When success outpaces mastery, it clouds the path to full potential.
I recently saw a comedian whose career just took off. S/he has every ingredient - talent, perspective, drive & intelligence - to be great. But isn't, yet.
There were lots of funny lines & good premises, but the delivery was all one-note & too dark.
Same way horror & superhero movies need comic relief, s/he needs to modulate the dark with some light, master tonal variety & infuse intimacy & vulnerability into the storytelling.
3/5
When success comes early, it can stunt development, unless you're diligent about honing your craft, pushing through to that next level. It won't be easy. Money & fame have consumed many a prodigy. I hope that's not the case here.
4/5
Most artists don't find their real voice until age 40. This comic is good now & has time to become great. I hope to see that someday.
Redistribution demands a fundamental re-calibration of education & life skills that can help you fill days in ways that *feel* meaningful & can take up a day.
But it still requires MARKETS. They provide pricing & essential value signals—even for simulated meaning.
3/4
Hardly Rosa Parks, but I guess she's performing some sort of service for somebody. For the children? Everything is always for the children...until it isn't.
I really do resent always having to be suspicious of everyone's motives - public officials, media and other institutions. I'd much rather just trust their integrity, competence and expertise. But their history warrants scrutiny. So here we are.
I lived in NYC on 9/11. My mom worked at WTC & was rescued by a guy who pulled her into a subway station as the first tower was collapsing. She was missing for 10 hours. We feared the worst. Cell towers were down. She trekked through subway tunnels to Brooklyn.
🍡
The heaviest relief came when we finally reconnected. It never came for so many.
As the smouldering stench that permeated the city for months subsided, so did their hopes.
You'll hear plenty of platitudes today. But I try to take one lesson from that experience each year...
This year, that lesson is "freedom", but not in the way you think...
The same people who created the Taliban & Al Qaeda manipulated an emotional nation into a preposterous idea: imposing our definition of freedom on others - with war.
This is relevant but I'd distinguish between nations & individuals. I agree with de Gaulle not because France was unique but because nations can't be "friends". Too much personification. Allies is the best they can hope for. Thinking through individuals...
Analogously, I think of fans as allies. People who listen to my podcast, subscribe on Patreon, read my articles, share, comment, review - are allies in my mission to grow my voice. Few are friends. I don't hold that against friends - or expect to plan a vacation w/my patrons.