Take a moment to appreciate the pinafores and listen to the lollygags.
Tag: advice
Why Does Rage Bait Work?
No one wants to be mad all the time. So why does social media constantly tempt us with rage bait? And why do we consistently bite?
The Struggle to Write Is the Struggle to Think
Ask most people to define “writing,” and they’ll tell you it’s the process of putting words down on paper, communicating what you already know. In reality, writing is often how you discover what you don’t know—and so how you learn to think better.
How Do You Stay Hopeful?
The philosopher Ernst Bloch argued that hope is woven into the fabric of reality. Here’s a brief look at his big ideas, plus prompts to get you thinking and writing (hopefully).
I Used to Be ChatGPT
In the early 2000s, my job was to find and share answers to hard questions fast. Here’s what that experience taught me about how humans know, why we need to keep thinking together, and when we’re better than any artificial intelligence.
What I Learned When Dad Was Dying
Paying attention to what matters most is harder than ever—and just as important as it always has been.
Sometimes the Deep Magic Prevails
Reflections from a wedding on a Blue Ridge mountainside.
Ode to a Woman and a Civil Servant
My mother taught me that to be a decent human you have to despise cruelty. And she was right.
Read Closely, Listen Actively, Lead Wisely
Do whatever it takes to let yourself fully engage—to read and think and write back. The right people will love you for it.
You Gotta Help
It is not your job alone to save the world. But it is your job—it is all of our job—to help.
