These Russian conversations import the freedom of dialogues of the dead into everyday life. In some liminal space - “a stinking tavern,” a train compartment, an inn at the crossroads - time seems suspended, and people talk about the depths of their souls as if they were already living outside time.
When someone takes an idea seriously enough, it begins to acquire its own gravity. This is usually my first thought when I encounter a piece of modern art, where the most common critique is “I could do that”. Yes, technically we could, but what we completely miss is that someone had to first take the possibility of doing it seriously. The apparent... See more
I get asked a lot about “tips for alleviating burnout,” and if you’ve been reading this newsletter for awhile, you know I have a few: put your phone on airplane mode before you go into the bedroom; don’t listen to podcasts on walks; dedicate time to hang out with your own mind. But the biggest one is something I first heard from fellow burnout... See more