Things are crazy today. So I decided to write a letter to Younger Me back in 2000 so I'd be ready for some of the changes coming my way.

There was a time, not so long ago, when shame was a guardrail. It protected us from doing dumb things. But, mostly it protected us from ourselves. But, today, shame is dead. It's the age of moral relativism. That is, the definition of right and wrong is subject to interpretation. That's the kind of thinking that allows young people to have sex in a room full of people while television cameras record every second in high definition through night-vision lenses. Yes, shame is dead. Is it time to bring it back?

When life takes you on a detour through a series of potholes, focus on these five key pillars of happiness and you'll be just fine.

If you spend any time watching the news, it seems as if everyone is doing it today. I'm not talking about sex. I'm talking about lying. It's become a national pastime. Do we have an epidemic of "Liabetes"?

Of the myriad of happy emotions, from gratitude to contentment, the most underrated emo is hope. Hope is the ember at the bottom of the fire that refuses to go out. It's the green shoot that appears from a scorched earth. Because when everything else is stripped away, hope is the last light that remains.

I bet at some point you went through an existential crisis. A period where you questioned "why am I here?" A period that causes you to pursue that one true thing that defines your passion. But, what if there is no single passion? What if the great learning of life is to be patient and that meaning isn't often found in clarity, but in mystery.

Today's kids are raised differently. They live their lives with structured play, guardrails and constant adult supervision. The days of adventure and courage are long gone. And, it's making an entire generation lack courage.

Take a look around. See if you can find the color red. Bet you can't? Why? Because since the 1970's we've been slowly removing color from our world. 80% of all cars sold today are monochrome: gray, black or white. And, that's just the beginning. It's leaking into movies, comedy, food, music and branding. Yes, the world is quickly going "griege".

Like everything else today, we've outsourced dying. What was once a family and neighborhood affair has been converted to an institutional and sterile process. One handled by the utmost professionalism and care. But, one that is best managed by third parties, so as to avoid the messiness of it all. This is episode number 139 and you'll likely think differently about life (and death) after you listen.

There's something odd happening in the world. Men are finally opening up. Disclosing their most carefully guarded thoughts, feelings and secrets. It's to be applauded. But, here's the catch. They aren't opening up to therapists or friends. Their opening up to ChatGPT. It's fraught with ethical and legal issues. And, there are multiple cases where these Artificial Intelligence applications encouraged men to commit suicide. You don't want to miss this episode of Wit & Wisdom.

A female born today has a 5% chance of living to age 100. Which raises the question: if you could live to age 100, would you want to?

The Male Sedation Hypothesis isn’t just a clever phrase—it’s a glimpse into the quiet crisis playing out in plain sight.

The floods in the Texas hill country were gut-wrenching. And, our immediate reaction is often to assign blame to a person, a government or political party for creating the environment for such pain and loss. Sure, it's reassuring to find a culprit. And, it allows for a distraction from our unthinkable grief. But, is that the healthy thing to do at a time of such loss? You'll have to listen to find out.

Why is it that I struggle to remember my AMEX card number, but I can remember by 8th grade girlfriend's phone number? And, when did we decide that remembering things like phone numbers, birthdays and anniversaries was no longer worth the effort. Yes, technology is great, but I think it has cheapened thoughtfulness and intentionality. In the process we've slowly trained ourselves to stop paying attention to the things that really matter.

Have you ever had that feeling that you've met someone before? Or, that you've been someplace before but can't recall when or why? We've all been there. But, it's especially maddening to learn later that you had met that person earlier or that you had visited that place in the past. Which made me wonder, how many things are buried so deep in our subconscious mind that we can't easily recall them? And, what if those thoughts would cause us to lose friends or family relationships if they ever got out? We'll, you'll have to listen to find out where all this is headed but I bet you'll enjoy this little walk down memory lane.

We curate everything today: our news, our entertainment, our music, taxis and even our coffee. But, is all this customization really necessary? And, does it really bring our lives more peace? Or, do all those options make us immediately regretful of the decisions we make? You'll have to listen to find out.

I get it. You hate uncertainty. But, did you know that your brain actually thrives on uncertainty? Just imagine trying to explain to someone from 1974 how we book an airline ticket, select our seat, pass through TSA and board a commercial aircraft all without touching a single piece of paper or speaking to another human. Yet, we’ve all enhanced our lives despite all this change. Why? Because we secretly love uncertainty.

Have you ever been at a crossroads in your life and started noticing the same number everywhere? Or kept running into people who gave you the same advice? Or had a book fall in your lap with just the right message for the moment? Some call it karma. Others call it fate or destiny. But, in reality, these things are textbook examples of Synchronicity. The questions is whether you're paying enough attention to recognizer that the universe is trying to tell you something.