“I just think that there’s this thing that’s going on right now, it’s everywhere, it’s in our politics, in our entertainment, it’s in our media, where sort of the rigidity and unbending sort of inability to move off of your opinion—that is being confused with patriotism and strength and masculinity, to say ‘It’s my way or the highway.’ For me, that’s the most un-American thing in the world. As far as being a man, I think you need to be able to talk to anybody. You need to be confident enough in yourself that you know that you can make a mistake, that you can learn from everyone, that you should approach and engage in dialogue with people that think completely differently than you. The people that I really respect and admire in my life, all have that. I think people who actually walk the walk—that don’t just talk about it—they all kind of live by that code. That you’re constantly trying to get better, you’re constantly trying to grow. It’s not about implementing my will on you. I think that this kind of masculinity thing, I feel like it’s sort of been bastardized in this way, that it’s about the bombast, and it’s about looking tough and talking tough. But having empathy for people, having compassion for people, helping people, wanting to be the kind of person that would be there for someone in need—that’s what I think being a dad’s about and being a man’s about and that’s certainly how I’m trying to raise my boys. To have an open heart towards everyone.” (video)
Perhaps you know someone who deserves a free Run The Alps trip this summer? You just need to write a quick nomination for them, 150 words or less, by April 30th.
I am not much of a bird person, in that I don’t get that excited about individual birds, but there’s just something about starling murmurations
There’s some speculation that this guy’s repairs of things using uncooked ramen might not actually hold up, but as an artistic expression, I love it
A walk down the memory lane of some of New York’s iconic but now-closed bookstores
The story of how a young Nike made a cheap knockoff of its own shoes in order to avoid paying a massive customs bill that would have bankrupted the company in 1977 (thanks, Nels)
Also: I made some new t-shirt designs for those of you who are sick and tired of beings from other galaxies crowding your trails, lift lines, crags, and coffee spots:
Locals Only Women’s Fit T-shirt
—Brendan