Given the rise in the popularity of figures like Jordan Peterson and Andrew Tate, a lot of folks on the left have been asking why the right seems to be monopolizing the self-help-for-young-people industry. The answer to this is that right-wing politics are intrinsically individualistic and take for granted that things like willpower and personal character are what improves society. As a socialist, I am interested in building a just and egalitarian society that is functional despite individual shortcomings; I am interested in systems and institutions. Your soul I leave to God, and your brain I leave to your therapist.

That said, since it’s Friday and I’m still working on a more substantive political piece, I thought I’d post the kind of advice that I usually give to the young people I interact with: students, relatives, the children of friends, and people online. Most of this is very modest and I won’t pretend that it works for everyone, but these are definitely things that have helped me and I hope that any young readers might find them useful, too.