Meliorism (Latin melior, better): the idea that progress is a real concept and humans can interfere with natural processes to improve the world.
What would it look like to embrace pragmatic meliorism instead of cynicism?
Acknowledging problems while focusing on solutions
Learning from history without being imprisoned by it
Maintaining high standards while accepting incremental progress
Combining skeptical analysis with constructive action
This is harder than cynicism by orders of magnitude. It takes nuance, effort, and (critically) emotional risk. But it’s also more likely to actually improve things.
Online communities have changed my life. One put me on the current course of my life, having deepened my understanding of who I am and what I want. The second, through vulnerable sharing and thoughtful explanations has helped me understand my brain in a way I never dreamed possible.
Oh, and there have been so many opportunities to doom scroll as well. I’ve fallen into thirst traps and conspiracies a-plenty.
But here is the thing. The communities are what you make them. It’s just as true anywhere you may go.
I am going to miss TikTok. I doubt there will be anything close to it in my lifetime. I have never had an online resource show me so much of what I needed to see. So many people with ease and experience and even urgency explaining so much.
Yeah, there are many places to watch videos online. Reels and Shorts and everything else.
The trick, now, is to connect in a way that isn’t owned by anyone other than you and me, and not subject to any prevailing political winds.
Campbell’s Tomato Soup has wheat flour in it. In and of itself, it’s understandable. It’s a natural thickener. But I’m Celiac. And I made an assumption. And now I can’t eat something I brought home.
Bone-conduction headsets/buds may not be an audiophile dream, but they are a wonderful way to quietly keep music going while leaving room for the ability to participate in things happening around me. One other big win is ear health. Other kinds of listening devices create problems for me.
Did a little experimenting with PlexAmp this afternoon. I was happy that it was an intuitive way to stream from my Plex server. It’s really nice to have options that leverage what I already own.
To my chagrin, I had not previously adopted and embraced Apple Notes. The Forever ✱ Notes methodology has me digging in to understand tagging, linking and smart folders. Notes is quietly becoming a favorite tool.
I’m currently a subscriber to Micro.blog, which is where my posts start. Micro.one is live today, as an introduction to micro blogging and is only $1 a month. Intro video at the link.
That feeling when my own inattention to a detail and assumptions Microsoft’s software makes caused me to change a password in error. IF I had been paying attention, no password change would have been needed. Nevertheless, two accounts have just had the password age clock reset.
You know, once upon a time I might have been called a silver-tongued devil for my cunning liguistics, and my ability to insert and infer innuendo. However, RuPaul and crew are masters to whom I am a mere understudy.
I send you these wishes for your new year, that you will feel safe, secure and seen. And that you will be able to help others feel safe, secure and seen.
As an Animal Crossing veteran [I don’t want to admit how many hours], it’s fun to use the Dream function to tour other Islands at random. I happened on one today that validated some of my own design decisions. But also I was judge-y. My house had more rooms. My museum is more complete. Etc.
The reason why my chats and emails and posts all seem the same is hurry.
First, I’m usually writing in a browser (as I am now), instead of a proper text editing tool. I don’t have a workflow more sophisticated than Get The Idea Out And Hit Send ™.
Secondly, while I do one or more cursory re-reads, I’m operating from what I know I intended to write, which is often different than how my fingers hit the keys, and different still from assumptions that autocorrection tools make. I don’t always see what isn’t right until I see what got published or sent.
Thirdly, I want to strike while the iron is hot. The inspiration to write a post doesn’t last long. And the germ of the idea that generates the post, if otherwise undocumented, may not come around again for a while. Even if it does, it will be subject to the filter called The Moment Is Gone.
