Happy Sunday, my friends! We’re just a few weeks away from Christmas and there’s that feeling in the air — both a genuinely crisp cold, but also a brutal feeling of busyness and dread. I have some friends who truly do not like Christmas. The reason for the season is fine for them, to be sure, but the never-ending parties and bright shiny faces you have to put on. I get it. I’m just about tired of it myself. And there’s still two weeks to go.

I’ve had a couple great conversations over the last few months and an equally great opportunity to stare in the mirror. The conversations were about nuanced topics; local issues, largely, and by no means political. Each time I’d ask a question, a strong response complete with nuance, variables, compromises, and effort was provided. Wherein I may have entered the conversation with a presupposition — i.e., I thought I knew the answer for each topic — I came away recognizing I knew far less about the topic than I realized.

The flip side is taxation. Now, there’s still much I don’t know and a great deal of experience to gain. But I had a friend recently ask me “Josh, do you think our tax system is too complex?”, and my response was a bit more nuanced than perhaps a passerby might provide. Because, well, I know a good deal about taxation. Things are nuanced and complex for a reason.

If you’re reading this and thinking to yourself “Well, duh Josh”, you’re right — well, duh.

But then I beg you to look in the mirror and figure out areas where you think something is obvious, and question whether you truly have the knowledge and experience to know it’s obvious.

There are a few notions that fly around social media — some on Mastodon, some on Twitter; some left wing and some right wing — that absolutely have more nuance and compromise baked in than people are willing to give them credit for. Not everything on one side of the spectrum is obviously stupid, while everything on the other side is obviously correct. If you feel you have a nuanced and in-depth perspective on a particular topic, I will guarantee there is someone who has that same deep and nuanced perspective on a topic you find contentious and obvious.

Here’s a quick analogy:

Have you ever noticed how ChatGPT provides amazing answers for a ton of topics you don’t really know anything about, but gets it wrong whenever it answers a question you know a lot about?

Expand out that thought process to people.

If more people did this, more people would keep their mouths shut, division would lessen, anger would subside, and parties could come together to create terrific solutions.

It takes a lot of humility to look in the mirror and recognize you’re doing this. But I’ll tell you what — it has to be the most powerful change of my life in 2025.

When Adulthood Actually Arrives

I don’t know of too many blogs openly discussing what it’s like to be a young father. Today, with more and more broken families, more and more children without a stable two-parent home, and more and more couples opting not to have children at all, talking about being a young father almost feels taboo.

Yet, the blessing of being a young father is quite likely the pinnacle of life. I do not believe, barring the opportunity to meet my Heavenly Father, there is anything greater in life than being a parent. It’s the pinnacle of responsibility — providing and protecting a helpless, innocent, perfect baby, and providing for the little one’s mother, who herself requires a partner to help her with life. It’s the pinnacle of meaning — seeing little versions of yourself learning, growing, and exploring the wide, wonderful world. It’s the pinnacle of self-realization — realizing you sacrificed the child you once were to put on the shoes of an adult who puts their family before themselves.

You cannot experience any of this without being a parent.

Now, this is touchy — I am aware and have many friends who have chosen not to marry or not have children. I know of many who cannot have children, which is a heart-shattering fact I can never understand. Not one of them would ever pretend to understand the experiences I’ve spoken about above, and they have every right to life their lives how they want. And I’m sincerely hoping nothing I’m saying here is read such that I’m speaking down to those people. Life is full of circumstances, and I won’t pretend to understand them all.

But Chris Hannah’s linked post above is correct — adulthood does not arrive until you have a child who is fully and wholly dependent on you. Hannah:

Maybe that's why so many people my age feel like they're only pretending to be adults.
When you're a child, you see this provider and protector figure as an adult. But when you become a parent, it becomes a lot clearer. The adults weren't people who had everything sorted. They were people that had someone depending on them completely. They simply had to show up.

I appreciate Hannah saying these words. It is certain to raise an eyebrow, even though it shouldn’t.

Being a parent is the absolute best. It’s full of challenges, hurt, and regret. But there is far more joy, compassion, and blessing than any of those challenges combined.

Fatih Arslan’s Two-Part Desk Setup

There are several things to take away from Arslan’s office setup. First, the man has impeccable taste. Vitsoe, Herman Miller, Nomos, Apple — you name the high-end brand, Arslan has it.

Importantly too, though, is Arslan’s attention to detail. He clearly knows how he works best, and he has built a space that enables him to do so.

I could peruse Arslan’s site for hours. There’s so much fun to look through.

"Learn how brains organize ideas. Readers comprehend “the boy hit the ball” quicker than “the ball was hit by the boy.” Both sentences mean the same, but it’s easier to imagine the object (the boy) before the action (the hitting). All brains work that way. (Notice I didn’t say, “That is the way all brains work”?)"

— Scott Adams

The Second Cup

Holy Scroll

I’m finding a number of newer Bible reading apps recently. Manna is another. Holy Scroll has a wonderful design and may help those looking to read a small bit of Scripture each day.

Awake

If you’re looking to take your alarm clock to the next level, the Structured team has built a pretty, visually beautiful app just for you.

Beflo Tenon Desk and Accessories

I might have linked to the Beflo desk and its entire desk accessory system in the past, so here it is again. I don’t think I had seen their latest desk accessories recently. There certainly are several monitor stands and systems to consider these days.

An Actual, Real Review of the Grovemade Desk

Grovemade’s walnut desk is an item to behold, with a price to boot. Which is probably why it’s so difficult to find a true review — written or video — of the desk. It’s a unicorn — a desk of your imagination.

Here were a few things I shared from the past week. If you want to stay on top of the list throughout the week, don’t be afraid to subscribe via RSS.

Happy Sunday. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead.

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