George Hahn

If you're a young man trying to figure out what surplus value looks like in practice, here's a filter.

Are you optimizing for attention or service?

Attention offers a dopa hit that evaporates into the ether, sending you chasing after things that will never merit mention in your best man's wedding speech, the story your partner tells about why they chose you, or the eulogy your children give.

Optimizing for service compounds value over a lifetime.

Last Friday, we lost a great American.

Rather than sharing condolences or reflecting on Robert Mueller's decades of service or simply demonstrating some grace, President Trump wrote, good, I'm glad he's dead.

With just five words, Trump personified the antithesis of masculinity.

In contrast, Mueller's life was a case study in what it means to be a man.

He optimized for service as a Marine infantry officer, prosecutor, FBI director, and finally, special counsel.

In addition to a bronze star and purple heart, he was awarded two invaluable titles, husband and father.

Sociologist Robert Merton coined the term role model in 1957 while studying the socialization of medical students.

He found that we learn scripts from role models teaching us how to behave in a specific status.

Doctor, leader, parent, etc.,

Mueller likely had dozens of great role models, but it was David Hackett, a classmate and lacrosse teammate at Princeton, who provided the leadership script.

After learning that his friend had been killed in combat while serving in Vietnam, Mueller volunteered for the Marines.

As a fortunate son, Mueller was reportedly a Creedence Clearwater revival fan, he could have sought deferments, like Bill Clinton, asked a doctor to write a note saying he had bone spurs, like Trump, or had his family pull strings to secure a National Guard spot, like George W. Bush.

Sociologist Alec Campbell quantified an uncomfortable truth about the Vietnam War

someone from the general population was three times to four times more likely to die in combat than an Ivy League graduate.

Mueller's decision to serve was out of step with his socioeconomic cohort, but very much in character.

I had one of the finest role models I could have asked for in an upperclassman by the name of David Hackett, Mueller recalled in a 2013 speech he gave as FBI director.