Hi there! I’m Xandamere, or Matt as people in meatspace call me. If you’ve found your way here, you’re probably wondering something like “what the hell is this newsletter with this weird name?” Well, this newsletter is about life. About how life in the modern world, despite all of its wonderful technology and conveniences, is also kind of…well, fucked (sorry-not-sorry for the profanity. It’s a great tool for emphasis and simplicity). Many of the ideas we’ve inherited about life from our family, our education system, and our friends are outdated. New ways of thinking are needed in order to find success and happiness in life, and while I’m not (quite) arrogant enough to think I have all the answers, I hope to at least be able to contribute to the discussion.
Why should I listen to you?
I’ve been extremely fortunate in my life. In terms of where I was born, the family I had, the advantages I had growing up. But the most important area in which I’ve been fortunate is that I have always been encouraged to question things. Question assumptions, question the “right path,” and that is what has led me to my concepts around life (and the fuckery thereof). I have, for some years, lived a “normal life” of growing up, getting good grades so I can get into a good school so I can get a good job blah blah blah. But…I then realized that in the modern world, that plan just isn’t working for most people, and I’ve been able to take a turn off of that path and create something just a little bit different. I’ve found financial success in life, but I’ve also been able to find joy, creativity, and intrinsic motivation beyond just a paycheck. I’ve lived the fucked-up parts of life, and I’ve also figured out how to unfuck my life and create something that has brought me greater success and greater happiness. That’s what I hope to be able to share with you.
So how exactly is modern life fucked?
Fair question. It also requires a really lengthy answer (as in, multiple full posts), so I won’t be able to explain it all in this introduction. But the short version is that the path that previous generations followed, at least in the U.S., from roughly the end of World War 2 until the millennium of good grades to good school to good job to working hard and getting promoted and retiring at 65 with your pension and your gold watch…just doesn’t work anymore. The economy is growing ever more difficult for middle-class folks to thrive in. Technology has provided us with information, convenience, and an amazing array of tools and services, but often at the cost of human connection and relationships, leading people to feel lonely and isolated. For many people it feels impossible to get ahead in life, and coupled with isolation, that leads to despair (did you know that suicide rates in the U.S. have been on a pretty steady increase since 2001? This is part of the reason why).
Ok, I buy that. How do I unfuck it?
Another fair question and another long answer, but that’s the big topic I’m trying to cover in this newsletter. I plan to explore a lot of different areas, but there are 3 main areas of focus where I believe I can provide value to a reader’s life:
Economics and personal finance. Pensions are out, 401ks and IRAs are in. Having a reasonable understanding of personal finance is more important than ever before, because the changes in our society have shifted almost the entirety of that burden away from the government and the employer and over to the individual. But don’t worry - it isn’t as complicated as it’s made out to be.
Career success (or, in short, how to make more money). The old days of “get a job at a good, stable company, work hard for 40 years, retire with your pension and gold watch” are gone. A new way of looking at career and income are needed.
Happiness. Look, I don’t claim to have all the answers here, but it’s an important topic to discuss…because in our society, we generally don’t. Remember that old life plan from up above? Good grades, good college, good job, etc.? Did you see anywhere in there anything about, you know, being happy? The great American writer Henry David Thoreau noted “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Let’s not be them - after all, what good is it finding career and financial success if we don’t also find happiness along the way?
That’s it for now!
If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading. I hope that something in here connects with you in some way and that you find some value in it, but either way I’m grateful to you for reading.
Let's go!!