I have been thinking a lot about the continued and increasing lack of importance being placed on the idea of conversation , things over the past few years can feel so transactional. Thing is, like everyone, I love the one-way form of conversation that exists via the abundance (and abundance of forms) of content that is out there that drives me to c... See more

Honor your intentions, honor your values, but please , honor exactly what you need.

“The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.” The critic and novelist Namwali Serpell told me that the quotation appeals to her in this moment, even though Žižek’s translation is slightly unfaithful to the original. The phrase “now is the time of monsters,” Serpell said, “allows us to think about the... See more

I also think a lot about the old, iconic structures around the world that have stood the test of time and, in many cases, where we aren’t quite sure of all the details of how they were constructed. Marvels like the Colosseum, Roman aqueducts, or the Great Wall. Incredible architectural feats that were, by necessity, built to last and built slowly –... See more

When we invest in different parts of ourselves, research shows that we’re better equipped to deal with life’s inevitable challenges. For example, in one study, Dr. Patricia Linville found that subjects with a more differentiated idea of themselves—what she calls having greater “self-complexity”—were less prone to depression and physical illnesses f... See more

what if public libraries were open late every night and we could engage in public life there instead of having to choose between drinking at the bar and domestic isolation