Resources

Click ↖️ and learn 🧠 from any item that interests you. — You can’t go wrong.

* Top 6 *

  • 1) Basics of humanity’s good

    Greater Writings

    A foundation, curated by Go Greater Good: 2 brilliant excerpts on “Perceptions of Peace”; and 4 on “Humanity’s Primary Drives” (kindness; reason; selfishness; meaning; recognition). Free to download.
  • 4) Know your core values / principles

    “Before a ship sets out for a trip, the captain must first know its destination. If not, it will drift around the sea, bouncing from island to island. Life is this way; if we don’t know who we want to be, then we won’t have a compass to make decisions that will help us get there.

    [And we will instead, follow others’ agendas for us, or drift with whatever the dominant forces around us happen to be, for better or for worse.]

    So, what is our compass? How do we decide what kind of person we want to be? Values help us do just this.”

    — Jewel

+ Core Values
Articulate your core values, with this document by Go Greater Good, combining ideas by various teachers.


+ NIV Study Bible
(personal size paperback; regular size hardcover; kindle)

Is it worth it to read ancient texts centered around a supremely-principled being, which have inspired millions of people to also be more principled?

“If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others?” (Matthew 5:46-47)

More Bible thoughts

Themes I love include… extreme redemption-ability and forgiveness toward yourself and others; equality & inclusion of all regardless of race, sex, class, age, (dis)ability; and that one does not need to go through authority to find God (not that God is anything at all you want God to be). These themes are revolutionary today, and were even more so thousands of years ago.

(The writings of the Bible were written by a variety of people, thousands of years ago… when life was insane in many ways… and I think we make a mistake when we see some lines/stories that seemingly don’t go along with the bigger themes… and become dogmatic about following those particular lines in ignorance of the bigger themes… or on the opposite extreme, become hyper-focused on those lines, out of Biblical and/or historical context, to dismiss the entire book.)

Not in the mood to read? Check out this 7-minute video summary of one of my favorite books, Ruth, written 3,000 years ago.

  • 5) Self improve
    & Defend yourself from common psychological tricks
    (without using those tricks yourself)

    The Daily Laws (366 succinct lessons for life)

    … book, by Robert Greene
  • 6) Be present

    A New Earth: Access to the Now is everywhere – in the body, the silence, and the space all around you. These are the keys to enter a state of inner peace.

    … book, by Eckhart Tolle

* More Great Suggestions *

Podcasts

  • Meet Daryl Davis (by Chloe Valdary, Theory of Enchantment)
    In addition to being an amazing musician, Daryl’s claim to fame is getting hundreds of members of the KKK to leave the organization. You heard that right. As an African-American who regularly hangs out with klan leaders, Daryl’s very being serves as a fodder for cognitive dissonance — and, as you’ll hear in this episode, cognitive dissonance is what awakens folks to the quest of self-discovery, truth, and enlightenment.
    Listen at: Apple; Spotify; Stitcher; etc.

Movies & Shows

  • A Walk to Beautiful (Emmy-award-winning documentary)
    The film (by Mary Olive Smith) tells the personal stories of rural women seeking treatment for obstetric fistula, a life-shattering complication of childbirth. The documentary juxtaposes the isolated lives of village women who are outcasts because of their medical condition, with the faraway hospital that offers a miracle after a long and arduous trek—a “walk to beautiful.”
    (Note: this heartbreaking movie provides background info for one of Thomas’ favorite charities, Fistula Foundation.)


  • Poverty, Inc. (documentary) –
    From Toms Shoes to international adoptions, from solar panels to U.S. agricultural subsidies, drawing from over 200 interviews filmed in 20 countries, Poverty, Inc. unearths an uncomfortable side of charity we can no longer ignore.


  • Just Mercy (movie)
    True story. Follows tightly to the book of the same name, also recommended.
    Bryan Stevenson heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned or who were not afforded proper representation. One of his first, and most incendiary, cases is that of Walter McMillian, who, in 1987, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence.
  • Avatar: The Last Airbender
    (specifically, the animated 2005 — 2008 show)
    This is just fun to watch and very well-written, while also providing wisdom, mostly Eastern style, to consider. “As a viewer, The Last Airbender teaches without trying – and is a shining example of what it means to show unconditional devotion to a greater cause.” – Vanity Fair (Netflix; Paramount+; Fandango)


  • It’s a Wonderful Life
    After George Bailey (James Stewart) wishes he had never been born, an angel (Henry Travers) is sent to earth to make George’s wish come true. George starts to realize how many lives he has changed and impacted, and how they would be different if he was never there. (Fandango)

Books

  • High Conflict – by Amanda Ripley
    When we are baffled by the insanity of the “other side”—in our politics, at work, or at home—it’s because we aren’t seeing how the conflict itself has taken over. (Un-baffle yourself with fascinating case studies and actionable wisdom. There is also a discussion guide.)
  • The Precipice – by Toby Ord
    (optimistic and frightening at the same time)
    With the advent of nuclear weapons, humanity entered a new age, where we face existential catastrophes – those from which we could never come back. Since then, these dangers have only multiplied, from climate change to engineered pathogens and artificial intelligence. If we do not act fast to reach a place of safety, it will soon be too late.
  • Don’t Label Me – by Irshad Manji
    “Manji shows us a different way to think about identity; one that is humble, loving, humane, and therefore likely to work for many more people. In a time of rising national polarization and distrust, Don’t Label Me is among the most important books for Americans to read now.” – Jonathan Haidt
    …Includes practical, succinct action steps, especially in the final short chapters.
  • Never Finished – by David Goggins
    Just chapter 1 on its own is already a powerhouse story, on the topic of being a victim and survivor, and in the difficult and painful choices that follow, on the thought of “It’s not your fault, but it is your responsibility.“

Short Pieces

^ The Four Great Untruths (overly simple, binary, bad pieces of advice… which people are increasingly being taught)


  • Leverage Points – by Donella Meadows
    A beautiful and informative starting point for anyone who wants to fu… I mean… change the system. It’s an excerpt from the classic on systems – Thinking in Systems. (See also the Waters Center …also linked below.)

Fav Orgs

  • Fistula Foundation
    Cure women of untreated childbirth injuries (with an org that is universally agreed to be one of the most impactful per dollar charities on earth).

    This charity is well-worth donating 1% – 10% of your income to if you care about having a positive impact in the world. (Donating even a small amount here has a massive, concrete impact.)

  • Give Directly
    Send money straight up to the poorest people on earth (with an org that is universally agreed to be one of the most impactful per dollar charities on earth).

    Note that while giving money straight up, to poor people, in high-income countries has uncertain outcomes as far as I can tell; doing so in low-income counties, full of *extreme* poverty, has plentiful evidence and is even considered a gold standard of impact.

    This charity is well-worth donating 1 – 10% of your income to, if you care about having a positive impact in the world. (Donating even a small amount here has a massive, concrete impact.)


  • Waters Center for Systems Thinking
    Understand what systems thinking is and how to incorporate the habits, tools and concepts of systems thinking into your work and life. Check out their free self-paced “Thinking Tools Studio” and other free and paid offerings.

  • FIRE
    The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s mission is to defend and sustain the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought — the most essential qualities of liberty. (A principled org that defends free speech in general, no matter what “side” it is coming from.) The ACLU had its time, and is still useful in some manners; but now this is the premier organization for this topic.


  • EWG (free) and ConsumerLab (paid)
    Consumer guides to help you learn about the hidden health dangers in your food, water and everyday products to make better decisions.
    (People can accuse either of these orgs of being too paranoid. I think that can be a valid perspective… because we don’t want to get too stressed about things we ultimately can only do so much to control… and indeed our bodies are generally WAY more powerful than random small harms and toxins… than we sometimes realize. That said, if you want to know which water filters do a better job than others (and MANY other topics)… these are both great places to check out.)

News

“If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you do read it, you’re misinformed.” — Denzel Washington

I think medium to long-form study of certain topics… is overall better than making sure to stay on top of all the daily stressful headlines. (“being a regular reader of books will put you ahead of many writers who are merely reacting to the latest headlines and trending topics” – Rob Henderson). I think it’s even valid to just never read the news at all. That said:

  • Reason
    While this is a libertarian-oriented entity (which I personally appreciate), I find them to also be balanced in giving multiple valid perspectives. They accurately state that their reporting “exists outside of the left/right echo chamber.” (Broadly, libertarians are vehemently anti-war; believe in government but in having its powers severely limited; and believe anyone should have the freedom to say or do anything that is not hurting anyone else.) (Separately, I also enjoy the libertarian-oriented podcast Part of the Problem, though this is more informal and likely to be wrong about about something here and there, than the formal reporting of Reason.)


  • All Sides / GroundNews
    Presents information and ideas from different mainstream sides of the political spectrum simultaneously; presents “blindspot” stories; does select write-ups themselves. (I don’t look at these sites too often, but I think either can be a go-to for anyone who does want to track headline stories from various mainstream sources at the same time.)

Latest update: April 2025
If you have any suggestions, let me know 🙂