06
Here’s a few contrarian things I strongly believe that people have disagreed with me about greatly. But these are MY opinions — they’re core to who I am.
01
Modern-day meritocracies are extremely flawed. They cultivate artificial pursuits and performativeness. People “perform” for colleges, investors, employers, and other external sources of validation. Rather than working on things that genuinely matter to them, they work on what looks impressive to those judging them.
02
As societies become safer, sports become more psychologically important because they provide one of the few socially acceptable arenas for tribal conflict, physical courage, domination, sacrifice, and status to be expressed honestly. This may be why removing competition from childhood does not make people less competitive. It just pushes competition into less explicit arenas like college admissions, careers, status, and social media, where the rules are murkier and the conflict is harder to admit.
03
Longevity escape velocity could create an economic motivation crisis by weakening the scarcity that makes time valuable. If people believe they have centuries to build careers, take risks, or create wealth, urgency may collapse, delaying work and investment that currently depend on finite horizons. The paradox is that extending life could increase human potential while simultaneously reducing the pressure that converts potential into output, something that the system of capitalism depends on.