Why not give others presents on your birthday?

Why Not? is a biweekly newsletter from Post Opinions written by columnist Daniel Pink, who will explore bold, surprising ideas to improve our world. Click the “subscribe” button above to make sure you receive every edition of this newsletter.

By Daniel Pink, Contributing Opinion columnist

This summer, I marked what some call a “milestone birthday” — the kind where your odometer flips two digits, not just one, and the second digit is a plump and menacing zero.

My approach to birthdays is usually twofold: dread them in advance and endure them in the moment.

But this year, facing a number that seemed like a celestial clerical error, I decided to confront my birthday directly instead of tolerating it awkwardly. Rather than wait to receive a few cards and gifts from friends and family, why not celebrate my birthday by giving presents to others?

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Another big question:

In 2022, more than 9 million vehicles were involved in a crash, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Nearly 11 percent of those vehicles were turning left at the time of the crash, more than double the number turning right. In this column, Daniel Pink asks: Why not ban left turns on busy streets in U.S. cities?

Who is government?

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These are long reads, but worth your time. Here is a look at the essays in the series so far:

• The Canary: Michael Lewis on the Department of Labor
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• The Number: John Lanchester on the Bureau of Labor Statistics
• The Cyber Sleuth: Geraldine Brooks on the Internal Revenue Service

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