Come for the course, stay for the community

Encountering for the first time communities in the real world founded on ideas, I began to realize that I had always felt what my friend David Perell calls “intellectual loneliness.” It’s a feeling that almost no one in your social circles shares the same passion for ideas as you. I realized I had always felt that there was no one I could share my ... See more

The learning experience needs to be as engaging as a Youtube video or a video game. Quizlet, Duolingo, and Codecademy make learning feel just like that. Yet that alone isn’t enough. No matter how fun the game gets, learning, by the end of the day, is about applying the skills to contribute to our community. Can you confidently build a secure, funct... See more

I was young, naive, and plagued by impostor syndrome. I held back instead of exploring more, engaging more deeply, and seeking out more challenges. I allowed myself to be carried along by the current, rather than actively charting my own course. Youth is wasted on the young.

Why pretend to be smart and play it safe? True understanding is rare and ha... See more

Community means a lot of things to a lot of people. Whether it’s your local running group, a book club, your gym squad, family, or membership in an exclusive club, belonging to something is meaningful. Our identities, while obviously unique to us, are so shaped by the influence and power of community that it remains a biologically human need to hav... See more