Sharing what I have learned from what I have read: A blog by Joe Abittan
Over the last few years I have become increasingly aware of the importance of developing real senses of community and connection between everyone in our societies. Johann Hari's book Chasing the Scream was one of the books that kickstarted these ideas in my mind. We are social creatures, and we create the worlds we live … Continue reading An Epidemic of Disconnection
In my life, many family members, friends, and elders have warned me against drug use by belittling those who are addicted to drugs. Words like junkie, derelict, waste, and zombie are commonly accepted words that are used to denigrate drug addicts (and that's the tame end of drug user insults). The common stance, from what … Continue reading The Importance of Respect
Johann Hari doesn't believe that the answer to solving our nation's drug problems lies in locking up drug users and dealers. He doesn't believe that those who develop addictions are some type of moral failure. He doesn't think that what we need is better enforcement of laws, more policing, and better deterrence through the criminal … Continue reading An Addiction to Consumerism
A little while back I wrote about the connection between isolation and addiction that Sam Quinones described in his book Dreamland. I wrote about the Former Surgeon General of the United States, Vivek Mirthy, who has also recently published a book about loneliness in the United States, arguing that we have a loneliness epidemic that is … Continue reading Addiction and Loneliness
I previously wrote about pain medicine ideas that Sam Quinones presents in his book Dreamland. He is critical of the idea that we can take a pill to alleviate chronic pain without making substantial changes in our lives to address the root cause of our pain. Even if we can't completely stop chronic pain by … Continue reading More on Isolation and Addiction
American's are isolated, and it's not just because we have all been asked to work from home, stay inside, and intentionally distance ourselves from others to prevent the exponential transmission of COVID-19. We have been isolated for a while, so much so that former Surgeon General of the United States, Vivek Murthy, recently published a … Continue reading Isolation and Addiction
"During any given day people are typically least happy while commuting and most happy while canoodling," writes Dan Pink in his book When. I currently have a long commute, and I have found that a long drive makes me more irritable, makes me feel more rushed in general, and really does lower the quality of … Continue reading When Are We Happy?
In The New Localism Bruce Katz and Jeremy Nowak call for culture busting among city leaders who want to find new solutions to pressing problems. One of the challenges we face is that in general, the public doesn't understand governance well. We operate with set ideas about what governance is, who sets rules and regulations, … Continue reading Culture Busting
Adam Smith lived from 1723 to 1790 and is best known for his economic principles and writing. A quote from him, on the nature of humanity, is included in Ryan Holiday's book Ego is the Enemy to open a chapter that immediately follows a page with some simple art and the words, "To whatever failure and … Continue reading A Failure to Connect During Bad Times