“We follow the Rule of St. Benedict,” this monk explained, “and the first word of that rule is ‘Listen.’ That’s the great ethical element of silence: to check my words and listen to another point of view.”

“joyous exploration”—defined as “the recognition and desire to seek out new knowledge and information, and the subsequent joy of learning and growing.”

Silence isn’t an endgame. It’s a catalyst, an opportunity to discover truer things about the world outside or inside your head. —DIANE COOK

Just be straight-up random once in a while.

He speculated about an alternate reality in which every murder scene was clearly and lastingly marked—with a plaque, perhaps, to permanently commemorate what happened and who was lost.

Get there the hard way: by engaging with the world, not skimming over it.

“The best way to complain is to make things.”

Expand your attention to include everything that you can possibly hear, without judgment. The ear hears. The brain listens. —PAULINE OLIVEROS

Kalman hopes to “remind us that we should really be very curious and look around and not take things for granted,” he said. “Find the joy in wondering about that toilet paper roll or that coffee cup lid or that onion ring, and think: ‘Perhaps this is just as strong a definition of who we are as anything some sociopolitical journal might stamp on