I plan to use this blog for organizing my thoughts on principles of law, liberty, and how to conceptualize the relationship between them. How to identify and support their core principles and elements.

But not today. Today I’m operating on a much more basic level.

I’m borrowing the title of this post from a regular segment of the excellent Points of Return investment newsletter by John Authers.

Some Survival Tips I’m thinking about today, none of them particularly original.

• Spend time with friends and family, in person if possible.
• Get outside for a jog, a walk, or a hike. Bring a dog or a friend. Explore a new trail.
• Exercise in general, eat healthy meals, avoid too much alcohol, and prioritize sleep.
• Join clubs and other groups that don’t have anything to do with politics. Engage with other people. Build social networks in your community.
• Read books. Step out of the fuzz of moment-by-moment headlines. Enjoy literature, read scifi, explore history and biography. Use a library and read paper books.
• Reduce dependence on and daily engagement with big tech platforms. Try Mastodon. Use RSS and read blogs. Buy a used laptop and set it up with a good Linux distro like Mint or POP!_OS. It doesn’t have to be your main computer, but use it regularly. Find ways to get most of your daily computing done on it.
• Keep a journal and write in it regularly, either on paper or using an end-to-end encrypted service. Getting your thoughts out of your head and on to paper or a screen is extremely helpful in reducing anxiety, putting things in perspective, setting meaningful priorities, and organizing thinking.
• Look to philosophy and modern research on well being, balance, and equanimity. I find the Stoic tradition resonates with my outlook and experiences. CBT has much to recommend it. Positive psychology as well.
• Be decent. Be moral. Be compassionate. Stand against the tide of cynicism and degradation through your personal code and actions.

I’m reminded of Raymond Chandler’s description of the private detective in his 1944 essay The Simple Art of Murder for The Atlantic (with apologies for the gendered phrasing).

But down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid.