As a software engineer, I have a bad case of problem solver brainrot. I love to dive deep into niche topics, find out why the current solutions are sub-optimal, and then press buttons on my keyboard until a more optimal one appears. Fortunately, unlike the typical tech bro, I also have a debilitating sense of impostor syndrome that prevents me from assuming that techno-plutocratic air of entitlement that we’ve all come to love.

So what do you do when you have an obsessive need to fix problems but lack the confidence to actually do anything about it? You make a blog as an outlet for your feelings! Hurray!

In all seriousness, I’ve been feeling quite stuck lately. I see society trending in an ominous direction but the problems that the world is grappling with seem so insurmountably large that I’m at a total loss about how to contribute positively towards remediating them.

But it’s not my job to fix all of society. That’s not an attainable goal. What I *can* do is be a positive impact on the communities that I frequent. I can be an active listener to the people around me. I can hear their stories and needs. I can support them when they need it, and we can work together to find incremental solutions to the problems that we both face. That’s achievable. That’s something I can work towards every day.

So yeah, a lot of the blog will probably be about that. An analysis of topics that I’ve been struggling with, highlighting some of the key societal issues, and finding the tangible ways that we can apply a community focused approach to help resolve those issues.

All that said, let me set some ground rules about what this blog is, and isn’t.

What this blog is:

• A learning experience. I blog about topics that I’m passionate about because it forces me to actively research and engage with those topics. If I’m going to have an opinion on something, I want it to be an informed one. But I’m not an expert, and I don’t want to feign being one. As such, the blog should feel like an exploration more than a persuasive essay.
• Opening the door for further engagement. I’m the type of person who struggles with analysis paralysis. I obsess over finding the perfect way of doing something to the point where it stops me from doing anything at all. By making these posts, I’m forcing myself to “break the ice” on topics that I care about. I don’t (and won’t ever) have the “perfect” answer, but I have to start somewhere so why not here?
• Random thoughts from my brain. I know I just talked a big game about community solutions to societal problems, but sometimes I’m just going to want to write something because I want to write it. And you know what, that’s fine. It’s my blog and I can do whatever I want with it! Screw the formula!

What this blog is not:

• Academically rigorous. You won’t find me quoting research papers in proper APA format. While I might link to articles that I find interesting, I’m not here to pretend that my writings are anything other than self-important brain dumps.
• Polished. I love to write, but formal writing does not come naturally to me. I also personally find overly flower writing to be difficult to get through. In an effort to avoid trapping myself in an infinite editing cycle, I’m forcing myself to embrace imperfection. Expect these posts to be a little rough around the edges.

Okay. End of meta blog post. Time to get to the real stuff. Thank you for reading!