About The Human, Mined

Why this exists

It started with exhaustion. After years of watching every belief, headline, and “truth” get challenged and attacked, the writer wanted to step away from all of it. Then came a realization that turned the question around:

I was so tired of listening to everyone out there challenge and debate every belief, when maybe I had never challenged my own beliefs seriously enough myself.

Mindfulness practice had quieted enough of the noise to make room for questions, and one of them would not go away:

Do I deserve the confidence I have in what I think I believe when I’ve never given the focused time, attention and effort needed to genuinely understand these consequential beliefs?

So each essay takes one belief, pulls it apart, looks at where it came from, and tries to put it back together to see what holds up. The first essay, What If I'm Wrong?, tells the whole story, and it ends with a promise:

I have not already decided where this will end. I will go wherever it leads me.

The economy series began the same way, with a simple question from a friend at work, “You do believe in capitalism, right?”, and a quick answer that stopped feeling quick. As the writer puts it: “I don’t claim to be an economist. I’m just curious.”

New here? Start here, or see what the examination has left standing so far.

What I write about

Where to read

Every essay is here in full, and first on Substack, where you can subscribe for free and join the comments.