Matthieu de Gaudemar

“Desire that arises in agitation is an expression of the ego; desire that arises in stillness is an expression of the soul.”

Taste is not the same as correctness, though. To do something correctly is not necessarily to do it tastefully. For most things, correctness is good enough, so we skate by on that as the default. And there are many correct paths to take. You’ll be able to cook a yummy meal, enjoy the movie, build a useable product, don a shirt that fits. But taste... See more

The best definition of taste I found comes from painter John Folley. He says “‘Good taste' is simply to have a well formed opinion, in accordance with the realities of the Good and the True.” There are tasteful and non-tasteful choices. Taste reveals its purveyor to be a good decision-maker.

Being in the minority doesn’t make you wrong, but being careless, simply performative, or provocative does. If we want our opinions to matter, they must be intentional, informed, and valuable. This responsibility in forming opinions is what makes our contributions meaningful and impactful.

Autonomy frays as pervasive nudging and infinite scroll dull the habit of deliberate, self-directed thought. We risk becoming subjects of the feed rather than stewards of our minds.

The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom." - Isaac Asimov