if not us, who?
welcome to Culture Carrier — a weekly newsletter for people who want to make the world a better place.
welcome.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been chasing one question:
What can individual people actually do about the state of the world?
It’s a big question — one most of us carry quietly but rarely pause to grapple with. This newsletter is my answer — and my offering — to anyone asking the same.
We all have the potential to influence the world around us. To rebel against what is and create something new. But that instinct is undermined by a culture optimized for speed, distraction, and the empty pursuit of ‘more.’ More wealth, more stuff, more status.
At some level, we all know that we’re meant for something beyond just surviving the chaos of contemporary life. We’re meant to contribute something. But with no obvious starting point, no clearly defined path, we pull back.
We scroll. We stress. We entertain ourselves. And as the days pass by, we resist the urge to investigate where in the beautiful mess of modern society we might fit. We forget that we’re here to make a unique contribution, to help shape what comes next.
why culture matters
Culture isn’t just the norms and conventions we share — it’s the story we tell about what matters. It informs how we spend our time, what we value, and how we relate to each other. Inevitably, it’s shaped top-down by big institutions like media, politics, and education. But it’s also shaped from the bottom up, by you and me — by what we create, how we talk, what we share, and what we choose to celebrate.
Culture isn’t fixed. We all participate in it. We all influence how it evolves.
So, if we want the world to look different, we have to change the story it runs on. We have to carry a new culture forward.
But what does that actually look like? An evolved culture might prize depth over speed, sustainability over financial returns, or shared purpose over the status game. Maybe it values creating, connecting, and being a part of something bigger than ourselves.
That might sound lofty. Perhaps even a bit naive. But if there were ever a time to think differently, it’s now.
why now?
We’re living in an in-between moment — the systems of yesterday are wobbling, but new ones haven’t yet taken form. We’re surrounded by signals — from tech-driven divides to declining mental health — that something fundamental needs to shift.
But what’s missing in the mainstream discourse is that these signals point to a generational opportunity to reimagine what comes next.
No one can look out and say modern culture and existing institutions are thriving. We have a rare window, as the ground is shifting anyway, to ask deeper questions about who we are, how we got here, and who we want to be. Asking these questions as individuals and as a society matters. Because the truth is: human potential has never been higher. We have the power to impact and inspire like never before. I’m writing this because I think this moment asks more of us than we’re currently giving it.
This is an invitation to look closely at the dominant culture and ask: what can we build in its place?
the mission
Culture Carrier nurtures the part of you that believes something better is possible.
Each week, I’ll share ideas, inspiration, and tools I’ve found useful for sustaining that internal fire. Because beneath the forces driving this culture are people like you and me who decide to live, work, speak, and create differently.
And that’s how change actually happens, bottom-up and inside out.
If not us, who?
j
PS: If you’re down with the mission, I’d love it if you shared this with anyone who would be, as well.
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