“Mallory is famously quoted as having replied to the question “Why do you want to climb Mount Everest?” with the retort “Because it’s there”” [George Mallory – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia] Growing up, I had the privilege of interacting with people from a wide range of social classes on a daily basis. I didn’t think…

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There is no doubt about it. Living to amuse yourself is lonely and pathetic. But so is living to impress the Joneses. That lifestyle leaves you feeling plenty empty inside; it’s always psychologically impoverishing and often monetarily so as well. One either dies trying to fill one’s life with the accoutrements of Jonesiness (BTW, I…

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Maybe this one should be called “why life is so good to you, but you don’t realize it”. Anyway. Starting dirty is amazing. Remember how video games were back in the 1970s, 1980s and even the first part of the 1990s? No? Well, let me jog your memory: you couldn’t save! YA COULDN’T SAVE! You…

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What’s the point of even trying? What’s the point of even showing up? What’s the point of starting or continuing anything when other people are so much better at it than you? What’s the point of doing anything you’re not already and instantly the best in the world at? Why endure the shame, the laughter,…

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So, I get all kinds of emails from breathless kids wanting me to tell them exactly how to do it — how to get used to a language. And they want it all, they want to know every single detail. They’ve never made an MCD in their life, but they want to know right now,…

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Whether it’s a book, a newspaper, or just a tablet computer, I almost always have Chinese literature in hand with me. And when you do that, you get to meet people who are convinced that they could never become literate. But you don’t even have to go that far and actually interact with people. To…

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