Not all races age at the same rate. — How would you like to live to be over 100 years old? My guess is that many of you would say, “it would depend on my quality of life.” …

I thought I was being a good conversationalist—but it turns out, I was dominating the conversation — Virtually all of us have unknowingly irritated other people with some type of irksome behavior at various points in our lives. On the extreme end, there are narcissists and egomaniacs who irritate the hell out of everyone around them with absolutely no regard for other peoples’ feelings or needs. But…

In 1997, I found myself in “Old Folsom,” a violent maximum-security prison in northern California. Even though I’d been a drug dealer and grew up in violent environments, I still had to endure the learning curve of prison. Being in prison for the first time is like being thrown into…

From prison — to working in technology — and back to prison. — I’ve had a crazy, exciting, dramatic, and fulfilling life. I’ve been to some of the darkest places in this world but have also experienced a tremendous amount of love, compassion, and kindness. In the Beginning My mom adopted me when I was one-day old and she was 56-years-old. She was the most compassionate…

Choosing how our lives end may be one of the most powerful forms of freedom. — TRIGGER WARNING: the following story deals with human euthanasia, which can be traumatic for some people. A few years ago, I saw a beautiful sunset while standing in the bedroom of a friend, who I’ll refer to as “Carl,” to respect his privacy and identity. As we gazed at the…

Life is short — stop focusing on the little things and work on the big ones. — Like many twenty-somethings, Holly Butcher dreamed of creating a fulfilling life with her partner, having kids, and growing old. Tragically, her dreams were shattered in October of 2016 when she found out she had stage 4 Ewings sarcoma, a rare cancer that affects bones and soft tissue. She didn’t have…

Loss is painful, but it can become the birthplace of gratitude, self-awareness, and transformation. — On a scorching hot day in Folsom state prison, a guard passed me a note thru the bars of my cell. It said, “Your mom is in the hospital.” Eight days later, my mom died. Externally, I had to exhibit that “I don’t give a shit” attitude so others didn’t…

The horrific fallout from these shameful laws is an international disaster — Isidore Gomis is head of security at the biggest legal landfill in the Dakar area of Senegal. He has a difficult job. Perhaps the most difficult part of his job is dealing with dead babies that are dumped at the landfill by desperate mothers who are forced to get rid…

Oftentimes the people who have the least help others the most. — 2014 was another milestone year for me. I’d been out of prison 16 years and I just started my first technical writing contract at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) — the same system that incarcerated me. The best part of 2014 was that I made one of…