juliana ong

By the Song dynasty (960 – 1279), the spiritual essence of fishing became deeply intertwined with Daoist philosophy, particularly the concept of Wu Wei (无为), or “non-action.” Rather than passivity, it advocates for effortless action, aligning with the natural flow of the universe instead of forcing outcomes through struggle.

Our super-safe environments may fundamentally shift our psychology. When you’re born into a land of milk and honey, it makes sense to adopt what ecologists refer to as a “slow life history strategy”—instead of driving drunk and having unprotected sex, you go to Pilates and worry about your 401(k). People who are playing life on slow mode care a lot... See more

It seems to me that love should not make all else disappear but should simply tint it with new nuances; I would like a love that accompanies me through life, not that absorbs all my life.

This has helped me understand why female longing and yearning can get so aggressive, almost manic, delirious at times — it is nothing but disguised sexual desire bursting under the right amount of pressure and submission, a passive state that wants to turn active but doesn’t know how to.

I wonder if sunflowers feel lonely; they might not even notice each other standing in a field of flowers. They are too busy trying to see and be seen by the sun. Chasing the light, not unlike how we chase visibility, failing to recognize those around us, and those absent.

Whether it’s cutting it, braiding it, straightening it, touching it, or not touching it, hair has long held personal, cultural, and spiritual significance to generations of individuals and the communities they inhabit. If the body keeps the score, hair certainly does some record-keeping of its own.

This is maybe the single most important core of human psychology - people want to reinforce narratives about themselves. If you’re marketing, don’t sell them a thing, sell them a self image that your thing happens to reinforce.