Self

Responsibility vs. Fault

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, March 13 2024

You read a lot about “blaming the victim” in modern times, usually when someone tells another person how to change their behavior to get a different result. The most famous one (because people seem to scream it all the time) is, “I shouldn’t have to dress more modestly; men shouldn’t rape!” But, to take a less controversial one, Office Space has...

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Growth

On Challenge

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, March 6 2024

Everyone thinks they just want to live the easy life: being waited on hand and foot, eating junk food and playing video games all day, or living a life without work. People say they want that—no matter how much evidence you provide to the contrary: people who hit the lottery are often miserable or lose it all; animals sit around all day and eat...

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Meaning

Meaning Requires Meaning

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, February 28 2024

I was watching a homemade recording of Troy Polamalu’s interception in the 2008-2009 AFC Championship game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens from the stands and had one of those existential moments where you realize that millions of people are watching that play and having extreme emotional reactions to it. Staring at it...

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Support

Fair-Weather Friends

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, February 21 2024

Do you know people in your life who are only around when times are good and are nowhere to be found when time get hard? What is going on here, and what should you do to handle these situations? This is a tough post because I speak extensively about human behavior and yet, due to being at the top of the autism spectrum (i.e., trouble with eye...

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Reality

Do We Live in the Matrix?

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, February 14 2024

One of the most popular existential questions in recent years is, “Do we live in the Matrix?”—of course, this is referring to the 1999 movie of the same name. As it ages, of course, people replace it with the more generic, “Do we live in a simulation?” The question is about whether anything that we do here in our universe is real and matters....

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Growth

The Truth and Ethics of When Life Begins

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, February 7 2024

Note: This blog touches on a hugely controversial topic and is not meant to persuade anyone to change their minds but is rather meant to discuss the various factors in people's understanding of the issue and ethical/legal conclusions that they draw from said understanding. One of the seemingly toughest questions that is actually one of the...

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Truth

If What You Say Is True, Why Doesn't Everyone Know About It?

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, January 31 2024

Years ago, I was waiting for a train to the airport wearing a suit. I walked past, and someone asked me about my shoes. I explained them, and she asked, "Why don't you tell everybody about them?" I was fascinated by the question because I don't typically care to discuss anything that doesn't come up in conversation. Little did I know that this...

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The Universe

Does Everything Happen for a Reason?

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, January 24 2024

You know the feeling: you were just thinking about a song, and you hear it on the radio. You ask for a sign telling you which path to take, and you see a person with a tattoo saying, "Go for it!" You miss a flight only to find out later that the plane crashed. Why did that

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Ethics

Can vs. Should

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, January 17 2024

One of the all-time great movie quotes comes from Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park: "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." I use this quote or my personal variation ("Just because I can do it doesn't mean I should do it...") frequently because when you are a highly capable human being,...

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Ethics

Just This One Time

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, January 10 2024

I have read hundreds of books on psychology, philosophy, self-help, and success, so it’s not often anymore that something truly surprises me. I love looking at the world or an idea in a new way, though, so I am always looking for new insights and treasure the “lightbulb moment” when it happens. One day a few years ago, I decided to try a Wayne...

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