Sharing what I have learned from what I have read: A blog by Joe Abittan
In the context of supporting the war on drugs, Johann Hari, in his book Chasing the Scream, describes most people as, "admirable people who have a series of understandable worries about the alternative. They support the drug war out of compassion for all the people they fear might become victims if we relaxed the laws. … Continue reading Shifting Away from the Drug War
With the exception of the copious amounts of caffeine I consume thanks to a high coffee intake, I don't use any drugs and don't really have any personal direct experience with the world of recreational drug use or drug addiction. Nevertheless, our nation's opioid crisis has always stood out to me as an important and … Continue reading Addiction Can’t be Fought With Pain
In the afterword of his book Dreamland, author Sam Quinones includes a quote from an obituary written for a 24-year-old man who lived in Avon Lake, a town of about 24,000 people just west of Cleveland. The parents of the young man who died from addiction wrote in their son's obituary, "They say it takes … Continue reading A Final Thought on Addiction and Community
I had an amazing track coach at Reno High School. His name was Mark Smith (everyone called him Smitty) and like all great coaches, he knew what high school students needed in their workouts and in their heads in order to be successful both in sports and in life. Some of the neighborhoods that … Continue reading Our Efforts to Avoid Pain
I have a hard time understanding where the balance between being critical of someone versus being supportive and encouraging of them lies. There are many things we all fall short with, and in many ways, what we need is not a kick in the rear, but some guidance and support to be better. However, sometimes … Continue reading Criticism Backfires
How do norms shape our behaviors? As social animals we rely on a good reputation which helps us gain allies, build coalitions, and have close bonds between family and friends. A good reputation increases trust, convinces others that they should invest in our friendship, and tells the social group give us a hand every now … Continue reading Reputation
Ever since Robin Hanson and Kevin Simler's book The Elephant in the Brain came out I have been seeing the world, especially the world of politics, through a Hansonian framework. Our big evolutionary drive is to ensure that our genes are passed on to the next generation and for a social species that evolved in … Continue reading Self Sufficient
Ryan Holiday describes pride in his book Ego is the Enemy as a force that "takes a minor accomplishment and makes it feel like a major one." It is the piece of us that ascribes our success to some essential character of ourselves and hyper-inflates that piece around us. It is the sense that we … Continue reading Pride and Ego
The great thing about an individualistic culture is that you get to own your success and feel great about your achievements. You can feel pride in winning a race, skiing down a mountain, having the best Christmas lights, or getting a promotion. Individualistic cultures treat these achievements as something more than just activities and outcomes. … Continue reading The Achievement is Not Really Yours
Today we have a problem with the number of people we arrest and the destroyed potential futures for those who have been arrested. As we arrest greater numbers of individuals for drug related offenses, the more families we break apart, the fewer people we have available to work, and the more our nation must spend … Continue reading The Burden of a Nation