Thanks for being a Clear Thinker. I have a few questions for you.

I just published my 80th letter. Help shape the next 80 letters, and the future of Clear Thinker.

If you just have a few minutes: Please shape the future of Clear Thinker by answering a few questions here. Thank you.

I’ve published 80 letters on this Substack.

Most of you know me from videos. That’s how I built whatever audience I have, and I’m not stopping. But the longer I do this work, the more I keep running into the same problem.

A single 3 minute video takes me around five hours to make. Sometimes much longer than that.

It takes so long because I take great care to think about what I’m going to say, how to deliver it so it can be received even by those who disagree, how to make it engaging, make it visually pleasant (boy is it difficult recording outdoors), and make it constructive, account for both sides, and make sure it’s well-researched.

And while I love making them, it’s not sustainable to do daily. There are weeks where something happens in the world, and by the time I can get a video out, the moment has moved.

The news cycle moves faster than I can produce videos. So do the conversations happening in group chats, in DMs, on X. So do the misreadings I think someone should be pushing back on while there’s still a chance to change minds.

I want to be able to communicate more often and more quickly. So I’m going to start sharing more of my thoughts via text.

The mission of Clear Thinker

The goal of Clear Thinker has always been providing clarity in an age of confusion.

We’re flooded with more information than any generation in history and have less ability to sort through it.

I’m trying to help solve that problem with transparent reasoning, first-principles thinking, nuance, self-awareness, and honesty - in real time.

Sometimes I also just sharing what I’m curious about, or need to get off my chest as a human. Whether the topic is faith, foreign policy, immigration, the homelessness crisis in LA, or whatever else lands on the table that week.

Video is one way to do that. Writing is another. And writing has an edge: it’s faster, it goes deeper on the parts that need depth, and it lets you read at your pace, not mine.

I want more of both. Writing just lets me move at the speed the moment actually requires.

Thank you

If you’re reading this, you’re either someone who’s been with me a while on Substack, or you just clicked over from another platform. Either way, thank you.

The notes I’ve gotten over the last year have changed how I think, what I write about, and how seriously I take this.

What I’m asking

I just dropped a survey, and I’d really appreciate your input on it.

It’s longer than a normal survey because I want to know what’s actually on your mind. What topics you want me to cover. What formats work for you. What you wish I’d do more of, and less of. Where you think this project should go next.

The next 80 letters will be shaped by what I hear back.

The clearer your signal, the better I can serve it. Thank you for being part of this.

-Kaizen