Happy 2022! Here is my 2021 year in review in case you missed it.
This edition marks the third year of this newsletter, thanks for reading!
Quick read
Self-censorship and filtering
Noam Chomsky was once asked by a reporter in an interview, “do you really think I’m self-censoring right now?”
Chomsky replied: “I’m not saying that you think you’re self-censoring. I’m sure you believe every word you’re saying. But I’m saying that if you believed something different, you wouldn’t be sitting where you’re sitting.”
Visual
Everyone wants to look at rainbows, no one wants to deal with the rain.
Fact
Several countries, including Mexico, Germany, and Austria, see the desire to escape prison as basic human nature rather than an unlawful act. Consequently, a prison break isn’t considered to be a crime. Prisoners who successfully escape will still be tracked down and re-incarcerated, but there won’t be an addition to their sentence.
This day in history
97 years ago today, on January 3rd 1925, Benito Mussolini declared himself dictator of Italy. Similar to Adolf Hitler, Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini did not become the dictator of a totalitarian regime overnight. For several years, he and his allies worked more or less within the confines of the Italian constitution to accrue power, eroding democratic institutions until the moment came for them to be done away with entirely. It is generally agreed that that moment came in speech Mussolini gave to the Italian parliament on January 3, 1925, in which he asserted his right to supreme power and effectively became the dictator of Italy.
Tune
Quote
"I must be willing to give up what I am in order to become what I will be." // Albert Einstein
Something to ponder
“A year from today, you’ll wish you started today.” // Karen Lamb
Honorable Mentions
Personal update
I spent the front half of the week exploring Kauai with a friend and the back half of the week in Scottsdale with family and friends—a very wholesome and relaxing ushering in of the new year.
As we begin another year in the pandemic-fueled, politically-charged battlefield that has come to characterize our existence, there is sure to be lots of information floating around. As I brace myself for the impending information overload, I keep coming back to an important analogy that Tim Urban alluded to in this 2013 interview with Andrew Finn.
News sources are like attorneys, they’ll give you a one-sided view—they’re not supposed to take both sides. You are the jury, it is your job to listen to both sides and figure out the truth.
Thinking for yourself is becoming a lost art these days. Nothing could be more dangerous.
Question everything.
Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one.
Here’s to the relentless pursuit of the truth.
Until next week,
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