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Addiction

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  Some would argue that there is only one such a thing as ‘addiction’ and therefore not much distinction, at least psychologically, between an addiction to say, heroin, and something seemingly more benign like Candy Crush. Addiction is a pathological relationship to an experience that avoids pain, and includes an element of loss of control and adverse effects on the individual’s life. One could get addicted to anything as long as it successfully distracts from pain and discomfort. But not all substances and not all behaviours are equally addictive.  What makes most of the addictive experiences in our society so hard to resist is the stripping away of complexity and resistance. The easier we make our lives the more susceptible we are to easily digestible but highly addictive traps.  Take carbohydrates for example. I’m open to the idea that out there someone struggles with a dependency on whole grain, complex cereals but I’m going to venture a guess that the rate of addicti...
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What is a renaissance man in 2022?

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     If there is anything that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles taught us it’s that if you’re smart enough and impressive enough you will one day be a hero in a Saturday morning cartoon. I’m sure this was the apex of the aspirations of Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo, two of the many “uomi universali” of renaissance Italy. A humanistic movement that put the human being as the central figure highlighting the value of personal development.       To be a “universal man” or what we eventually started calling a man of the renaissance, one was to develop skills and knowledge across a variety of domains. Of course it helped to show competence in an area that correlated with status. Leonardo Da Vinci was a polymath, architect, sculpture, theorist, and painter. He made contributions to fields of study from botany to astronomy and paleontology. Michelangelo was also a painter and sculptor as well as a poet.      Renaissance values were humanist...
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We're all getting nothing for Christmas

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     While COVID-19 numbers are starting to drop in most places and many have experienced at least a semblance of a return to normalcy, we are heading into the end of ‘21 with a new global crisis… apparently we have all been bad this year because unless a magical sleigh and eight reindeer save the day, our loot is still on ships or in China and will likely stay there until well into 2022. Global supply delays mixed with regular inflation and a readjustment of consumer spending is likely going to drive prices for a lot of the goods we take for granted through the roof.      Now this should be a great time to discuss moving some manufacturing back to the Americas so that we don’t rely on one center for the majority of our needs and wants but I’ll save that for another day. No this is not a commentary on the woes of globalization, this is a good old fashion “true meaning of Christmas” argument.      If all of a sudden we had no Iphones or laptop...
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