Jay Matthews

We have been living a myth. We have constructed a dream. We have cajoled and seduced ourselves into believing we are the center of all things; with plants and other sentient beings from ants to lizards to coyotes and grizzly bears, remaining subservient to our whims, desires, and needs. This is a lethal lie that will be seen by future generations... See more

Like, if you think about this, I just want to lean in for a second and get us to think about like that, which the energy that, um, that is inside of a seed that can crack its seed coat, and roots can go down and these leaves can go up, is the same energy that swells, um, the lilac buds in the spring, and as the same essence, that then turns that... See more

Kropotkin pointed out that Darwin’s own comments regarding the survival value of the social instincts are widely ignored. In The Descent of Man (1871), Darwin described how animal species in which cooperation among individuals replaced competitive struggle were able to secure the best conditions for survival. He implied that, in such cases, the... See more

Creativity can be observed only in the interrelations of a system made up of three main parts. The first of these is the domain, which consists of a set of symbolic rules and procedures. The second component of creativity is the field, which includes all the individuals who act as gatekeepers to the domain. It is their job to decide whether a new... See more

I think we need to, in this time, we need to reckon with the fact that in each and every single one of our bodies holds living memory of our ancestors coming into agreements with plants and animals, and those agreements are those, um, covenants that our ancestors, you know, wove themselves into with plants is that they said, "we'll give up a little... See more

how to have more fun: 

1. focus on the ingredients: playfulness, connection, and flow 

2. reduce distractions

3. increase connection by interacting more with others 

1. step by step by step 

4. find opportunities to rebel 

1. playful deviance: break rules of responsible adulthood

5. prioritize it: make it a priority 

1. carve out time in schedule 

2. treat

... See more

Future self-continuity may even operate at the group level, since cultures that value respect for elders tend to save more, while nations with longer histories tend to have cleaner environments.

The aim is to test the hypothesis and fail early, because it’s significantly cheaper and more efficient to make potential errors and test in prototyping than in a live solution.