David James Olney 18 September, 2026 What’s the difference between meditation and rumination? One can open the door to calm insight, while the other can lead us into a spiral that leaves us less able to deal with the world. Both can involve sitting still and paying attention to what is going on inside us. […]
David Olney
The End of the Beginning: AI and the future of Human Agency
David James Olney 15 September, 2026 When the people competing to build the most powerful artificial intelligence start agreeing that they need to slow down, we have a good reason to reconsider what progress should mean. We also have a reason to ask what took them so long. More capable technology does not automatically create […]
A more capable union: How the United States can own its mess
David James Olney 3 September, 2026 This report applies the argument developed in How the hell did we get here? Why the West is a mess and Getting on the road to somewhere: How the West can own its mess to the United States. Executive Summary The United States is not simply experiencing a collection […]
Getting on the road to somewhere: How the West can own its mess
David James Olney 1 September, 2026 This report follows How the hell did we get here? Why the West is a mess. Executive Summary The West is not condemned to remain a mess. Its problems are serious because they interact: economic insecurity weakens agency; weak agency narrows democratic participation; thin social connection increases anxiety; anxious […]
How the hell did we get here? Why the West is a mess
David James Olney 31 August, 2026 A systems account of political economy, social connection, emotional maturity, health, and institutional problem solving Executive Summary How the hell did we get here? Not through one conspiracy, one election, one technology, or one generation losing its character. We arrived through an accumulation of changes that interacted for […]
Mentoring with Me
David James Olney 29 November, 2023 In late 2013 I was happily engrossed in finding and assimilating fascinating ideas, while I was preparing to teach Complex Problem Solving to undergraduates for the first time. I was focused on finding an argument and/or tool that would convince undergraduate students to believe in their own […]
Why you should consider asking a learner question, before you end the conversation with a suggestion
David James Olney 30 October, 2023 I just finished listening to the 4th Edition of Marilee Adams outstanding book, Change Your Questions, Change Your Life. The 4th Edition is even more comprehensive, insightful, and engaging to listen to than the 2nd Edition, the core concepts of which I have incorporated into my own […]
See, Believe, Explain, Achieve
David James Olney 19 October, 2023 I just finished listening to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s new book, Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life. As well as being thoroughly entertaining, because it is full of great stories from his life that Schwarzenegger reads himself, the book is genuinely useful. In particular, I liked Schwarzenegger’s discussion […]
How to establish an action orientation
David James Olney 9 October, 2023 Establishing an action orientation is relatively simple, but not easy. Converting negative emotion into an impetus for constructive action is difficult until it becomes normal. Immaterial of the effort required to develop a positive action orientation, it is a boon for mental health and practical outcomes. As […]
Why we all need to develop an action orientation
David James Olney 18 September 2023 “While a growing majority of Australians surveyed by the Red Cross said that they are increasingly concerned about the risk of experiencing natural disasters, like bushfires and floods, only 10% of the people surveyed said that they had taken action to prepare for a natural disaster.” The […]