Koen Flores

Koen Flores

Feb
24
Running as a Non-Runner

Running as a Non-Runner

The outside world is messy. It’s ridden with uncertainty, mishaps, and unrealistic expectations. A run, as a proxy for life, allows us to glean lessons of control, mental strength, and realism that we can employ mid-run and beyond.
3 min read
Feb
06
Shifting Social Media Incentives with the Subscription Model

Shifting Social Media Incentives with the Subscription Model

The individual cost for a free service may be unquantifiable, but the societal damage is undeniable. The ad revenue model skews the incentives for tech platforms to optimize for engagement, even if it’s at the cost of public health.
10 min read
Jan
17
The Democracy of the Self

The Democracy of the Self

In general, believing that you are the collective sum of your actions makes logical sense, but I think this begins to break down when we consider our moral values. What if our intended actions cast a vote for our desired self and contend with our values?
4 min read
Jan
06
Life Transitions and A Love Letter to Strangers

Life Transitions and A Love Letter to Strangers

Not only do I realize an individual's life complexity, on my best days, I’m fascinated and inspired by them too. It’s this feeling that introduced me to strangers who’ve become friends and it compels me ever so more.
5 min read
Dec
24
Beautiful World, Where Are You (Review)

Beautiful World, Where Are You (Review)

Two weeks ago, I finished Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney. I procrastinated this post for two main
4 min read
Dec
06
The Hairdresser's Line

The Hairdresser's Line

There's this diagram of the different type human of relationships that occasionally pops up on social media. Using
7 min read
Nov
05
Drowning in a Sea Storm (FHF #2)

Drowning in a Sea Storm (FHF #2)

She pulls her knees to her chest and allows her head to slump forward. The darkness swallows her peripheral vision, and to compensate for her loss of awareness, her other senses magnify. She feels the water on her body; first as heated beads on her scalp and then as warm droplets...
3 min read
Oct
28
How I'm Trying to Combat Environmental Hobbyism

How I'm Trying to Combat Environmental Hobbyism

As I've written before, I struggle with managing my ambition [https://www.openthoughtblog.com/with-ambition-comes-insecurity/]. Many of my
4 min read
Oct
08
I've Never Read Robinson Crusoe (FHF #1)

I've Never Read Robinson Crusoe (FHF #1)

Hello, everyone! Thanks for stopping by! This week marks the start of a new blogging series called Five-hundred Fridays. For
2 min read
Sep
30
The Five Building Blocks of Capitalism (Part One of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few)

The Five Building Blocks of Capitalism (Part One of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few)

Capitalism is strange. It’s an economic and political system, yes, but as a concept I believe it’s meaning
11 min read