[Martin Elster]

If some of my statements seem naive, that’s likely due to the fact that I have never been very interested in politics. It’s actually General Talk here at Eratosphere that got me a bit more interested. So then I started listening to random videos and podcasts about the things going on these days, and I especially learned things from people like Coleman Hughes, John McWhorter, Glenn Loury (having also heard John and Glenn together in discussions), Sam Harris, and others.

I find these topics interesting, but I still would rather just write poems. I rarely listen to the news. I enjoy hearing and reading ideas from more knowledgeable folks than me and getting a balanced view of things rather than getting emotional about sensational and often one-sided news items. For many years I composed lots of music and performed music, but lately, it’s mostly poetry. I also like science, so tend to view worldly issues in a scientific way.

By the way, I have lived in many kinds of neighborhoods. For the last few years, I’ve been living in a very mixed neighborhood, predominantly African American. So I don’t think I’m totally isolated from the world, except for now during this pandemic!

Bill, Julie, Andrew, and John - thanks for your thoughts and comments, which I am reading through and enjoying the discussion. I haven’t finished reading your Post #12, Julie, but I’ll get to it. All of your thoughts are thought-provoking and broadening my views.

Around a half year ago I acquired an old, used book entitled Evolving Life Styles: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology by Elbert W. Stewart. I found it quite fascinating.