Welcome to The Thinking Bench (staging site)!

Life is worth taking the time to think about.

The bench is... under construction!

There is no shortage of inspiration for contemplation!

Topics I think about often:

• Creating and repairing things- cooking, guitar, small circuits, visual art
• Games- video, board, tabletop, you name it
• Well-being and general psychology
• Learning about things
• Parenting, mentoring, and coaching
• Healthcare- from experience, I know there is a lot to talk about- lots of opportunity for improvement
• Consumer Rights- challenges with letting contemporary economic principles run wild
• Worker Rights- challenges with letting contemporary economic principles run wild
• Philosophy- trying to make sense of the world

The ultimate goal of the site is yet to be determined. I'm primarily learning HTML, CSS, and Java. The site's build and early use will serve to narrow the focus and make the ultimate goal obvious- I hope.

Possible uses for the site:

• [insert catchy name for an] Exploration of a topic with no real expertise or predestined conclusion
• [insert catchy name for an] Assertion of a hypothesis, preferably supported by evidence
• [insert catchy name for a] Question to visitors, a genuine call for a civil sharing of ideas
• [insert catchy name for] Sharing an idea, solution, or recommendation- not an opinion so much as "this worked for me"/"you should try this"
• [insert catchy name for] Story time- a personal story, ideally one with a clear message or very deliberate reason for sharing

What guides my thoughts and actions:

• The platinum rule
• A desire to help others and fix things
• A lifelong learning orientation
• A strong sense of justice
• A willingness to understand nuance and to contemplate prior to taking action
• A frustration with the greed and economic principles that have resulted in such an unnatural way of living