Kate Young

Coherence is what the human mind longs for most. When life lacks meaning, it’s often because experiences feel unstrung. Experience, by itself, is inert. It is structureless data. The act of tracing a line through the events of our lives is what makes life feel like a life, as opposed to a series of disjointed impressions.

Meaning doesn’t always live

In the end, the difference between a life that feels empty and a life that feels full is our willingness to fill it — with intention, with experience, with action.

Our brains are brilliant and maddening. They are wired to keep us alive, yes, but not necessarily to keep us alive in the fullest sense. Evolution didn’t care about sunsets or spontaneous adventures; it cared about predictability, safety, and conserving energy. That wiring persists today. Really living takes energy. It takes attention, planning,

Ultimately you'll have to determine the info-diet that works for you. But if you insist on endlessly consuming whatever the web serves you, know that this banquet culminates in a bitter dessert: at the end of your life, when you're weighing your regrets, you probably won’t say “Man, I wish I’d spent more time browsing the web.” On the contrary,

I know that one day my biggest regret will be not calling my parents often enough and not spending enough quality time with them. So why can't I bring myself to do something about it now and avoid having this regret in the future?

Focus too on the sentiments these stories inspire. The simplest way to strengthen a feeling is to savour experiences. So stop idly scrolling through life as if it’s a feed, and learn to focus your attention on the here and now. People who practice mindfulness tend to have a slower experience of time. For instance, when faced with a choice of