Ben Cuan

Speaking from personal experience, however, it feels clear that for our brains, the act of reading and reflecting on a book is not all that different from the act of writing one. In both cases, we are seeking out novel connections, combining existing concepts to produce new ones. So why do we think of the act of consuming, as opposed to producing,... See more

Against these pressures, the act of walking might indeed prove revolutionary because it will afford us an experience of an alternative way of being in the world, one that honors the properly human scale of our experience.

She said, “I trust you’ll figure it out.” Which I’m sure was well-intentioned, but just to be clear, that line didn’t help. It says two things: 

1. There’s something wrong to be figured out, and 

2. It’s on you to do it

reating a life that reflects your values and satisfies your soul is a rare achievement. In a culture that relentlessly promotes avarice and excess as the good life, a person happy doing his own work is usually considered an eccentric, if not a subversive. Ambition is only understood if it's to rise to the top of some imaginary ladder of success.