Hi Everyone,

Happy Friday! Thanks for spending part of it reading The Lake Street Journal.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. These are a few things to read and watch over your (hopefully long) weekend.

Ailments of Abundance, Cycles of Scarcity

Today is Black Friday—the day we spend waiting in lines, shoving strangers, and spending our hard earned money to buy a ton of shit we don't need. Ironically, it happens to be the day after we celebrate how thankful we are for everything we have...

This piece is a few years old, but it's one of the best things I've ever written. It's as relevant today as it was when I published it.

We have an abundance of everything—food, technology, stimulation, information, and access to credit. You might think abundance is good, but unchecked abundance leads to scarcity, and that's bad.

So before you head out to do your Christmas shopping, take a few minutes to read this piece. It might change the way you think about the holidays—and your life.

Warpigs: Block to Block in Fallujah

This is an incredible documentary from Black Rifle Coffee Company.

It's the story of the 2004 battle of Fallujah, told from the perspective of Charlie Company “Warpigs,” 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion.

It includes interviews with everyone from the Colonel to the Lance Corporals. They talk about the bonds, the excitement, the terror, and the grief—both how they experienced it and how it has shaped their lives in the ensuing 20 years.

As somebody with no military service, this gave me great insight into what it means to be a Marine generally, and a warrior who fought in Iraq, specifically. These feel like particularly important insights as an American.

Writes and Write-Nots

This is a great Paul Graham essay I revisited this week on writing.

He says that AI is removing the need to write, so in the future there will only be good writers and people who can't write. On the surface, this doesn't seem like a major problem. But as he points out, good writing requires good thinking, and good thinking often requires writing.

So if you're not a good writer, you're likely not a very clear thinker.

And that's a problem.

Interestingly, this is also why leaders are good writers—because they're clear thinkers, which helps make them good leaders.

With all the AI buzz in the last couple years, I've remained largely ignorant of the technology. That probably means I'm missing out on some benefits. But it also means I'm still exercising my writing muscle, and I think that outweighs anything I'm missing.

Workout of the Week

This was a quick and dirty workout I did in the basement this week.

"Riding with the Devil"

For time:

• 20 devil's press (35s)

• 20 box jumps (24")

• 40 calorie assault bike

• 20 box jumps (24")

• 20 devil's press (35s)

My goal was sub 12 minutes, and I came in at 11:40. Let me know how you do!

Quote of the Week

“When deciding between two seemingly equally good directions, the posture with which you walk can matter more than which path you choose.” - Emerson 

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Talk soon,

Joe