Hey friends,

Happy Friday!

Something important happened on Tuesday, and I wrote about what the results might mean here. Take a read if you want a laugh (or cry!) at my prediction. I think while I was off on my overall vibes regarding the final vote, I was pretty spot-on about how the timeline of the election would play out.

Since some of you likely want to dive into why the results are the way they are, and others of you may want to just pretend that Tuesday didn’t happen, this week’s Friday Focus is going to be almost doubled in length and fully paywall-free. There will be a half of the article for if you want to avoid thinking about the election results, and another half if you want to dive in deep.

All that being said, here’s everything I wanted to share this week:

If you want to not think about the election

ME HAVE COOKIE (1 minute): A quick laugh for those that need it. Letters of Note is a great publication and I highly recommend tossing them a sub.

A Message From the Past (Thoughts on Nostalgia) (6 minutes): “The past wasn’t as good as you remember. The present isn’t as bad as you think. The future will be better than you anticipate.” Morgan Housel is an incredible thinker and writer, and always has something important to say. A dose of optimism during a negative week.

The League of Anti-nihilists (13 minutes): ”Obviously, there are all kinds of great big awful problems. But I am increasingly persuaded that it is mostly sentimental distraction to get way more wound up about some global, international catastrophe than to pay attention to what’s going on in my neighbourhood.” A fantastic read on the ways we distract ourselves with the horrors of global news and what we can do instead.

On These Questions, Smarter People Do Worse

If you haven’t watched a Veritasium video, you’re missing out. We tell ourselves that we’re highly rational beings. But that’s just not true. A look into how tribalism impacts the way we think about the facts we see in the world. Note: This does contain some significant discussion of political party differences, but this left me feeling a lot more optimistic and I think it might do the same for you.

How Can Humanity Become a Kardashev Type 1 Civilization?

Let’s not dwell so much on the past (even a few days ago)—what does the future of humanity hold? When will we become a spacefaring society, and how do we get there? PBS has some interesting, easy to understand thoughts.

Alex Melton, Linger and Closing Time

I’m a huge Alex Melton fan. Not only is his original music great, but he also creates great covers by putting popular music into an emo-branded blender. These two songs are great, but he has some other incredible covers worth checking out, from Fix You to Wonderwall. Whether you’re looking for some interesting original music or a nostalgia-fueled emo anthem, Melton absolutely rules.
Listen Here

Emilee Moore, Hanging On

The first three notes of this song give you a hint of what it’s about—atmospheric, melancholy, frustrated grappling with the reality that all things must be let go. A buttery vocal mix gives some life to Moore’s whispered confession, and the bridge at the three-minute-mark provides a Coldplay-style build into an emotional flourish at the end. This is one of three singles from her upcoming album, and I’m excited to hear more.
Listen Here

What simple, frugal happiness can you find this weekend? Turn off the phone and engage with what’s in front of you if you need to. The world can wait.

If you want to dig into the weeds of Tuesday night’s results

I told you so (9 minutes): The post-mortems are coming. This one is excellent. The Democratic Party did not learn its lessons in 2016 and lucked into a win in 2020 with a man they thought would be a one-term transitional figure during a global pandemic. But they did not make the structural changes necessary to build an enduring coalition and hold back the red tide in 2024.

What is the Best-Case Scenario for a Trump Presidency? (4 minutes): Like many, I’m concerned about what the second Trump administration will look like and do. I’m terrified about tariffs, and my heart sinks for our allies in Eastern Europe. But what are some of the silver linings?

The Age of Abandonment (13 minutes): If you support Donald Trump or are indifferent and just can’t bring yourself to understand why so many people around you are panicking and mourning the election results, this read is super helpful. We live in an age where so many of us—especially our girls—have experienced abandonment at a frequency and intensity unseen before. The election on Tuesday, then, can be seen by some as an abandonment of their interests not by just their country, but by their Trump-supporting families that ostensibly love and support them. Squaring that circle is difficult right now, and this might help give some insight into how to start bridging that gap.

What Does Trump’s Return Mean for NASA, Artemis, and US Spaceflight?

Scott Manley gives a pretty objective view of what we can likely expect from a second Trump administration on spaceflight. From Elon Musk to the Space Force, there’s a lot that’s likely to happen and this video is a great layman’s overview.

Life on East Hastings | Inside Canada's Drug Epidemic

Many of the same problems seen in our cities that likely helped to contribute to Donald Trump’s win are present in Canada. Canada’s next election is constitutionally required to happen by next October. If the Liberal Party of Canada continues approaching these issues the same way that the Democratic Party has been in the United States, I’m not sure what to expect other than a Conservative Party landslide.

What should we make of the same people who called for the ouster of Bill Clinton electing an adjudicated rapist for president? Is this any different than the Israelites praying to Baal for guidance out of the desert? If you’re planning on going to church on Sunday, what will your pastor have to say to those hurting in the audience? Are our churches really serving their purpose, or are they prostrating themselves before the false idol of worldly power? What can we do to change that behavior?