Thought provoking

The most successful cultural critics of our digital age are simply a different kind of influencer, one who may sell a worldview rather than a skincare routine, but are selling something nonetheless.

The more specific we are, the more visible we become. This is the literal definition of attractive - you’re attracting. You’re sending out a signal strong enough for the right people to notice and move toward.

Projection thrives in the absence of detail, but connection does not. Sometimes, this desire isn’t even about the other person, but a defence mechanism. When someone is afraid of being seen as they truly are, they may seek out someone who can’t really look, or doesn’t require require truly seen themselves.

You date someone and notice how they treat strangers with curiosity, or how they read poetry out loud, or how they respond to uncertainty with steadiness instead of fear. Through witnessing someone up close, you realise: I value that. I want to be like that.

You may not be at a point in life to be able to build such a community. But you can find experts and collaborators. Here is how you could do it

1. Define 1-2 areas you’d want to learn about. Something you have been genuinely curious about, ideally for a long time.


2. Ask EVERYONE you know - Hey, I am interested in learning about Y. Do you know someone who

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When I write, I push myself to make definite positive claims. Ambiguity allows thought to remain fluid on the page, floating into a different meaning when put under pressure. This makes it harder to push your thinking deeper. By making clear and sharp claims, I reveal my understanding so that I—or the person I’m writing to—can see the state of my k... See more

To research is to follow a scent. Sometimes you know what you’re looking for. Sometimes you don’t. Sometimes it starts with a single word you can’t shake, a quote you read in passing, or a flicker of an idea that has no shape yet, just feeling.