personal development

The Open Question March 18: How do we reason about the future given AI? I find this topic extremely perplexing, and endlessly fascinating.

• What are we raising our kids to be ready for? What skills don't matter anymore that we used to hold sacred, and what do we need to emphasize?
• Will we have universities?
• Where to invest time/energy?
• Where to invest money? Will money even matter?
• Purpose and meaning, etc... 

especially when I factor in stuff like Nate Soares talking about If Anyone Builds It Everyone Dies, Rob Miles and Jeffrey Ladish communicating the wild risks involved in AI acceleration, there's almost too much to contemplate at once, and I'd love y'all's help.

Some convos already on UpTrust that might be relevant:

• Blake on AI collaboration
• Tommy on TikTok brain with AI
• Renee on Older people adopting AI
• Leif on Digital Mystics
• Alex on AI & the Second Coming of Christ
• Dave on an AI Safety introduction he likes

#openquestion 

The Music Never Stops. GOTTA MAKE IT SOMEHOW ON THE DREAMS WE STILL BELIEVE. 

I struggle with this false belief: If something is meant to be, it would be easy.

Right?  WRONG!

Following this train of thought = If something challenges you, you will believe it is not meant for you.

You will misinterpret the resistance + problems as signs that you need to quit.

I know I have. I have seen the blocks, the rejections and procrastination as proof that I am not cut out for my visions.

This mindset guarantees an endless cycle of starting and stopping.

The most rewarding experiences in my life include the heat of resistance + fire of transformation.

That moves you from fear + insecurity into competence + growth.

The fire burns from facing your fears + alchemizing it through practice + action.

This is easier to see in hindsight, so I want to remind you and myself that if there is something you are creating and feel the struggle, keep going. 

You are not burning bridges. You are building them.

AMA with John Mackey. Wednesday, 2/11 at 2:00 PM CT

We’re here to talk about A Course in Miracles, and The Disappearance of the Universe, and how we can help each other home with the practices of true forgiveness.

John Mackey is well known as the co-founder of Whole Foods (and CEO for 44 years), innovator in Conscious Capitalism (including creating billion dollar company while changing food systems for the better, implementing executive salary caps, radical health care and employee wellness programs, etc,) and most recently founder of Love.life - a cutting edge medicine, nutrition, fitness, center w/ pickleball, cafe. 

I don't feel very creative or safe lately. Lately, so much of what I write or create feels meaningless with the current state of affairs in the background, humming like a constant threat.

I have scrapped so much content, and I usually tend to create for the practice of creating.

Then my older son asked me, “Uhma are you writing about what you are feeling + dealing with?”

That’s when I realized I have been busy numbing myself -a type of disassociation or distracting myself to avoid the overwhelm.

Some thoughts:

1) A level of safety if necessary to create

2) Safety can also be found within through practice + discernment

3) Sometimes, we must not run from the fear we feel but toward it to understand

3) Sometimes, because we don’t feel safe, we need speak on that.

Confession: I don’t feel safe lately.

In process: I am building an inner sanctuary of safety to face my fears.

I don't feel very creative or safe lately. Lately, so much of what I write or create feels meaningless with the current state of affairs in the background, humming like a constant threat.

I have scrapped so much content, and I usually tend to create for the practice of creating.

Then my older son asked me, “Uhma are you writing about what you are feeling + dealing with?”

That’s when I realized I have been busy numbing myself -a type of disassociation or distracting myself to avoid the overwhelm.

Some thoughts:

1) A level of safety if necessary to create

2) Safety can also be found within through practice + discernment

3) Sometimes, we must not run from the fear we feel but toward it to understand

3) Sometimes, because we don’t feel safe, we need speak on that.

Confession: I don’t feel safe lately.

In process: I am building an inner sanctuary of safety to face my fears.

The Born Again Gospel .  The Born Again Gospel

You are a created being, made in the image of a Holy God but, no one on Earth can be Holy so, God sent His Only Begotten Son Jesus, to take the punishment for our sins by dying on a cross. He was placed in a tomb and on the third day His God and Father raised Him from the dead and exalted Him to the Throne of Heaven. God has made this Jesus, whom they crucified, both Lord and Christ. And, Jesus: The Son of Man, will return to take us to be with Him forever and ever. Amen. 

Romans 10:8-13

...“The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” And, believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified And, with your mouth you confess and are saved.

It is just as the Scripture says: “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between a Jew or a gentile, for the same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who "call" on Him, for, “Everyone who "calls" on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

John 3:3

 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you! No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

Becoming Born Again is 'known' by The Initial Evidence of The Holy Spirit. 

1st Corinthians 12:3

 Therefore, I inform you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

1st Corinthians 14:1 

Earnestly pursue "love", (Galatian 5:22,23 The Fruit of the Holy Spirit is Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.) and earnestly desire spiritual gifts, (1st Corinthians 12-14) and especially that you might prophesy.

Luke 11:13 Therefore if you, being evil, know to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father who is in Heaven give the Holy Spirit, to those who 'ask' Him."

Here is an example prayer.

Almighty God and Father, I believe You raised your Son Jesus from the dead. Please forgive me of all my sins and fill me with Your Holy Spirit so I can bear good fruit and do Your will, in the name of Jesus my Lord and Christ. Amen. Thank you Father God, Thank you Lord Jesus. Halleluyah!

Matthew 6:8-15 

Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness." 2nd Timothy 2:19

My name is Arnold J. Bur and I am an Elohimist.

Does Pursuing Our Passions Mean We Are in Crisis? It seems in life whenever we decide to actively pursue our dreams or child-like passions, we are labeled as having a crisis.

A mid-life crisis, an existential crisis, a post divorce crisis, postpartum crisis.

Why is this? Is it because going for what we love threatens other people?

Or is it because it takes a crisis to wake us up to how we are living in complacency. From there, we can begin to move forward and live authentically?

I would love to know your thoughts as I ponder a newsletter post on this topic.

Does Pursuing Our Passions Mean We Are in Crisis? It seems in life whenever we decide to actively pursue our dreams or child-like passions, we are labeled as having a crisis.

A mid-life crisis, an existential crisis, a post divorce crisis, postpartum crisis.

Why is this? Is it because going for what we love threatens other people?

Or is it because it takes a crisis to wake us up to how we are living in complacency. From there, we can begin to move forward and live authentically?

I would love to know your thoughts as I ponder a newsletter post on this topic.

An Introduction. My name is Eric Stevens 

I want to be clear about who I am and why I am here.

I recently published my book, Evolution Mine: Genesis.
You can read it for free here:
https://nowweevolve.com/view-the-book

I made it free on purpose. The idea matters more than the money.

For the last 15 years, I have been working inside the systems most people only argue about from the outside. Global trade. Manufacturing. Supply chains. Policy. Commodities. Labor. Capital flow.

I helped Vietnam enter the World Trade Organization in 2007, ironically on my birthday. I have worked with governments, factories, military-adjacent systems, and private industry. I have seen how decisions made far from communities quietly reshape jobs, materials, and power at the local level.

Most of my life was spent in Los Angeles. I recently moved to Dallas, where the political and cultural polarization is impossible to ignore. The fights feel louder. The solutions feel thinner.

I am a father of six. I am married to an incredible Salvadoran woman. I am politically independent, not because I avoid responsibility, but because I do not believe any single ideology owns the truth.

What I am building is not a movement in the emotional sense. It is an economic one.

Our society talks about systems as if they are beliefs. They are not. Systems are built on inputs. Commodities. Materials. Energy. Logistics. Whoever controls those controls everything downstream.

That insight sits at the center of everything I do.

Through these platforms, I am working on one integrated effort:

Now We Evolve
https://nowweevolve.com

The Bioeconomy Foundation
https://thebioeconomyfoundation.org

American Fiber Group
https://theamericanfibergroup.com

Together, they focus on one question most debates avoid.

What happens if we change the materials the economy depends on?

Hemp and bamboo are not symbols. They are commodities. They grow locally. They scale horizontally. They support regional processing. They anchor manufacturing close to communities. They change money flow, job creation, and who holds power.

This work is not anti-capitalist or pro-corporate. It is pro-reality.

If you want different outcomes, you do not argue harder. You replace the inputs.

That is what I am here to discuss.
Not outrage. Not slogans.
Industrial math, material systems, and practical paths forward.

If that resonates, you are in the right place.

AMA with Liv Boeree on incentive traps, game theory, and win-wins. AMA with Liv Boeree -poker champion with a background in astrophysics here to slay Molog- & Jordan Myska Allen on incentive traps, game theory, and win-wins | UpTrust launch event | #heywait, can we do better?

On public shaming – the Biblical perspective.
I'm new to this website but I felt called to respond to this prompt–

These past few months, I have noticed that my underlying value system (developed over years of working on the self) is reflected fairly well in the Bible.

Here are a few scriptures that resonate for me on this subject

Orienting towards Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21–22 “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’”

Christ has already died for all the sins of all of humanity (you are welcome to disagree here), so in a sense, all the poor quality actions of all humans have already been forgiven at a cosmic/karmic scale. That is the Truth. So forgiving someone is you aligning with that Truth. Now don't confuse forgiveness for an absence of boundaries here. There is a man from my community who regularly writes hateful comments on my posts, essays, contents in different places. Each of the comment hurts momentarily. I forgive him (because he is already forgiven by the crucifixion of Christ) and then block him on the new Internet surface he has managed to locate me on.

Private Correction First

Matthew 18:15-17 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you… If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church.”

Emphasizing a graduated approach–starting privately, escalating only if needed, and always with the goal of reconciliation, not shaming.

Restore Gently

Galatians 6:1

“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should 

restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”

This one is the hardest and the one that most humans have really struggled with following through history (including myself). The easiest entry point for devilish behavior is in naming someone else's perceptibly devilish behavior. This is reflected in modern day "cancel culture" or in slogans like "Nazis don't deserve kindness". Christians have shown their own susceptibility to this via witch-burning and telling "sinners" that they are "going to hell". It requires gentleness, softness and slowness in restoring someone who has acted wrongly to the Holy Spirit while yourself staying connected to the Holy Spirit. I made a reaction video recently that captures how easy it is to fall prey to poor behavior while condemning a man who has wronged and how powerful it is to stay connected to kindness instead.

Rebuke Leaders in Front of Others

1 Timothy 5:20

“But those elders who are sinning you are to 

reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning.”

Public rebuke can serve a function of protecting the community, which is where cancel culture started. But it has slipped into the shadows as who is labelled a "public figure" has gotten diluted.

To close this out, I am reminded of the episode where a woman caught in adultery is about to be stoned and Jesus interrupts it saying–

John 8:7-11 “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone…” 
“Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

This shows two things. Firstly, putting up boundaries when people sin (consider a synonym for poor behavior) in response to someone else's sin, is critical because otherwise the community gets infected with sin. Secondly, while doing so, ensuring that you also ask the original sinner to stop their poor behavior is important too. But both should be done from a restorative orientation.

Grace is our collective safeguard against the society becoming drenched in sin.

AMA with Adrian Grenier. Wednesday 2/4 at 7:00 PM CT

Entourage star who at the top of the Hollywood game pivoted to an integral spiritual path and farmstead

AMA with Adrian Grenier. Wednesday 2/4 at 7:00 PM CT

Entourage star who at the top of the Hollywood game pivoted to an integral spiritual path and farmstead