Build Something That Lasts

Yesterday I took a little train through the Berkeley hills. While waiting on the platform, there is a ticket booth that had badges displayed in the window—one said ‘Engineer’. I wondered—they meant railway engineer, but as a software AI engineer, I’m an engineer too.

Tilden Park Steam Train @Redwood Valley Railway

It’s a charming little train built for tourists, pulling open flatbed cars through the mountains. The engine is tiny, everyone sitting on seats along both sides as we slowly wind through the forest.

Ambling through the forest, I felt close to everything. I stretched out my arm and let the flowers and leaves brush my fingers. Suddenly it hit me—this train was beautifully made. Built decades ago, still running people through these woods every day.

Build something that lasts.

The engineers who laid this railway—those are the real engineers. They built something that endures. Meanwhile, the internet itself is only 25 years old. We build software products that break after a year. Everything’s moving so fast now—AI agents, new frameworks every month. We’re sprinting, convinced we’re at the center of everything, building something important.

But zoom out and nature’s still there.

Waves crash against the shore. Birds dive toward the water and return to rest on the rocks. Whales and dolphins surface together, heads breaking through to glimpse the world above.

Point Reyes

Nature keeps going whether we notice or not.

The sun rises and sets whether we’re watching or not.

We’re small on this earth. But we’re lucky enough to share it with other creatures. Lucky enough to build things that might make life better.

So we should respect nature first.

Be thoughtful about what we create for this world.

Make things that last, that bring delight.

Not things that are disposable, or like plastic—lasting forever but becoming a burden to nature.

La Jolla Shores Beach @San Diego

Oct 6th, 2025

Vela

Point Reyes