Competent and Civil

Martin’s reading Ray Dalio’s 2025 book, How Countries Go Broke, which maps 500 years of empire decline. The pattern: debt bloat, political dysfunction, decline. Same story every time.

Martin heard him on the Interesting Times podcast and one point stuck:

A country has a few jobs to stay stable and viable — and near the top is educating kids to be competent and civil. That’s it. Not ideological. Not partisan. Produce capable people who can solve problems and create value — and who know how to live with each other without burning it down. A lot of things will follow from whether you’re winning on that job.

Sources: How Countries Go Broke — Bookshop · Interesting Times — NYT Opinion