Confluence Manifesto

Have you ever driven down a dark highway in the middle of nowhere, looked up at the stars, and suddenly found yourself hit by a wave of childlike wonder? That was me as a kid, driving back from late-night stargazing trips in Central Michigan with my family.

With the silhouettes of trees flashing past my window, questions began popping into my mind–each more profound, and admittedly more naive, than the last:

What are stars?

Who made them? How?

Where did we come from?

And, what else could be out there?

Innocent and doe-eyed, but uniquely existentialist for a kid–I think.

These weren't just idle thoughts, but the beginning of a lifelong pursuit to understand the cosmos and humanity's place within it.

We often dismiss these open-ended meditations as half-baked daydreams because the world rewards it. Value accrues to specialization and practicality, often at the expense of philosophical deliberation. And frankly, there's good reason for it. The world is an ever-evolving place that demands action, decisiveness, and clarity. But, action without meaningful thought is errant. And, today more than any other time in my life, a renaissance of the Platonic philosopher king is not just a luxury, but a necessity. Not just for the political class, but across all domains, we need to think more.

If you're skeptical of what action without thought looks like, just glance at the countless uninspired products and vapid content that flood our lives.

It's pretty bad, right? But, I digress.

I don't want this blog to be a mourning of the "death of culture." Quite the opposite actually: I think the future holds incredible promise.

Paradoxically, thought shouldn't be left to its own devices either; progress stalls, solutions stay theoretical, and creativity becomes mere indulgence.

The goal then? Thought and action in equipoise.

Together, they are the true force for advancement. History's most consequential figures were both relentlessly curious and incessantly actioned. Think of Da Vinci's scientific inquiries informing his art, and his artistic sensibilities shaping his science. Or Einstein, whose theory of special relativity was born of his passionate curiosity. There are plenty of other examples that come to mind, and I'm sure you can think of some too.

All that being said you might ask: What's the point of this blog then?

I want this to be an exploration of the topics that pique my curiosity. From philosophy to technology to culture and more, I intend for this to be a sandbox for my exploration. And by doing this, I hope to develop the intellectual discipline and creative resilience to move from casual curiosity to meaningful discovery and solutions. Some paths may lead to dead ends, and others to unexpected vistas.

This digital diary isn't meant to be a definitive statement but rather an evolving conversation with myself and others who share the same peculiar blend of curiosity and desire to create. I want to approach disparate realms of thought, not as an academic exercise, but as a practical approach to navigating the increasingly complex world.

If you've found your way here, perhaps you're also someone who's drawn to questions without easy answers. To that I say: Welcome! I'm excited to share my thoughts because I have a lot of them; and, putting them into words is how I start to make sense of the world, and maybe even shape it.