Featured Posts
Geek Alert: Network Science Says We Have More Control Than We Think
Network science helps explain why I am so optimistic that most people in the world ultimately have good intentions, and therefore why I’m able to confidently enter new situations with strangers day after day after day. The people I choose to connect with are the “cooperators” instead of the “defectors,” to use the language of game theory.
Welcoming: Who, Where, and Why
I thrive on self-expansion, and I have a hunch you do as well. Being exposed to new points of view fulfills people’s ”fundamental desire to expand the self—that is, to increase their self-efficacy, perspectives, competence, and resources.” Here’s why that matters in our own neighborhoods as well as new place.
A Girl with a Fast Car
My first car (1979 Datsun) was not nearly as cool as Margaret Gasperi Kloecke’s first car. I bet yours wasn’t either. And do you still have it? Me neither—but Margaret does. Her bright purple 1970 Dodge Charger is in such pristine condition that it’s a national treasure.
Living a Red, White and Blue Reality
My friend Leo is a cybersecurity manager, a Marine veteran, and a nature lover who posts beautiful photos on social media. He’s the kind of guy you’d turn to in a pinch. If you happened to meet Leo on the street, you would see his easy smile and never connect it with the somber Marine pictured above, let alone a 13-year-old desperately holding things together after a life-altering event—a shared reality for all too many Americans.
Like Mother, Like Daughter
One of my favorite photos shows my toddler son sitting on my desk, gripping a pen in his chubby hand, scribbling in one of my notebooks with a look of utter concentration. He grew up with a penchant for telling stories, and although his chosen media are not the same as mine, I love that he feels comfortable sharing his creativity with the world.
I imagine that’s how my friend Lisa feels about her daughter, Fiona. They both threw caution to the wind and tried something new recently. And then they both wrote with vulnerability and charm about what they did. The situations are totally different, but I think you’ll agree that jumping off a cliff might actually be the easier of the two adventures.
Being Arab in My Suburb in the 1970s
Our suburban school district has a reputation for not having much diversity. And it has always irked me. On our street alone, there are people from Ecuador, Mexico, and Vietnam. A man from Ireland who used to live down the block just moved houses. The catch is that most of these people don’t look like they’re from somewhere else. And that’s why I love the title of the book “But You Don’t Look Arab: And Other Tales of Unbelonging” by Emmy Award-winning international journalist Hala Gorani, which includes cameos from folks I actually know.