Best Links from the past week (3.16.2015)

Of the various stuff I read in the last week, the three that stayed with me the most...

1.  When Did the Human Epoch Begin - from the New Yorker, which always had incredibly interesting stuff to read.  This parallels a book I recently read called The Human Age, where certain scientists are proposing the humanity's impact on the planet in the last 10,000 years, particularly the last few centuries, justifies whether we should be calling this the Anthropocene, a new geologic age.  Fascinating stuff to think about, and well presented by The New Yorker.

2.  Reconsidering College Sports Fandom - from a Medium collection known as The Cauldron, a thoughtful piece on college sports fandom in response to the surfacing of the University of Oklahoma fraternity's racist chant this past week.  College sports presents a unique situation in how athletes and fans relate.  Fans often place so much expectation on their favorite teams, and with college, because the association often relates to personal connections and family connections, the passion often exceeds that with professional sports.  Yet, the athletes that these burdens of passion and expectation are placed upon are not paid, and may not even be welcomed in certain circles if not for the ability to play sports at a high level.  As a sports fan, I found the piece relevant and thought provoking.

3.  The Power of Good Enough - from The Atlantic, interesting piece on how "settling" can often bring greater happiness.  Simply, the article relates that often the ambitious drive that many have, since it never becomes okay with the status quo of accomplishment, leads to unhappiness; and that, on the contrary, the power of being able to say, "this is good enough," can lead to greater personal happiness.  This can be seen in applying it to small decisions (what laptop should I buy) and larger decisions (is this career enough).  For a country that has the phrase "pursuit of happiness" in one of its founding documents, I think we tend to undervalue happiness.  I think this article demonstrates that issue, and maybe (hopefully?) gives us some pause in our decision making to make decisions based on happiness, not further "gains."