Hello Dan and all the good folks at DBIS,

I've been poking my nose in here on occasion but just haven't felt I had anything of value to contribute. But I'll try here. :)

I'm spending my second year working with children with autism after 17 years as a classroom teacher. I don't think the general public understands that this is a spectrum disorder and that the kids have such a wide range of challenges. Some will surely thrive and be able to work and be self sufficient. Others will need assistance from all levels of government. And so much depends upon the abilities and investments from the parents, and sadly, they can differ enormously. Over the last few decades I've come to appreciate that life is a lottery and I've been a beneficiary through no effort on my part while others, again through no fault of their own, have the deck cruelly stacked against them. I'm working with a student who is in this latter position. This is why we need a big-hearted, clear-eyed government with resources paid for by the public's taxes. Sorry Libertarians, you have to fund more than the military and courts!

It took me far too long to get serious about my education. I think knowing that my time here is limited has hastened my desire to understand as much as my mediocre mind can absorb. But sometimes, given the tsunami of information that floods my consciousness, I grapple with putting it all into perspective. I applaud Kevin G. for his cycling into the wilderness. Gotta get out with the trees and squirrels more often.

Can't recall if it was mentioned here that we've hit the 8 billion population mark. Holy smoke, what a challenge, yet our species has been making great strides on so many fronts, and thanks for Steven Pinker's cataloging our progress in Enlightenment Now. Still, it's shocking, though predictable, to see so many people in so many countries cynically manipulated by populist demagogues, strong men, and theocrats. I've learned a lot about our own confirmation bias and motivated reasoning from Daniel Kahneman. And I'm certainly not exempt from these cognitive pitfalls!  Jonathan Haidt has schooled me in the hazards of social media and devices in general, not to mention the dangers to free speech, especially on college campuses. And Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens provided the long view of our species. To quote the founder of that most prestigious institution of higher learning, Emil Faber, of Faber College, "Knowledge is Good". 

So what does the new year hold? I have great seats for Springsteen in Boston and yet another Frank Turner show next to Fenway Park. There will be more reading, podcasts, movies, but more importantly, I sense the urgency to have more human contact, and more conversations, of the mundane and the more meaty. I'm sure this virtual pub will be here, and as I've said before, hats off to you Dan. Oh, and the proud dad has to brag that my daughter and her new hubby will be quitting their jobs this summer as they're moving to Chicago for two years, having been accepted into the University of Chicago's MBA program. And yes, I'll be sporting the sweatshirt. 

Looking forward to more chats down the road. I promise to chime in more frequently. You all do occupy a special place in my too small Grinch-like heart!

Peter T.