Thought provoking

The second thing I’ll note is what that intelligence is for : finding a way to survive. We sometimes use that word today to refer only to the meanest conditions of survival—that is, to survive but not to thrive—but I think that demeans the work of survival. The word comes from the Latin vīvere, that is to live, to be alive. To be alive in all our f... See more

Another facet to bring into this inquiry is to move beyond the sense of our small, restricted lives into something broader that connects us to our shared humanity. In this way we can flip the question to see what emerges. Instead of “What do I want to do with my life?” we might ask “What does life want from me?” This addresses the trap of thinking ... See more

In what ways does self-expression, whether through writing, art, or conversation, awaken us to the richness of existence, and how might it guard against the monotony of routine?

“Everything is intelligent. When people say they can’t see it, they’re talking about academic intelligence. They assume what they’ve heard in school about IQ and human intelligence is what it is....[But that] academic achievement, that’s not about survival. What I’m talking about is not academic intelligence. It’s biological intelligence....Every o... See more

Collecting and archiving are ways to reclaim and own our attention—they are acts of meaning-making. These practices are rituals: habits and skills that demand time, patience, and a willingness to look beyond the surface.

To collect well is to resist algorithmic influence. A true collection reflects deeply personal values and a genuine desire to know... See more