My White Privilege

I'm a 34 year old white man. I'm moderately successful and make a pretty decent salary. I worked hard to get where I am. Up until recently, it hadn't occurred to me that I have had a large advantage in life because of the color of my skin. 

Why did it take me so long to realize this? A lot of it has to do with recent events along with the Black Lives Matter movement. Part of the reason is because of my lack of understanding of history. In addition, even though I don't see racism on a day to day basis, it often happens behind the scenes.

Growing up I didn't have many friends. Maybe a handful here and there through grade school. Three of them were black. Actually, I think my very first friend was black. This was in Alaska. My father was in the army, so we did a fair amount of traveling. We eventually settled in New England, which is where most of our family was. 

Now in New England, I started elementary school at a mostly white school from grades 1-2. Then we moved again, but not far. Starting in third grade in a different elementary school, my best friend was black. His name was Marques. I'm not entirely sure how the relationship started. I was always very quiet and reserved. I think he's one of the only kids who would talk to me. Perhaps I was the only other kid who  would talk to him. He remained by best friend until middle school. We ate lunch and spent recess together. We even played baseball together on the same team for a season in Little League. 

I also had another (black) friend later on by the name of Jesse which began when I stood up for him on the school bus after school. Some other kids were teasing him. Jesse was the Steve Urkel type, so he was constantly being picked on. After elementary school ended, things changed. We were no longer in the same classroom and naturally grew apart. From middle school on, I was essentially a loner. I had a hard time making friends.  Marques and I interacted a little bit in Middle and High school, but not much. The last time I saw Marques was actually in College much later on. We randomly ran into each other and chatted very briefly and then went on with our lives. 

Later on in high school I had a few friends, one of which was my second cousin (half white/hispanic). Another was an Italian boy who lived down the street from me. I was sort of adopted into a small group of skateboarders, all of whom were white. We listened to bands like Slipknot and Rage Against the Machine. We did stupid and silly things around town like mimic the members of Jackass, driving each other in shopping carts and launching into big bushes. Even though I spent a significant amount of time with these kids, I never really felt close to them. There were never really any deep or meaningful conversations. I drifted away from these people as well eventually a few years after high school. 

Then in college, I settled on mathematics for my major. My classes were 95% white students and professors. I stumbled upon an engineering job after that. At the company, I could count the number of black employees on one hand. A good number of  Asian/Indian. Some hispanic. Mostly white. I would say, 85% white. The breakdown should reflect that of the state. See graph at top for state of CT where my company is. E.g. if my company had 100 employees, at least 11 of them (or more) should be black. 

I never thought twice about it. But, it's likely the case that I was given preference, not for my qualifications, but for my white skin. I have never seen this happen first-hand because I have never been in a management or HR position, but I'm convinced that this type of discrimination happens. And it's not just at work. It's anywhere I go. People will treat me better and show me more respect because I am white. That's a gigantic advantage in life to have. 

I never thought much about racism because I never experienced it. I never even witnessed it. My family, at least on the surface weren't visibly racist. I was raised to treat everyone with respect. I had several black friends growing up. My high school was at most 50% white. I grew up among a mixed bag of people. Little did I know that society viewed me as more valuable than my non-white classmates.

To be honest, I was never much interested in history growing up. I knew that human slaves existed and I knew slavery was abolished. Therefore, everything was fine. The playing field was now level. Right? WRONG. It never occured to me just how unfair things still were. And still are. It has never been a level and fair playing field. Part of the reason is because of unregulated capitalism throughout the world. Whites had a huge head start in terms of property and wealth. After slavery was abolished, the only people who were starting from the ground up were former slaves. With such a large head start, how would they ever be able catch up in society? It would be one thing if in addition to the abolishment of slavery, racism could be turned off like a light switch. Sadly that was not the case. BUT, even if it was the case and racism didn't exist, having to start at such a low level of society - and a capitalistic one at that, is an almost impossible hurdle.

White privilege has been ingrained in our society ever since europeans came to America. White settlers felt entitled to this land and stripped it away from the Native Americans. They felt superior to those who had a darker skin color. They completely took over the land, largely by force. Later on they purchased and brought slaves over to America and forced them to do their bidding, to allow the lives of White people to be cozy and comfortable. This sense of entitlement and privilege never faded away. Once the whites were in power, they hoarded that power. The whites had children and raised their children with the same values they had. In addition, these children inherited their parent's wealth. Being wealthy from the get go puts you in a different mindset from those who have to work hard to accumulate wealth. It makes you feel superior and entitled. Most wealthy folks are white, hence the white privilege gets perpetuated. 

I was recently called a racist. This came from a random email through my school email from another student. I was one of hundreds of graduate students she included in the email. She was on a mission, a tirade some would say. She was calling everyone a racist. What she really meant (in my view), was that we were all participants in a systematic racist country. I am not a racist, at least in the conventional definition of the word. However, I admit I am an unwitting participant in this systematic racist country. I have a privilege that I shouldn't have. Indeed, since I am not part of the solution, I am part of the problem.

Society has been white-washed throughout the years, a sort of brainwashing in which I succumbed to. There used to be a song I used to hear all the time on the radio called, 'Fast Car' by Tracy Chapman. This was a fantastic song. It always drew me in and gave me chills. Just recently, in the year 2020 did I find out the artist is a black woman. I always assumed it was a white woman! I am so ashamed and embarrassed. Another band I used to listen to is Sevendust. I had no idea the lead singer was black! What is wrong with me? Why did I assume they were all white? Maybe it's because all the other bands I listened to had white-only members. But, I think there's a deeper underlying cause for my assumption - and that is systematic racism. 

Tracy Chapman - Fast Car: https://youtu.be/AIOAlaACuv4

Sevendust - Dirty: https://youtu.be/8avjkSoRSbk

Earth, Wind & Fire - September: https://youtu.be/Gs069dndIYk

Now that I'm finally aware of systematic racism and my privilege as a white person, I want to take action. The first thing I can and should do is further educate myself. Recently I watched a historic dramatization of the life of Harriet Tubman on HBO. INCREDIBLE. Blame it on my education. Blame it on my own self disinterest in history as an adolescent - I had no awareness of the struggles of black folks even after slavery was being outlawed. Harriet was a real-life angel on earth. She was the real Wonder Woman. 

I Am Not Your Negro (available on Netflix): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Not_Your_Negro

Harriet (HBO): https://www.hbo.com/movies/harriet

I will read more content from black authors. Currently, I am reading "Go Tell It On The Mountain" by James Baldwin. 

I will vote for minorities and people who support minorities. I recently had the honor of voting for Ayanna Pressley in my district of Boston.

I will befriend and support minorities in my workplace.

I will seek out and support minority-owned small business.

I will call out my friends and family for any racist or insensitive comments or actions they make. 

I will do what I can to support the BLM movement: https://blacklivesmatter.com/

If I was a minority, I would want the majority to be aware of the discrimination and take steps to level the playing field. We're all humans. If you have any empathy whatsoever, you will join in the movement to help create a society where the color of your skin doesn't matter.

Additional media from the minority perspective:

https://muse-parade.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-hate-u-give-audiobook-review.html

https://muse-parade.blogspot.com/2019/04/becoming-audiobook-review.html

The Time We Have Left

Do you ever get the feeling you're about to die? Or going to die soon? Perhaps you think about doing it yourself, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm also not talking about having a terminal illness, having a gun pointed at your head, or being at an old enough age where you're likely to kick the bucket. It's a different, less severe, and humbling feeling. It's an odd, usually random, and fleeting feeling that something bad is going to happen. Something unexpected. Something tragic, yet bittersweet.

It's different than being in a near-miss (really, near-hit) car accident. It's different from the feeling you get when the airplane you're in experiences strong and sudden turbulence. It's not a feeling of panic. It's not that intense feeling of sadness you get when you think about death and how you don't want to die.

There could be nothing wrong in my life. I'll be driving down the road, usually a highway at night after rush hour, and this feeling hits me. I feel like my life is about to end. I think to myself what could cause it. Will there be a random drunk driver who drives me off the road? Am I going to experience a seizure and drive into a wall? Or maybe it'll happen after I get off  the road. Am I going to be mugged at gunpoint tonight? Will the gunner decide to kill me anyway, even after I handed them my wallet? 

Maybe it'll be something slower. Do I have cancer? I'm not experiencing any symptoms. Maybe it's something that will manifest itself in a way that is not noticeable, and by the time it's diagnosed, it'll be too late. If so, how much longer do I have left? Should I start getting my affairs in order?

I'm still young. Statistically, I still have about fifty years of life left. But, that's an average. I could be an outlier. Or simply, just on the lower part of the curve. With what's going on recently, you never know. I never used to have these feelings. They must have started a few years ago. I don't know if they are going to be temporary or recurring. 

But, I hope they don't go away. It's a sad feeling and a reminder of my eventual death, but it gives me motivation. Do what you can before your time is up. It's a reminder not to dwell on bad memories or regrets.

I have a fear of flying. Even though I don't show it, I'm nervous from the night before the flight to the point after landing. It's obvious by my overactive gut and bowel movements. But, after touching down I feel alive. I want to take on the world. Complete my goals. Live like there's no tomorrow. I used to wonder if there's a way to replicate this feeling even without flying. Maybe now, I have that. 

Lately I've been experiencing a slightly different feeling. It's not fleeting. It's more constant. I don't know if I'll shake the feeling or not. Hard to say. Maybe I don't want it to go away. I've had an incessant need to share and pass on my knowledge to the younger generation. I feel like if I don't share it soon, it'll be too late.

Some say it's good to feel frightened from time to time. Maybe this is why. If you live every day in a fog, like a zombie, you lose track of what's important. You lose sight of your limited time. 

I wish I could wake up every morning and feel like my plane just landed. I don't know yet how to mimic this feeling. I hope the feeling I have been experiencing lately doesn't fade away. Living in monotony is my worst nightmare. Life has a lot to offer. Sometimes you're limited by feelings from your past. Maybe it's psychological. Maybe it's stubbornness. 

Motivation is a funny thing. Sometimes it comes to you out of thin air. Most of the time I think it is random, but you may be able to increase the likelihood by making some changes in your life. Put yourself in an uncomfortable situation. Do something that scares you. Heck, it could even be a little thing like trying a different kind of food or going for a walk a different path from what you're used to. They say, the human soul thrives on exploration.

I'm going to die, but I don't know when. I shouldn't dwell on that fact, but it's good to be reminded of my limited time. I want to experience life. I want to share what I learn and discover. It's a miracle I exist in the first place. Why would I waste my limited time by thinking about my painful past? Why would I constantly do things I don't want to do? It's my life and I only have small amount of time. Then, I'm gone for good.

I'm thinking I'll change my alarm clock sound on my phone to to the sound of a jet engine coming in for a landing. Maybe that'll help induce this feeling of being alive. Really, alive.

Empathy

Human beings are animals. This is a scientific fact. Sure, we're typically smarter than most other animals, but we aren't special. We live and we die like any other living thing. No offense to any religious folks out there, but I do not believe we are children of any kind of god. We weren't created in the eyes of any omniscient being. We don't exist for any special reason. We exist due to random chance is this crazy, complex universe. Until recently, I felt special. I thought humans in general were special. I thought we were somehow more than just the collection of molecules that comprise our bodies and minds. 

We are all genetically very similar, but we're all wired differently, in a psychological sense. It's a mixture of nature and nurture. I used to think that since we are all human, we can all understand each other. I thought we could all feel empathy toward each other. I thought that being human, everyone must feel the same as I do, deep down. I don't believe this any more.

No matter what you do. How logical you are. How clear and articulate you are. Some people will feel a certain way no matter what you say to them. No matter what happens. Often, people act on feeling rather than logic. Often, it doesn't matter what the logic says. And sometimes, life isn't logical, so you have no choice but to act on feeling. Or perhaps, one cannot understand the logic or what the communication is attempting to convey. 

People are selfish in a way that they have no regard for others. Some are innately power hungry. Some feel superior to others, often in the form of racism. Many believe they know what's best, regardless of the logical views of others. In my experiences so far in life, I believe there is a spectrum. Most people I've interacted with are similar while a few select others are outliers. The outliers include the people who are racist, power hungry, or extremely selfish. The others are calm, logical, empathetic people that seem similar to myself. 

I am a pacifist to an extent. Popular historic pacifists include Einstein, Helen Keller, John Lennon, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr (MLK). Avoid war at all costs. As we are humans, we should be able to resolve any issues in a logical manner. However, this is based on the gigantic assumption that all humans feel empathy. The assumption that all humans are logical. The assumption that all humans can be convinced, given a clear argument. Take Hitler for example. Do you think he felt empathy? Do you think he could have ever been convinced that his race was not superior to those of others in the world? I don't think so. Therefore, war was necessary. 

MLK contrasted with those such as Malcolm X. How do you bring about change in a world where not all can be convinced? MLK believed in peaceful protests. Malcolm X, at least earlier on believed peaceful protests were not effective. Are riots effective at bringing about change? That is hard to say. Maybe. Personally, I react better to calm, logical arguments. Personally, I can be convinced given a sound argument. If I see a riot with violence, destruction, and looting I generally don't react well - especially if people are being hurt, but I do see why some people feel it is necessary. 

Some people are evil in the sense that they have absolutely no regard for others. Note that I am not using the word, "evil", in the typical understanding of good and evil or right and wrong. As long as they thrive, it doesn't matter one bit if everyone else suffers. Sometimes these people are very obvious about their disregard for others. Others hide it. Some hide it so well, they appear altruistic on the outside, but actually have evil core. It might not be obvious in their look or in their speech, but if you look closely at their actions, you may be able to catch a glimpse of it. Sometimes, it's very obvious to some, but not to others. 

So, here's a question. Are billionaires evil? This obviously depends on your definition of the word evil, but, let's phrase it another way: do billionaires have an extreme lack of regard for others? I would say for the most part, yes! A billion dollars is a staggering amount of money. Hundred (100), thousand (1,000), million (1,000,000), billion (1,000,000,000), trillion (1,000,000,000,000). These are just words. If you have a hard time grasping just how much larger one billion is compared to a million, here's a nice visual drawn by yours truly. I know, I should have been an artist. If you stack $100 dollar bills, 1 million dollars will be about 5 feet tall. A billion dollars will stack up to the height of the tallest building in the world. $1 trillion would reach outer space. The drawing is not to scale, so the $ 1 billion is even taller. 

$1 million is the amount of money many people work their entire lives to acquire so that they can retire comfortably say around the age of 65. Sadly, most of us aren't able to even do that. There are about 2000 billionaires worldwide. Because they have such vast amounts of money, this gives them power. Because they have such a vast percentage of wealth, this means A LOT less for everyone else. $1 trillion is an obscene amount of money for any one person to have. I think it's pretty obvious they have an extreme disregard for everyone else. They live like kings and queens while the large percentage of the world's population suffers. 

My guess is that unregulated capitalism is the cause of the world's billionaires. Without any rules or laws in place set by the government, people can continue to gain wealth at an exponential rate like Jeff Bezos, the CEO and creator of Amazon whose net worth is about 200 billion dollars. He may be on track to be the world's first trillionaire. As disturbing as this is, I find it even more disturbing that people continue to buy products on Amazon. Some billionaires give some of their money away to charities, but it's not enough. We need a wealth tax. Period. These people are forever greedy and selfish. Because we can't expect them to change, the government needs to step in. Sadly, many people in government are affiliated with these billionaires, so government may not do a thing. 

Well, that was a rant and a half. Now, getting back to what I originally wanted to discuss... humans, despite being 99.99% the same genetically, how different and animal-like they are. Nature and nurture are contributing factors. Location and environment is another factor. For example, in Japan the collective good is emphasized as important. In America, it's a free for all, everyone for themselves. Japan, Canada, and several others countries have excellent country-wide government-funded healthcare. Have a major accident in one of these countries? Your bank account is fine. Have that same accident in the US? You could go bankrupt. In the US, your healthcare is tied to your job. Lose your job, lose your insurance. The government doesn't care about you. 

In general (unless we're talking about family), other people don't care about you. That is, unless you can do something useful for them. Does it seem like your boss at work cares about you? Probably. Do they actually care about you? No, probably not. They only care about how good you are at your job. If you don't provide any value, people won't care if you disappear off the face of the earth tomorrow. That's reality. That's what we are. For the most part. There are humans who do care for others who have no requirement that the other person do anything of value for them. You've heard of a parent's unrequited love for their child. Some parents don't have this, but I would say most do. A child can do absolutely nothing of value for the parent, yet the parent will always care deeply for them and are willing to do anything for them.

There are some people who have unrequited compassion for non-family members. Have you ever seen someone give money to a homeless person? These people are obviously expecting nothing in return. They feel for the less fortunate. They care. I would argue that this action makes them feel good, so they are actually getting something in return - but not from the other person directly. The same applies to people who give a portion of  their salary or time to charity or those who volunteer as soup kitchens. I like to think of these people as angels on earth. But, there aren't enough of them. And not enough of them are wealthy or in positions of power.

We have to get more of these angels on earth in power to shift the balance of empathy and selfishness. To do that, we all need to vote. In every single election we have the ability to vote in. Get more involved in politics. Research all the candidates. Vote for people you like and share common interests in. Otherwise we're letting selfish people rule our country and write our laws. Your government will not automatically care about you. People are animals. Do not expect one human in power to care for another simply because they are the same species. The government is a group of humans. If that group of humans is filled with uncompassionate people, the rest of us are doomed. 

Bank Accounts

‘Put your money in the bank’ is what I always remember hearing growing up. This is partly true. What you really want to do is put some of your money in the bank and the rest in the stock market.

Keeping all your money in an average bank, or simply in cash under your mattress, causes it to lose value over time due to this horrible thing called inflation. 

So how much money do you want to store in the bank? Enough to cover an emergency, commonly referred to as an emergency fund, typically 4-6 months worth of expenses. That’s it! The rest of it should be in the market where it can grow. 

However, if you are saving up for a large purchase such as a car or a down payment on a home, you may also want to keep these funds in your bank - BUT, more ideally they would at least be in a certificate of deposit (CD) until you are ready to buy. A CD is a type of savings account mostly offered by banks to grow your money for a relatively short period of time.

So, checking vs savings accounts. I always wondered why it was called a savings account. I did not find out until recently that savings accounts actually have a growth factor called an annual percentage yield (APY). I never noticed all these years because the banks that I have used thus far have such a TINY APY. They would deposit pennies in my savings account every year and I wasn’t sure why. Well, what do you think your bank actually does with all this money? They are investing it in the stock market! They are making tons of money off of your money and then giving you pennies in return. Because a lot of these funds are locked up in the market, banks will typically have limits in place for withdrawals. Checking accounts on the other hand likely aren’t invested by the bank, so there are no withdrawal limits.

It wasn’t until recently that I discovered ‘high yield’ savings accounts. These are just savings accounts with relatively high APY. For reference, most banks in America have savings accounts with an APY of just 0.06%. Currently (August 2020), high-yield savings accounts have an APY of 0.8%. That’s a HUGE difference. Keep in mind this % changes and fluctuates according to the current financial climate. The 0.8% used to be upwards of 2% just several months ago. As soon as the market recovers, this 0.8% will increase again. 

Here’s some quick math: let’s compare a bank with an APY of 2% and one with 0.06%. Let’s say you have $10,000 in your savings account as your emergency fund. After one year, your high-yield account will have paid you 0.02 * $10,000 = $200. Your other account would have paid you 0.0006 * $10,000 = $6. $200 vs $6: which would you rather have?

One downside to most high-yield accounts is that they are online only. I really have no need for a brick-and-mortar physical location bank, so this isn’t really a downside for me personally. Below I listed a few popular banks that offer high-yield savings accounts. These accounts are ideal storage locations for your emergency funds as well a safe place to grow the money you are saving up for a large purchase if you decide against a CD.

A few other minor downsides: - You cannot deposit cash. For this reason If you have a need to deposit cash, I suggest having a separate bank that has a physical location - then you can initiate a transfer between banks if needed. You can deposit checks via smartphone and of course set up direct deposit like any other bank. - The way you get cash out of your account is through any ATM. They provide you with a debit card (assuming you also opened a checking account with them). Unfortunately, there's a limit of $1,000 per day at ATMs. Therefore, should you have a need to withdraw all of your funds in cash in one day, this would not be possible. You can however write a check for any amount OR transfer funds online via Zelle.

Despite these minor downsides, a high-yield account is a wonderful thing to have. Depending on the inflation rate, a high APY account will allow your money to more or less retain its value over time.

High-yield savings (bank) accounts:

Ally Bank

Capital One (360 performance savings)

Marcus (Goldman Sachs) 

Cancel Culture

I'm 34 years old. I grew up in the time of the original Power Rangers. I had a black and white Gameboy the size and shape of a brick. I'm a bit out of touch when it comes to recent culture and trends. I typically live under a rock when it comes to social media and new-age terms and movements like, 'cancel culture' and being 'woke'. I spent the majority of my life living under a rock - both intentionally and unintentionally... but that's a story for another time.

As I'm becoming more interested and involved with politics (regret not being involved earlier), I realize these things matter and I need to learn about them.

Dictionary.com definition of cancel culture:

"Cancel culture refers to the popular practice of withdrawing support for (canceling) public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive. Cancel culture is generally discussed as being performed on social media in the form of group shaming."

It sounds like a form of Boycott (link to my blog on the subject). I actively participate in a several long-term boycotts of certain companies that I have philosophical differences with. Cancel culture sounds like a boycott of people and even just one individual. However, a big issue that I am discovering is that people are 'cancelling' people sometimes without much proof or for a silly reason such as an insignificant difference of opinion. General Boycotting also has this issue, but I feel it's more prevalent with cancel culture because of social media and the all too easy spread of disinformation. 

Boycotts can be very effective given enough people are on board. Typically they start small and then gain momentum. This is the same process for cancelling someone, except it likely occurs very fast. The problem is that it often happens prematurely. Say a popular music artist is accused of sexual assault. They might then immediately 'cancelled' by large swarms of people. The judgement happens before the truth is out. 'Innocent until proven guilty' is often thrown out of the window. 

It could be a smaller offense. You could give provide an opinion that might offend someone and heavy backlash could follow given it reaches enough people. Boycotting and cancelling are a form of social justice. The people have the power to choose to support or ignore certain people, groups, companies without the need for legal litigation. People like to feel like they are a part of something. They like to feel like they are making a difference. If they hop on a particular bandwagon that is boycotting someone, they feel like they've done something important. But have they done their research?

I think this ties into social media induced A.D.D. Scrolling through endless streams of media posts provides us with an endless dose happiness-inducing chemicals in our brain. By latching on to a movement such as a cancellation, we feel even better. This allows us to feel like activists. It's fast and easy. But is it right? Is it fair? Are we judging too quickly? Our attention deficit prevents us from looking too deep into the actual issue. Doing any kind of significant research is probably not very fun, so our happiness-hungry brains quickly move onto a different topic.

To cancel something or someone is just another term for Boycotting them. It's just a modern, more hip term. It's a new branding. In with the new, out with the old like a new trendy pair of jeans. Maybe it'll be called something else in a few years. It's Boycotting brought to the world of social media and public shaming. You hop on a cancel train and all of a sudden you feel 'woke' and informed and aware of the problems in the world and by being on the train with a host of others, you feel you are making a difference.

I am all for Boycotting. Since cancel culture is Boycotting with a new label, I'm in favor of it. But, people need to do their research before committing to something. You cannot judge too quickly. The world is a complicated place. Your actions have consequences. If you are going to publicly shame someone, you better make sure aware of the facts. The world is not black and white. 

Resources:

Excellent (warning: very long) speech on 'wokeness':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sni7ghqHBJw

HuffPost UK video explanation of cancel culture:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bisnMOujqFs

Harvard professor against issues with cancel culture:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-erKC_TT9dQ

Barack Obama on 'call-out culture' and being 'woke':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaHLd8de6nM

Communication in 2020

Communication is hard. And I feel it's becoming more difficult, despite all of our technology. 

There are methods of direct text communication such as text message (SMS), WhatsApp, LINE, Signal, Telegram, Facebook messenger. And then there are social media platforms, which offer a direct and indirect communication methods such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat. We obviously still have the ability to make a phone call, but often default to the digital option. Then there are the video chat options such as Facetime, Skype, Zoom, Google Meet, Google Duo. 

Some of these become less popular over time and get phased out. Remember AOL and AIM instant messenger? Google has had a several they experimented with and retired such as Google Allo. In true Google fashion, Google Duo will now be phased out and replaced with Google Meet. 

We have all these methods and options, yet I feel we're actually communicating less effectively compared to the earlier days of email and even snail mail. The communication is also much more shallow. We switch from one topic to the next in the blink of an eye. There's so much information out there, it's hard to focus. We are bombarded with never ending streams of social media and news feeds.

There are a few problems. 

1. While options are good to have, too many options cause a lack of communication because people choose to use different methods. There have been attempts in the past to combine all methods into one, but I don't think they gained much traction. There's even an episode in the show,  The Office where Ryan attempted to make an App called, 'Woof' that does exactly this. WUPHF - The Office ("Woof") (Youtube)

2. Information coming in at the speed of light, so many connections to many others cause a sort of social media induced attention deficit disorder. We're connected to people around the world, which is good, but there are endless streams of information that we feel we need to pay attention to - because we either feel it's important or just plain entertaining. 

What's the solution? Well, awareness is step one. Two, you need to establish what's really important to you. Is it the constant bombardment of hourly life updates from all your Instagram buddies or personal messages from your family? From there you need to force yourself to focus on what's important while filtering out all the other junk. 

You ever get a text message or an email and forget to respond to it? This was much less likely in the days of snail mail. You'd get a letter which you probably put it on your desk or kitchen table. Having the physical piece of communication not only made it more difficult to forget, but it also likely felt more important. 

One problem I have is that I refuse to use Facebook while most of my family uses it. Because it has the same ownership, I also refuse to use Instagram and WhatsApp. That leaves me with Twitter. Sadly, barely anyone in my family uses Twitter. So, I resort to using text messages and Email if I want to communicate with them electronically. This is issue #1 discussed above. 

Issue #2 is a broader issue, but nonetheless effects communication. Technology-induced ADD is what I like to call it. There are so many TV shows to keep up with and binge, so many Twitter, Instagram, and news feeds to scroll through. So many notifications from your smartphone that you need to dismiss. Before you know it, it's bedtime. So much for all those hobbies you wanted to start or continue. So much for that book you've been meaning to read. So much for responding to a text or an email that you forgot about that got lost in the sea of digital distractions. 

Consequences

Have you heard of the butterfly effect? Perhaps you've seen the movie starring Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart. Basically a small change can propagate and cause a larger change. This is essentially cause and (large) effect. It's pretty straightforward to understand. Is it always the case? I don't know. I'll leave that up to physicists. It's hard to say that if I were to punch the ground in Boston, Massachusetts that this will have any major consequences around the world other than a broken hand.

There are other actions I could take that will have a larger effect. Some effects are obvious, but many consequences likely go unseen. Part of what distinguishes us humans from other animals is our ability to ponder the results of a decision before making it. However, I don't think we are utilizing this ability enough.

I think in most cases the decisions we make are motivated by self interest. By choosing option A over options B, C, and D, I will benefit the most. Humans are selfish creatures, so this is to be expected. I am selfish and there's nothing inherently 'wrong' with that. But, I think we need to spend more time considering and understanding the consequences of our decisions and actions. It's possible that what we initially understand to be the better option, is actually not - in terms of better for us personally and/or better for others. If you do care about others, there's even more to consider.

Here's a simple example that actually does occur often: in many parts of the world, cola is cheaper than clean water. Don't believe me? Here's a BBC article on the subject. Families will buy and drink cola instead of water. If you didn't know better, it may seem like buying cola is the better option. You're getting a product that is cheaper that has calories over a product that is more expensive and has zero calories. The actual result? Diabetes. Similarly, there's a perception that healthy food is generally more expensive than unhealthy food. For some food items, this may be true. But, consider beans and lentils. SO cheap and SO healthy! By purchasing the cheap crap food, your health suffers. You are generally better off spending more and eating well.

So far, I've given pretty simple examples. Consequences go deeper, however - especially if you care about others. Continuing with the food examples.. where are you buying the food? What store? Who owns the store? Where does the food come from? Do you agree with the store owner's values? Are the store's workers paid fairly? How are you paying for the food? Cash or credit? Do you agree with your credit card companies values?

You can drive yourself into a rabbit hole before making any decision because the consequences are vast. Or, you can simply not care and make your decision based on information that is immediately available. I think we need to strike a balance.

I recently stopped buying avocados imported from Mexico because of information I learned from a documentary I saw on Netflix called Rotten. Should I believe everything I see on TV? Absolutely not. But, the documentary gave some compelling evidence and it was enough for me to take action. Basically, the avocado industry in Mexico is controlled by cartels. The avocado is often referred to as 'green gold'. Buy purchasing these avocados, you are mostly supporting these cartels instead of the actual farmers. Related article. Could the same be true for bananas? Perhaps. It's likely many food stuffs are controlled by large corporations where the actual growers get taken advantage of. This is part of the reason I like farmer's markets. 

Like I mentioned earlier, many consequences don't matter if you don't care about others. For example, if you shop at Walmart. You're getting some great bang for your buck. But you're also supporting child labor in sweat shops across the world. The workers at Walmart? They get paid terribly. Many employees have one or two other jobs just to get by. By shopping at Amazon, you're supporting the richest human in the world. And guess what? He might become the world's first trillionaire in a mere six years from now. That's insane. Source.

Do you use platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp? Then you're supporting Mr. Mark Zuckerberg. This POS refuses to block nasty, misleading political ads from appearing on people's Facebook feed. Source. This definitely played a part in getting the current POTUS elected and will again play apart in helping him to get reelected. 

Sometimes we don't really have much of a choice and we need to choose the lesser of two 'evils'. Say between Walmart and Target or Apple and Microsoft. But I think if we spend just a little more time doing some research before making a decision, we'd be better off.

Consequences go well beyond making purchases. Everything we do has consequences. See a piece of trash on the ground? No matter what you decide to do, you are setting a precedent. If you pick it up and throw it in a trash bin, you're cleaning up your own environment, which is benefiting you. It's also benefiting others. What if another person saw you doing this? It may encourage them to do the same. It may restore a sense of humanity in others. Or, you could leave the trash there and continue living in garbage land.

Your actions have consequences. Your inaction has consequences. I encourage everyone to think, at least a few levels deep, about how your actions affect the world around you. Sometimes, it will require a significant amount of effort to investigate and educate yourself, but I believe it's worth it. You, the people you care about, and the rest of the world will be better because of it.