can you do the important things right?

I think that’s a good question. Let’s break it down:

1. You: it’s you as in “tú”. It’s not “vosotros”, it’s not us. There’s a single responsible person. When I was little I always thought of one rule: “if everyone was at least as good as me at X, would the world be better off?” (I later realized I really disliked Kant). But I still think there’s some truth to this: (a) there are some things only you can do for yourself and your loved ones, (b) even in group things, you need to do your part.

2. Do: what matters, 99% of the time, is doing the thing, not talking about the thing. Revealed preferences and how they differ from our stated preferences talk about who we really are.

3. The important things: the trickiest part in my opinion. All other things you can get by sheer good will, but this one… Getting what are the important things is so difficult. But it is key—”the main thing is keeping the main thing the main thing”. If doing might be becoming easier, this isn’t.

4. Right: don’t half-ass it. Or at least, give it your best.