Early on in Peter Jackson's new Beatles movie, Get Back, there's a moment in which George Harrison is speaking earnestly to his fellow bandmates about his shortcomings as a guitarist and his desire for growth.

As a huge fan of the Beatles, it's illuminating to hear George talk about his skills and the way he sees himself in relation to other guitarists, like his friend Eric Clapton.

And it's heartbreaking to see how dismissive John and Paul are as George is speaking. Paul is practically yawning.

Read More

To get from mainland Greece to the island of Santorini can be done in a few different ways.

You can fly directly from Athens in under an hour.

You can also take a couple of different types of ferries from Piraeus, Athens’ port city. One is a high-speed ferry that takes about four and a half hours. The other runs at a more moderate speed, taking more than seven hours to make the trip.

Read More

It seems like it would make sense for things to be fair and equal.

You and your three collaborators on that presentation at work (or that seventh grade social studies project).

You and your sibling. You and your partner. You and your fellow senator.

Even though it seems like it would make sense for things to be fair and equal, however, keeping things equal is tricky.

Read More

All over the United States this month, new high school graduates are moving into their college dorms.

It’s a migration that’s exciting and, for many, has a feeling of inevitability. However, freshman year of college is not thirteenth grade. Higher education is a separate endeavor from secondary education, a non-compulsory privilege. Whether it’s today, tomorrow, November, or sometime next summer, some of the members of the class of 2021 are going to figure that out. They’re going to realize that they do not want to participate and they don’t have to. Welcome to adulthood, friends!

Read More

I didn’t realize the extent to which some kids face pressure to excel until I moved to a major city and began to work with affluent families there.

Though these kids enjoyed certain privileges and choices that I had not had, they were also expected to follow a certain path in life. They were expected to be exceptional students and go to exceptional colleges.

Presumably, to have exceptional lives.

Read More