The relationship between technology and human connection presents one of today’s most significant challenges. Alejandro Betancourt, through his business ventures and written work, offers thoughtful perspectives on maintaining our humanity while embracing technological advancement. His approach suggests that technology, when used mindfully, can enhance rather than diminish authentic human experience.
Mindful Technology Integration
As founder of ALMA Capital with its focus on technology investments and a partner in various fintech ventures, Betancourt clearly values technological innovation. However, his writings reveal careful consideration about how these tools fit into a well-lived life rather than blindly embracing every new development.
“Our brains crave certainty the way we crave whatever food we’ve decided not to keep in the house,” he writes in “That’s Just the Facts! (Or Is It?),” highlighting how digital environments can exploit our psychological tendencies. This awareness of technology’s potential to manipulate attention allows him to establish healthier relationships with digital tools.
Rather than taking extreme positions of either complete rejection or uncritical acceptance, Betancourt’s approach involves intentional adoption of technologies that align with human values and needs. This balanced perspective allows him to leverage technology’s benefits while guarding against its potential downsides.
Digital Platforms as Connection Tools
Despite potential pitfalls, Betancourt actively utilizes digital platforms to share ideas and connect with others. His Substack newsletter “Beyond Two Cents” and Medium publication “Bottomline Talks” demonstrate how online spaces can facilitate meaningful exchanges when used with intention.
What distinguishes his approach from typical online content is his emphasis on depth over virality. His essays invite readers into thoughtful consideration rather than quick consumption, demonstrating how digital media can support substantial engagement rather than merely capturing fleeting attention.
“This isn’t about winning; it was about not losing myself to the fight,” he writes in “Soaked and Smirking,” a sentiment that seems to extend to his approach to digital engagement. By maintaining focus on genuine human connection rather than metrics or algorithms, he models how technology can serve authentic expression rather than distorting it.
Future-Focused Investment Perspectives
Betancourt’s business interests reflect forward-thinking but grounded perspectives on technology’s evolution. His investment activities through ALMA Capital focus on innovations that address fundamental human needs like clean water access and sustainable energy rather than merely chasing trendy technologies.
This approach suggests a belief that the most valuable technological developments will be those that enhance core aspects of human flourishing rather than creating artificial needs or distractions. By directing capital toward solutions to pressing global challenges, he helps shape technology’s evolution in human-centered directions.
His background in fintech also reveals interest in how technology can democratize access to essential services. This focus on practical applications that expand opportunity aligns with his broader philosophy of technology as a tool for human empowerment rather than replacement.
Maintaining Physical Presence
Despite his engagement with digital platforms, Betancourt’s writings frequently emphasize the irreplaceable value of physical experience. Essays like “Soaked and Smirking” celebrate sensory engagement with the world—feeling rain on skin, experiencing muscle fatigue after exercise, or noticing subtle social cues during in-person interactions.
“I’m parked outside a nondescript therapy center, hands clamped on the steering wheel like I’m about to gun it out of there,” he writes in “The Group I Didn’t Want Changed Me,” describing his initial resistance to in-person group therapy. The subsequent transformation he experiences highlights the unique value of physical presence that technology cannot fully replicate.
This appreciation for embodied experience provides an important counterbalance to digital immersion. Rather than suggesting complete technological detachment, his perspective encourages rhythmic alternation between digital engagement and physical presence—using each mode in its appropriate context.
Technological Mindfulness Practices
Throughout his writings, Betancourt suggests specific practices for maintaining healthy relationships with technology. These include:
- Recognizing when digital platforms manipulate attention through psychological triggers
- Creating intentional periods of digital disconnection
- Using technology to enhance rather than replace in-person relationships
- Evaluating new tools based on how they align with core values
- Maintaining awareness of how information sources shape perceptions
These practices don’t require technological abandonment but rather more conscious engagement. By approaching digital tools with greater intentionality, Betancourt suggests we can access their benefits while minimizing potential harms to attention and relationships.
Traditional Values in Contemporary Contexts
Perhaps most notable about Betancourt’s approach is how he integrates traditional human values with contemporary technological contexts. His writings about parenting, creative expression, and philosophical inquiry maintain focus on enduring human concerns while acknowledging how modern tools reshape their expression.
As a single father raising twins, he navigates the additional parenting challenges unique to the digital age. His book “Alex the Dragon: The Quest to Tame Its Fire” addresses emotional regulation—a particularly relevant skill in environments of constant stimulation and instant gratification facilitated by modern technology.
This integration suggests that wisdom for our technological age doesn’t require reinventing human values but rather thoughtfully applying enduring principles to new contexts. Betancourt’s approach demonstrates how traditional values like presence, patience, and contemplation remain relevant even as their expression adapts to changing technological landscapes.
Through his varied activities as investor, parent, and writer, Alejandro Betancourt offers a thoughtful model for navigating our increasingly digital world. His approach neither demonizes technology nor surrenders to its potential downsides, instead showing how intentional engagement can allow us to access modern tools’ benefits while preserving the fundamentally human experiences that give life meaning.
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