OTS feels like a symptom of a deeply American addiction to growth: that we always have to keep pushing ourselves forward, no matter the costs, to feel some measure of success, some modicum of personal and societal gratification. It’s like turning all the worst late-stage capitalism work habits onto our bodies . It makes no sense, but it makes total... See more
In choosing how we are in the world, we shape our experience of that world, our contribution to it. We shape our world, our inner world, our outer world, which is really the only one we’ll ever know. And to me, that’s the substance of the spiritual journey. That’s not an exasperating idea but an infinitely emboldening one.
People are too conscious about choosing the ‘right’ thing that signifies their taste level, or who they are as a person.
“And I get it, sometimes I say, ‘What’s the white tee I should buy?’ instead of, ‘This is what I want to spend and here’s what looks good on me.’ Same with ingredients — ‘Here’s what tastes good to me, f**k what anyone else recom... See more
“The issue of sovereignty in cyberspace is not new. It is only finally reaching the logical implosion of its contradiction in open societies where the infrastructure of digital connectivity is controlled by private interests aligned with a libertarian worldview untethered from the grounded ethos of communities that must absorb its consequences.”
I’ve been teaching creative writing for many years. And teaching writing is a weird thing, because it’s not just about helping students master a subject. It’s really about helping them discover what stories they’re meant to tell, how best to tell those stories, and how to overcome the inhibitions that inevitably arise when we seize the mantle of na... See more
my sense is that people who take a long time to respond to messages, or tend to go into shame spirals about them, often put a lot of pressure on themselves to respond in a specific way
Perhaps confidence isn’t something to be built; it's right under the surface when that heavy bulk of needing to be someone is lifted. Embracing being no one helped me feel authentic and confident, which, in my opinion, is way cooler than any expensive-looking sweater.