Time, Existence & Anxious People
We are indeed the burntout generation. The sheer volume of stimuli all around us makes that inevitable. Still, we lament the time lost gathering and putting ourselves together.
Sorry for being away. Life often stops you in your tracks for no apparent reason; at least none that you can fathom. You stare out windows, try to glean some meaning and acknowledge the truth that we are indeed the burntout generation. The sheer volume of stimuli all around us makes that inevitable. Still, we lament the time lost gathering and putting ourselves together.
Time is a funny thing really - a construct for sure, but one that determines so much of our self worth. What if in the future you could give away 'time' to others as a means to better your life? As a punishment? As a collateral on a loan? Say 25 years if you can't repay the loan...15 years so you can get citizenship and visas for your family. This is the premise for Paradise, a film on Netflix. The idea is novel, even though the narrative tapers from that point and never finds it way back. There's little doubt the rich would pay, fund such research to prolong their lives. Peter Thiel has already invested millions in a concept called 'transhumanism' - funding biological enhancements that could allow 'some people' to live over 160 years.
In an excerpt from The End of Reality, you will find how four tech oligarchs are trying to reshape reality. Would we truly be happy living in the metaverse, subsisting on universal basic income? What would happen to our sense of self, then? We have already lost critical thinking due to the technological tools at our disposal. Maybe, we do need to stare out of windows a little more...
Poetry: Boketto by Susan Rich
Outside my window it’s never the same—
some mornings jasmine slaps the house, some mornings sorrow.
There is a word I overheard today, meaning lost
not on a career path or across a floating bridge:
Boketto—to stare out windows without purpose.
Don’t laugh; it’s been too long since we leaned
into the morning: bird friendly coffee and blueberry toast. Awhile
since I declared myself a prophet of lost cats—blind lover
of animal fur and feral appetites. Someone should tag
a word for the calm of a long marriage. Knowledge
the heat will hold, and our lights remain on— a second
sight that drives the particulars of a life: sea glass and salt,
cherry blossoms and persistent weeds. What assembles in the middle
distance beyond the mail truck; have I overlooked oceans,
ignored crows? I try to exist in the somehow, the might still be—
gaze upward to constellations of in-between.
Books: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
A failed robbery, a hostage crisis and an unlikely bunch stuck together - that's the basic setting of Anxious People. Unlike the heavy-duty action, frenzy and fast-paced narrative associated with the premise, this one is mellow (in a good way). It's a book that reinforces that mistakes happen; be it the snarky rich, odd couples, soon-to-be parents, GenZ - we are all messed up in different ways. Backman manages to maintain a semblance of mystery about the robber but that's hardly the point. It's about idiots and how appearances can be deceptive. Witty, quirky and simple, it's a book to pick up when overwhelmed with life.
Ps: We haven't read Backman's other novel A Man Called Ove, but the movie is a decent watch.
Don't miss:
Hansal Mehta's Afwaah, which showcases how politicians use social media to engineer riots and drive-up hatred. We wish the dialogues and execution were better, but at least it's addressing the reality of our times.
Matt Haig on how to overcome anxiety in a 24/7 modern world. Listen in.
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