Despite strong polls in recent weeks, disgraced former Governor of New York will not be the next mayor of New York City.
Andrew Cuomo conceded the Democratic primary Tuesday night to state lawmaker Zohran Mamdani who will likely become the first Muslim mayor of the nation’s largest city.
While this would be historic, the most notable aspect of this race was the fact that Mamdani endorsed another candidate other than himself.
He threw his support behind New York City comptroller Brad Lander. Lander, in turn, endorsed Mamdani.
In a media blitz earlier this week, they told folks, “If you don’t vote for me, vote for him… but whatever you do, don’t vote for Cuomo.”
The strategy paid off and reminded me of a contentious East Texas Sheriff’s race I once covered.
The Republican won and his first official act was to hire his Democratic opponent as his Chief Deputy.
“Why would I not want someone of his caliber on my team?” the sheriff reasoned.
Such acts of political cooperation are proof positive that there is still a robust middle ground— even in local politics.
We should take a lesson and strive for the same in our day-to-day interactions.
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Federal funding is being slashed for universities around the country.
Attention spans are broken, literacy rates are down and AI is jeopardizing our critical thinking skills.
To that end, “brain rot” was Oxford Dictionary’s 2024 Word of the Year.
But amid all this bad news about our collective intellect, pockets of resistance are emerging outside traditional academic settings.
Groups of intellectual hobbyists are popping up across the country.
Otherwise busy, everyday people are seeking structured learning communities both online and in person.
According to New York Magazine, guests at a coffee shop recently enjoyed a lecture titled “The Age of Rage: Understanding Modern Movements” given by a CUNY professor.
It was a production from Lectures on Tap, which books 45-minute lectures given by experts and academics at bars around Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The organization is expanding to Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago.
And tickets are selling out.
Similar events are popping up across the country.
Here in Texoma, the Lost Street Brewery in Durant, Oklahoma is hosting bi-monthly “Lectures on Lost Street.”
They promise “learning with a twist… captivating talks… perfect for a night out with drinks and brain food.”
So, maybe learning is not a passing phase. Maybe late nights at the club will be replaced by early evenings at the lecture.
Maybe not, but— either way— this trend is encouraging. We should never quit learning.
It was Einstein who once said, “Once you stop learning, you start dying.”
If a great conversation over a drink will stave off an early death, count me in.
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Just this week, we’ve been working to increase our stable of contributors.
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Source: Freepik.com