blueprints

Here are eight imperatives—all of them drawing strength and sustenance from the humanities:

1. We need a way of defining and pursuing progress that doesn’t reduce that concept to something that only comes from a digital device.


2. We desperately need access to values and wisdom that aren’t corrupted by the relentless financial metrics and imposed

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KK: Yes. When you’re doing heavy manual labor, a change in position is almost as good as a rest. If you’re writing, you want to be as specific as possible. Instead of saying there’s a flower in the vase, you say a pale rose rests on the lip of a water glass. The more specific and concrete you can get, the better your writing will be. Some investing... See more

More recently I’ve kept repeating to myself, don’t abandon your vision . Decisiveness is knowing myself well enough to take the plunge, then the rest is all faith.

There are infinite quotidian human experiences ripe for interpreting: putting off housework, caring about who I sit next to at a dinner party, struggling to get dressed. They stack up every day. I’m particularly fond of using them to draw ungenerous conclusions: I’m shallow, selfish, lazy, dishonest. I’ve trained myself away from defending my... See more