T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 12
Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #12!
Here are some things I really like and that you might too.
Finance Articles
Why Does The Stock Market Go Up Over Time? (Four Pillar Freedom) – “The whole idea behind this is that a dollar today is worth more than a dollar in the future.” Sometimes it’s best to get back to the basics and Zach covers this topic beautifully.
Best States for Teachers Seeking Financial Independence (Educator FI) You know how I love geographic analysis and maps and Educator FI did some good work here, check it out!
Video
I have a nice copy of “The Pale Blue Dot” from Carl Sagan displayed in my living room, and was always fascinated by the Voyager Space Missions. The 30th anniversary of the famous Pale Blue Dot image taken by Voyager I passed in February. At the time the spacecraft was about 3.9 billion miles from Earth. Now it’s 11.7 billion miles away, still humming along. Enjoy this awesome anniversary celebration.
Who’s Inspired Me
Dr. Tom Catena. This guy is amazing. Based in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan, he’s the only surgeon for 1.3 million people in a region nearly twice the size of Massachusetts. In 2011, when the Sudanese government started bombing its own people, most expatriate workers fled, but Dr. Catena insisted on staying. He said “The source of most of our conflicts is the idea that one person’s life is more valuable than someone else’s. We have forgotten that we are all children of God and therefore somewhat related.”
He gets malaria almost every year, sometimes twice. He married a Sudanese woman. He’s 110% dedicated to the people of Sudan and saving their lives. They have nothing, but they have him.
I first heard his story on Dr. Peter Attia’s popular podcast last year, and was floored. Attia calls him “the world’s most important doctor”, and for good reason.
Listen to the episode and tell me this guys dedication doesn’t bring you to tears. After I heard it I immediately gave a substantial sum to his charity, African Mission Healthcare, and will continue to do so going forward. If you’ve never been to sub-Saharan Africa or a really destitute and war-torn country, you have no idea. Pictures and news stories cannot convey the reality.
What I’m Grateful For
My orthopedic surgeon. He fixed my knee and shoulder up so well I can’t tell I ever injured them. And he’s a badass with a 3:05 marathon to his name, so he gets it. Being active is everything, and his great work has kept me that way.
Lyrically Speaking
I know the last page so well, I can’t read the first
So I just don’t start, it’s getting worse
From “Inside Of Love”, by Nada Surf.
This is the second time I’ve featured Nada Surf. Yeah, I’m a huge fan. If you only remember them from their silly breakout single that they wrote when they were teenagers and wrote them off, you’re missing out. For the past 25 years they’ve released album after album of amazing music with incredibly intelligent and literate lyrics. If you like guitar-based rock with well written songs, you need to check them out.
It’s like Matthew Caws wrote the two great lines above about the side hustle you want to start but won’t, or the degree program you’ve been wanting to do for years but have yet to pursue. (he wrote it about falling in love in reality, where it still resonates)
What are you afraid of? Do you think you know that the “last page” is failure, so you don’t want to even start by reading the first page? So yeah, you just don’t start. If you think you’re destined to fail, you already have. Change your attitude and get started, someday is not a day of the week.
Miscellaneous
The Problem with Being a Top Performer – “If resources were limited, peers felt threatened by and competitive toward high performers and thus undermined them.”
How Giving Up Refined Sugar Changed My Brain – “Consuming refined sugar can impact mood, decision-making, and memory. Here’s how good it can be to give it up.”
The Hidden Consensus On Free Expression – “We asked whether it is appropriate to obstruct a speaker with whom one disagrees. Noticeably more liberals (19 percent) than moderates or conservatives (both 3 percent) said it was appropriate to do so. But majorities in all three ideological groupings said that obstructing a speaker was not appropriate.”
What a great start to a Friday Dave!
The pale blue dot video puts things into perspective. Especially when everything on the news lately is about the corona virus and stock market losses.
I also really enjoyed the post on giving up refined sugar and had no idea of the impact. Now just to wean myself off those 2-bite brownies I love so much! Eating more healthy is something my wife and I are focused on. One of the things we’ve done is cut down on salt as lots of processed food has high sodium. More home cooking and it’s lowered her blood pressure.
Really appreciate the time, research, and insight you put into the T.G.I.F.s!
I’ve cut down my added sugar a lot, but it’s so darn hard to get rid of it completely. It’s everywhere. But I feel better than ever and that’s what matters.
Thanks for the kudos and for your readership!
i really enjoyed that free expression piece. i finished up college as an adult with a full time job and i ended up in a sociology course. in my ranking system of the earth’s lowest life forms you have the amoeba, the tow truck driver, and the sociologist battling for supremacy. anyhow, the rest of the 20-ish year olds were being completely and willingly indoctrinated by the professor god wannabe but i wasn’t having that. i spoke up every single time i disagreed with a point as i thought it was important. it was not popular with that professor and i didn’t care. you might have imagined that already.
Heterodox Academy is one of my favorite sites because they call out both sides of the spectrum on their extreme ideologies and are adamant about free speech and free expression of ideas. And they’re anti-PC bullshit.
I imagine you were a handful to all of your teachers, I kinda was too sometimes 🙂