And somewhere in the middle of all that, I arrived at a surprisingly comfortable conclusion, best expressed by that great sailor and underrated philosopher, a man whose entire health plan consisted of canned spinach: "I yam what I yam."

But I’ve always been an optimist. Not because I believe everything will turn out wonderfully. It might not. Humanity has demonstrated a remarkable ability to make a mess of things, often with considerable enthusiasm. Still, I remain optimistic. Why? Well, I’ve been thinking about that.

There are real problems in the world. There always have been. There will be new ones. Some will be manageable. Some will be exaggerated. Some will disappear because technology changes. Some will require collective action. Some will be considerably worse than we initially thought. And occasionally, we will simply be wrong.

There may be technologies we should enthusiastically pursue. Others we should pursue cautiously. Some we should delay until we understand them better. And perhaps there are things humanity will eventually become capable of doing that we collectively decide we simply shouldn't do.

The primary question may be: can humanity control itself? Can nations resist developing a technology merely because an adversary might develop it? Can corporations delay releasing a profitable product because its societal consequences are uncertain? Can researchers walk away from an experiment because the potential knowledge doesn't justify the potential risk? Can individuals possessing extraordinary technological capability voluntarily choose not to use it irresponsibly?

For most of human history, progress has meant overcoming limitations. We learned to travel farther. Build higher. Communicate faster. Live longer. Produce more. Harness greater energy. Manipulate matter. Manipulate life. And perhaps now, create forms of intelligence unlike our own.

I came to John Locke in a quiet place, both physically and mentally. I was serving on an isolated post in the Mediterranean while in the Coast Guard, far removed from the noise of modern politics, media, and constant commentary. This was before the Internet as we know it today. There was no endless stream of opinion, no algorithm feeding outrage, no instant consensus to join or reject.

Work is one of the oldest ideas we carry with us. It sits at the center of how we understand ourselves. It follows us from childhood when we first take on small tasks and chores to the long miles of adulthood where the idea of work becomes tied to survival, reputation, identity and a place in society. We often talk about work as employment. We talk about jobs, careers, paychecks, promotions and all the moving parts that keep a household afloat. But that narrow view misses som