Quantum Radio

by A.G. Riddle

Being afraid was good. It conveyed a survival advantage. Selective pressure favored the fearful. Thus, the entire human race became populated with people like all of us—humans with genes that biologically program us to be afraid of eyes watching us.

being brave isn’t about not feeling fear. It’s about feeling fear and overcoming it.

The thing is, there’s a way to essentially dampen that innate fear response in your amygdala. And luckily, it comes naturally to you: kindness and generosity. When we’re kind and helpful to others, it calms the fight-or-flight response in our brains. Kindness is a natural stress reliever. It puts our minds in a different place. When we change our attitude, it changes how our brain reacts. We’re not on the defensive. We’re on the offense—and we’re doing the offense to help others. That’s a deep well of strength.” She studied him for a moment. “Kindness is the fear killer.”

There, at the intersection of what you love and what you’re good at, is a magical place of success and happiness. It’s just hard to find.”

Particle physics was a lot easier than dating. Science made sense. People didn’t.

This I know: two things are important in life. The choices you make. And the people you meet. You don’t think so when you’re young, but you’ll know the truth one day: every day of your life is nothing more than a series of choices. Streets you can’t see. Sometimes you take the wrong road.”

The only way to avoid being attacked is to do nothing important, nothing that matters to anyone.”

“The greatest mistake you can ever make in this life is assuming things will stay the same. Change—that’s the only real constant.

once you learn from the past, you’ve gotta let it go. It can’t do anything else for you. The future is all that matters.”

“Attitude and perspective are two sides of the same coin. Your mother’s advice is wise. My point is this: it does not do to dwell on that which you do not have. You find strength—and freedom—in what you have.”

loneliness isn’t about the lack of contact with people. It’s about feeling like there’s no one who really cares about you.

Phytoplankton alone account for about half of global photosynthetic activity and about half of the oxygen production, yet they represent only about one percent of the global plant biomass. And unlike trees and other plants that live for years—sometimes hundreds of years—phytoplankton have a life cycle measured in days.”