Slow Dispatches From China

When we try to force nature into the boxes of culture, we lose the breathing room where boredom, awe, and contemplation take place. In mystery, we don’t need to feel like everything is functional or productive. Mystery makes life feel less like a self-improvement project and more like a chance to be inspired. When we define things with premature cl... See more

Yet one of art’s most compelling features is how it showcases the disjuncts between the time of composition, the time of dissemination, and the time of consideration—disjuncts that can summon us to humility and wonder. Such temporal amplitude understandably falls out of favor in politically polarized times, in which the pressure to make clear “whic

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But in this process, we must remember something important: life is not meant to be rushed through. It is not a race, nor is it a problem to be solved. It is an experience to be lived, and living well requires presence. To focus on one thing deeply, to give it your full attention, is to experience it fully. And when we do this, something remarkable ... See more