[TT 019] soapy capitalism, fasted memories, creative lifestyle, branch art
Howdy all,
Today is a big threshold day - I had my last dinner at home, packed my car, and started heading west. Everything feels surreal as I drift out of a known former life into a vast and enticing unknown.
Also, rounding out the final week of BASB and still have a solid amount of work to do on my PKM before school starts. Globally, the concepts were inspiring and I have greater clarity on how I can refine my information flow, synthesis, and expression.
On psychedelic conscious capitalism
A few weeks ago, MAPS published results from its Phase 3 clinical trial studying MDMA coupled with psychotherapy for severe PTSD. The results are dramatically positive and, given impending FDA approval, there is a rising wave of economic and clinical activity around psychedelic-assisted therapy.
One of the larger, and more well known, funders of MAPS is Dr. Bronner's (yes, the soap company) and CEO David Bronner sits on the MAPS board. David's recent thoughts on constructive capital in psychedelic businesses is thoughtful and compelling.
I learned about Revenue Based Financing (RBF) as an alternative investment vehicle as well as two dedicated investment funds for psychedelic companies that have baked-in social responsibility initiatives (Vine and Integrated). There is even a dedicated analyst group for the psychedelic industry.
I met David a few times at various gatherings and I am continually impressed with the integrity and ethics with which he leads Dr. Bronner's and and the conscious capitalism thought leadership. Over the last 10 years, Dr. Bronner's has donated 45% of pre-tax profits to charities, campaigns, and causes.
There is a lot of valuable inspiration for GIFT in the experience, philosophy, and trail-blazing of the entire Bronners crew.
On improving memory by fasting
Dr. Peter Attia has extensively explored the benefits of various forms of fasting and we may need to add improved memory to his growing laundry list.
Researchers at Kings College recently published a paper in Nature's Molecular Psychology that pinpointed a particular "longevity gene", Klotho, that gets upregulated in the hippocampus during day-on, day-off intermittent fasting (IF) in mice. This gene, in turn, stimulates adult hippocampal neurogenesis that presumably improves memory. Importantly, the intermittent fasting had more positive impact than simple caloric restriction (CR), even when IF and CR had the same number of total calories.
It's rare for me to take a full day off from eating, but it's common for me to wait until after noon to eat breakfast and on those days my mind is extra crisp and clear. I haven't tested my recall specifically, but I can absolutely tell the difference in my cognition when I've fasted for 12+ hours.
For his part, Dr. Attia has extensive documentation about his periodic 3-day and 7-day fasts. Not quite sundance, bug I guess it'll do. I look forward to learning more about this domain and what feels right for me to implement in my dietary regime.
On cultivating a creative lifestyle
Our family friend is the mastermind behind Creative Enso, a lifestyle media site dedicated to uplifting and supporting creativity.
I was chatting with Zach about his project and his passion and I never cease to be amazed by his creative capacity. Not only is he an AMAZING photographer, he's also a prolific reader, writer, and philosopher. Zach is an incredible human and I’m pumped to see his project starting to take off.
If you're looking for inspiration to spark more creativity in your life, definitely swing through and marvel at Zach's diligent work.
On the humanity of empty space
South Korean artist Sun-Hyuk Kim creates evocative sculptures with steel, branches & twigs, and a whole lot of empty space.
I love how the emptiness of Kim's sculptures feels so full of dynamic motion and emotion. Margherita Cole puts it nicely:
While these branches define the outline of a person's face and body, they do not create a substantial form. Instead, the twigs scatter inside the body like veins and capillaries, leaving pockets of empty space inside. This incompleteness creates tension in the sculpture, as though there is an expectation that the roots are going to continue to grow. Instead of a “successful” being,” the viewer is seeing a figure in progress.
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So if I don't eat through all of grad school, does that mean I'll remember everything I learn? Or is there a more creative way to trip on all the econ and business classes?
May each of you find a moment of Thriving in the coming week,
~Henry