed up than ever before. And when I say freed up I would say emotionally freed up and loosened. The last two years I’ve felt Incredibly weighed down by something that one might call grief. As I start to feel this lift and have tons of observations about the impacts it’s had on my life and relationships I am finding myself unsure of where to go next in this journey. What a fun opportunity to be a bit lost. The ideas I see myself coming to are: buy a house? Get a PhD? Continue to travel? Buy property and start that retreat center I’ve been creating in my mind? Shift my career? Invest further in this career? Maybe all these questions can remain open and I can see if any or all get clarified. I’m thinking writing this out is an experiment in itself. Just to see what came to mind and what I even thought of as options.
Hi everyone! I've been working on a project to build community, inspired by Chris and what I've learned from his writings about Fiercely Egalitarian Tribal Societies. It's been an ever changing process but this is the current state of the project: Helping to Bring Together People to Form Co-Owned Ecovillages! If you're interested in learning more, here's out Telegram Group, and FB Group:
https://t.me/+oebHpIBFavM2MTQx https://www.facebook.com/groups/nomadvillages/ Thanks, Justin :)
Hey Chris, I'm just down the road in Mosca and have a bunch of free time on my hands and some skills to help with your Crestone project feel free to reach out if you need an extra set of hands, happy to help.
Hey Chris - I have (a long-winded) question I’d love your opinion on...
I’m new to Substack, I joined because 1) I’m writing a non-fiction book about skateboarding and I wanted to “grow my audience” as they say, so I could promote my book. 2) I write about a bunch of other things (that aren’t about skateboarding) and I just wanted to share my writing.
And I hear all this advice on substack that “you need a niche if you want to grow an audience”, some people have even suggested I should just write about skateboarding and not share my other pieces.... but I find that limiting and not honest to my writing or who I am.
So my question to you is - given what I have just explained - what would you do in my situation?
Would you stick to the niche of only writing about skateboarding?
Or would you write about whatever you want?
Or would you maybe do a third thing like make two substacks, one for skating and one for other stuff?
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
P.S - I realise this is a long question and you have limited time so I understand if you can’t answer.
Either way I appreciate you and all that you do - thank you.
Anybody here ever gone back for a second bachelor's degree in a totally different field? I'm pursuing jobs with university maintenance departments, which offer 100 percent tuition remission so I could do it without needing to go into more debt. The goal would be to pursue masters coursework after. But that would of course mean dedicating the majority of my non-working hours to study and schoolwork for years. It gets me thinking about a concept brought up here a lot, the two currencies: money and time. Money is usually renewable, time isn't.
Hypothetical question for Chris and anybody else: if money were not a consideration - both tuition and potential future salary - is it worth pursing higher education just for the love of learning, the pursuit of knowledge itself?
Hi Chris and TS Community,
As I read over the comments, the words “sex” and “sexuality” jump out at me…and remind me that it’s appropriate to share my message about sex in the hopes of sparking a discussion…and potentially some healing.
I’ve spent the past decade writing 5 books (fiction and nonfiction) to explore the mystery we call “sex.”
My fantasy series, THE SECRET SEX LIFE OF ANGELS, is an epic, erotic, tantric quest of one man’s initiation into the ancient “sexual mysteries,” My nonfiction book, OUR SECRET SEX LIFE: The Key to Humanity’s Destiny reveals some of the secrets we all carry between our legs and the hidden connections between sex, society, and survival. The book’s premise is that sex is much more than we realize. More than procreation or pleasure, sex is fundamental to our Humanity in ways we’ve forgotten and consequential in ways we can’t imagine.
After millennia of patriarchal and religious “mind-fuck” we’re ignorant of the fundamental and consequential importance of this defining aspect of our humanity.
How we conceive of, feel about, and engage in sex shapes relations between men and women, dictates the dynamics of family, and ultimately influences the values and structures of society. Consider sex the “source code” for society.
Since our SEX OS is so fundamental and consequential, the “story” we tell ourselves about sex will determine the kind of society we create, the health of that society, and possibly even the fate of that society.
But our SEX OS has been been hacked! And the consequences are catastrophic!
Could our hacked SEX OS and the collective trauma of shame we’ve all inherited about this defining aspect of our humanity be at the root of our self-inflicted, existential crises? Can a specie ashamed of the way it creates new life survive? Are we fucking up the world because our fucking is fucked up?!
The Hindu Vedas, India’s millennia-old holy texts, understood the fundamental importance of sex and warned that a society which doesn’t view the male and female genitals as symbols of divine principles and revere them as sacred instruments is doomed.
I apologize for the rant but I’m passionate about this. At 76 my impending mortality fills me with an urgency about getting this message into the world to inspire a cultural conversation and sexual healing.
I’m taking this opportunity to engage the Tangentially Speaking community and Chris in a discussion. Not just for better sex lives, but for society’s health and, ultimately, civilization’s survival.
Here’s a link to a recent article (5 minute read) I write that explains what I'm talking about::
https://medium.com/@jerryiweinstock/questioning-sex-1-wtf-is-it-f80d25b9c859
I look forward to your thoughts and comments.
Blessings to All.
Humans are so smart that I'm continuously dumbfounded by the society/culture that we have created. Why do most people work at jobs they don't like, why do we create so many toxins in our environment, why is there so much suffering in the world(wars, starvation, etc). I feel like if an alien race were to observe us they might think they are so smart how is this the best system/way of life they have come up with? Not sure what to do with this it's just frustrating that's all. 😏
I've been undergoing the painful process of coming to terms with the fact that I'm in a relationship that isn't going to work. Returning to the podcast has been a tremendous help in cutting through the fear and sadness swirling through my mind to focus in on my authentic voice saying "It's time".
I'm young and dumb, so I thought I could prepare myself for this, but you can't. It feels like my future has been blown apart, but this podcast and the people around it have helped me realize that the world and my possible paths aren't as small and constrained as I thought they were. I can sometimes mistake an open sky for a dead-end wall.
Im grateful for what I've learned here. Sending love to anyone else going through their own tiny obliteration. Fucking dramatic, but man it really feels like that!
Hi Chris, do you feel like your PhD was worth it? I'm in my 50s and feeling like earning it would be a credibility piece for me (i.e., the letters) but not sure it's worth the $ and time.
Hey Chris (and TS family) just chiming in here to say you NEED to check out an artist called Ren. All his stuff is great, but I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on his video “Hi Ren”.
I read Civilized to Death when it first came out. That book is solid gold -- it spoke to me in so many ways. I am at home in a deep forest or when living out of a bag, as I often do. I despise my smartphone and have been known to break them out of frustration. I was in the military from 18-38 and got out 10 years ago last month. Traveled the world for a while (30+ countries) and worked as a fire lookout for the last four summers because it gets me away from civilization - but, not enough! I am very healthy for a middle-aged man.... tall, good looking, and can outrun most dudes half my age. I commonly get hit on by vapid women a decade or more younger than me. Lately, I'm stuck in a rut - probably a "mid-life crisis" but, it just feels different.... like I'm spinning my wheels and no one is around to help push this car out of the mud. I need more purpose and meaning in my life. I need to meet others who share in my disgust of what is happening with humanity, the climate, society.... and do something about it! I feel a strong desire to "tribalize" with others like me except they are usually too far down the path of destruction. I know it is difficult for me because I was good at being a Soldier for two decades and now... nothing feels like it measures up. Being useful would be great! I would also like to meet someone but when I go out and interact with the public or attempt to date (god forbid) it seems to be a disaster and I retreat back to my cave. Why does it seem people are satisfied just staring at a screen or thinking about how they can get rich (and get over). I feel like I am right and they are wrong but I don't want to end up being "that guy" who thinks he's got it all figured out, because, damn it, I surely don't! I just don't get how people can live this way.... in the rat race, phone in face, eating shit food and waiting to die. It all seems pointless and perfectly acceptable to most. I don't fear death.... I fear not living life to the fullest!
Thank you for opening this space Chris! I should have looked at this more when I was paying for it. The book Glimmer by Kimberly Shannon Murphy is currently moving me. I wish I read it as a teen, and I wish more people understood sexual abuse and flashbacks. I would love to hear you interview her.
Your willingness to vulnerably discuss human sexuality has been so freeing for me. This book has complimented the courage you seeded in me to really explore why we live the way we do.
Also, it leaves me with way too many dark questions around how we became such a dysfunctional species.
Hey Chris - You seem like a guy that lives life with no regrets. But maybe I'm wrong. Is there anything you regret? What is regret about anyway? Are there any positives to regret? I don't know why I'm asking these questions, they just popped in my head. Curious what people think.
We are the most advanced creatures on the earth. Intelligent apes that can do anything. Yet, weve given dogs easier lives than us. We work 12 hour shifts and buy large homes so dogs can have bigger spaces than ourselves. Today I worked and sweated 8 hours. I come home… my dog has moved from the couch to the floor. Why are coyotes living in luxury while monkeys do all the work? Surely monkeys could have thought of a better system then to let dogs have everyday off and we have 2 day vacation a year. This is like if lions were working an assembly line (assembly lions) while zebras got to hang out all day in the sun. Whats up with this? Love u Chris. ❤️
In this modern world, I often find myself thinking, "This isn't natural. This isn't how we're meant to live". My attempts to soothe that are walking around trees, being around other people, playing music. Or drinking to cope/numb. How do you deal?
Just chiming in to watch the experiment unfold. I haven't been following the TS arc (or any others really) for awhile now, just due to being preoccupied with day to day stuff. I'm a woman near 40 living on the PNW coastline farming/gardening and I don't have a political orientation outside of "where does your food come from". I'm interested to see what's going on in this particular niche these days. Hope everyone's well.