Don’t Ask Why, Ask Why Not
“Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not.” –Pablo Picasso Many people might think of Picasso as the man who looked at the world as if it were a kaleidoscope and thought, “Why not make it even more twisted?” But, he’s also the guy […]
Creativity Means Letting Go of Certainties
“Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.” – Erich Fromm Imagine for a moment that we lived in a world where the concept of gravity didn’t exist. In such a world, apples don’t fall but instead float. We would walk not on the ground, but through thin air. Such a drastic reimagining of […]
The Confederacy of Dunces
“When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him.” – Jonathan Swift, Thoughts on Various Subjects, Moral and Diverting John Swift’s aphorism about the Confederacy of Dunces is more than just a quote from a great 18th century essayist. It […]
Two Wrong Turns
“I have always felt like I was two wrong turns away from complete destruction. We all are, and we’re fooling ourselves if we think we’re not.” – Jami Attenberg This piece of raw honesty from Jami Attenberg speaks volumes about our shared human condition. The quote comes from her memoir, “I Came All This Way […]
Failure is Always an Option
“Failure is always an option.” – Adam Savage of MythBusters Is it better to fail miserably and be forgotten, or to fail gloriously and make history? Would it be better to fail in obscurity and fade away into irrelevance? Or, should we seek to fail spectacularly in public view so that others may partake in […]
Smiling While Running
In her Substack newsletter post entitled “Just Smile and Glide,” Jamie Currie discusses one of her running friends. She remarks on his beautiful running form, comparing it to that of the legendary Eluid Kipchoge. I’ve never been a runner myself, as I prefer brisk walks for my exercise. Still, I’ve always been fascinated by the […]
Bridging Global Divides
We live in an era characterized by unprecedented connectivity and yet, paradoxically, also burgeoning divisiveness. This is why, for me, E.B. White’s call in his essay ‘Intimations’ to find individuals “big enough to love the whole planet” reverberates with a profound urgency. White’s words from December 1941 beckon us to envision a society nurtured by […]