Hi friends,

I attended a lecture at the University of Austin today, where I was struck by the professor's closing argument. The modern world is plagued by a perpetual crisis-mentality because we've become so ahistorical. We're hyper-focused on the daily news cycle, and we've lost a sense of proportion. Culture is contagious. When people's minds are dominated by grim and apocalyptic thinking, people are bound to start panicking.

This newsletter exists to fight the myopia of the moment. I don't talk about the news, politics, or current events. Instead, it’s my explicit aim to eject you from the Never-Ending Now and direct you toward timeless wisdom.

On that note, I have a few things to share with you today:

1. Podcast with Erik Torenberg: A window into the evolution of Write of Passage, my approach to choosing projects, and why I think the Liberal Arts are so darn underrated. This episode is called "The Craft of Building a Course Business." (Watch on YouTube or listen on Apple Podcasts).
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2. Hugging the X-Axis: We're living in a commitment crisis where people think they'll be happy if they don't have any obligations, even though sustained commitment is the prerequisite to doing anything meaningful. (Here's my full essay)

Today's Finds

​Why Education Startups Do Not Succeed: The argument goes like this: people who start education companies think of education as an investment, but most people think of it as an expense. I'm Exhibit A. I have an education startup and a nearly unlimited budget for things that'll help me learn. Most people are different. They see education merely as a way to get a job. The cheaper and more convenient, the better. "Well David, why are you building Write of Passage if people see education as an expense?" I believe we're an education company in the same way that Y-Combinator is one. Over time, we'll probably move away from monetizing direct sign-ups and into monetizing the outcomes of successful students — like finding a new job or starting a company. We don't intend to scale to the mainstream. Instead, we want to be a home for smart and curious people who see writing online as rocket fuel for their life and career.

​How the Beatles Used Indian Music Theory: 20 minute video. Exactly what it sounds like.

Jordan Peterson, on the Flood: I think that Jordan Peterson's biblical lectures are his best work to date. I thought the story of the flood was archaic and irrelevant to contemporary times until I heard Peterson explain it in the context of Hurricane Katrina. What happened in New Orleans was a natural disaster — but not entirely. There was human error too. The Dutch build their dikes for the worst storm that could happen in 10,000 years. New Orleans did not. Sixty percent of New Orleans' Flood Control Act of 1965 was never completed, partially due to corruption. According to one study, Louisiana has more corruption than any other state in the union. Humans, not nature, are to blame for much of the catastrophe. Peterson reminds us that floods are a metaphor. Tragedy strikes. Accidents happen. Be like Noah, and prepare. Build an ark by maintaining things, having a savings account, and insisting on a margin of safety in your life. Here's a 17-minute video about the Flood, a long lecture, and the transcript.

​The Condition of the Working Class in England: I’m perpetually interested in how the Industrial Revolution changed society and consciousness. This account from Friedrich Engels was written in 1845 and had a major influence on Karl Marx. It describes the horrid working conditions in industrial cities like Manchester and Liverpool, where people were divorced from nature and disproportionately died from diseases like measles and smallpox. Though the whole book is available for free, the introduction and Wikipedia page provide good starting points. If you want more, you’ll enjoy this lecture.

Improve Your Sleep: Purchasing an eye mask and listening to white noise are the two best things I've done to improve my sleep. They block my eyes and ears, the two senses that get activated whenever I'm woken up. They make taking naps easier too. Because of them, I can basically sleep anywhere. The eye mask helps me sleep in broad daylight, and with the white noise machine, I can sleep in loud hotel rooms or next to busy roads. This is the sleep mask I use. For the white noise, I recommend downloading this video on YouTube.