doubling down

    I started this blog to raise my voice about the importance of long-term investment in science and discovery. Today I am doubling down on that goal. Data is our friend. Facts are for everyone. Evidence based decision making is logical. This is not a foray into elitism. On the contrary, it is a fact finding adventure in mutual discovery. Let's play the hashtag game - #factsareforeveryone #dataisourfriend

    I have spent time on this blog talking about why diversity is important to me. In that post I did not mention compassion. Some consider it a buzzword - I consider it essential. For me, one of the first steps toward understanding compassion is to identify and begin to understand my privilege. It is hard. It can be so difficult to see what is most obvious. I work on it every day. And it is not static. It changes. And I try to take the time necessary to recognize those changes.

    The second component of compassion is listening. Another hard task. Especially when I don't like what I am hearing. This is still a work in progress for me.

    One thing I listen to a lot of is podcasts. I live in southern California - I spend a lot of time on the road. And there are so many awesome ones that have helped broaden my perspective. Some of my favorites are Hidden Brain (insights from social science research), Embedded (soul chilling headline backstories), More Perfect (a glimpse into our highest court), Song Exploder (how songs are made), This Week in Evolution (the nerdiest of all nerdy), Beautiful Stories From Anonymous People (talk about learning to listen, this is such a good way to practice), 10% Happier (mainstream conversations about meditation), and of course This American Life and Radiolab. This list clearly exposes me as a huge left of center nerd. I would love to expand my repertoire though, please share your favorites.

Some of my favorite episodes focusing on particularly timely topics:

1. Seriously? (This American Life) - all about the facts

2. Too Sweet, Or Too Shrill? The Double Bind For Women (Hidden Brain)

3. Why Our Brains Weren't Made To Deal With Climate Change (Hidden Brain)

4. The Problem We All Live With, Parts I & II (This American Life) - instrumental for cracking open privilege

    I tried to find a way to end this with some reassuring, but not overly sappy words. Instead, I follow in the foot steps of my mother and seek wisdom from the Dalai Lama:

“The creatures that inhabit this earth - be they human beings or animals - are here to contribute, each in its own particular way, to the beauty and prosperity of the world."
- Dalai Lama XIV (The Dalai Lama's Little Book of Buddhism)