The Human Protocol — Holiday Note

A Christmas Pause

By Mykel Salomon · 2025-12-27

A Christmas PauseThis week, I didn’t want to publish something that asked more from you. No big idea to wrestle with. No framework. No provocation.Just a pause.Because if The Human Protocol is about anything, it’s about remembering when to slow down, especially in a world that keeps asking us to speed up.Christmas has a way of revealing what matters. Not in grand gestures, but in quiet ones.In shared meals. In missed calls answered anyway. In support teams working through the holidays so others don’t have to. In parents doing their best. In leaders holding space when energy is low. In people showing up, even when they’re tired.This year has been heavy for many of us. Change accelerated. AI moved faster than our conversations about it. Work blurred into life. And for a lot of people, the holidays didn’t feel simple or light.So if all you did this year was survive , that still counts.If you supported others while carrying your own weight, that matters.If you’re ending the year with more questions than answers, you’re not behind.Gratitude, for me, isn’t about pretending everything is good. It’s about noticing what’s real.And what’s real is this: None of us build, lead, care, or grow alone.I’m grateful for the conversations this community has held. For the disagreements handled with respect. For the curiosity. For the willingness to stay human in discussions about technology, leadership, and the future.If you’re reading this during a quiet moment, I hope you rest.If you’re reading this while working, I hope you feel seen.If you’re reading this while carrying something heavy, I hope you know you don’t have to carry it perfectly.We’ll return to the big questions soon enough. But for now, let this be enough:Presence over performance. People over systems. Human over everything.Thank you for being here. Thank you for staying human.Wishing you peace, warmth, and space to breathe, wherever you are.— Mykel