With chaos and uncertainty rampant, being clear on our values and emotions is vital. The past seven days have brought two inspiring examples of how to achieve this, from Ariana Grande and Minister Chrystia Freeland. We are living through an age of anger. This is according to Indian author Pankaj Mishra. Mishra argues that “the […]
Category: Uncategorized
Peace to one and to all
Peace to one and to all. Today and all days. Gentle reader: Is there a word for that increasingly familiar feeling of the sharp realisation – whilst blearily looking at one’s social media updates first thing of a morning – that something terrible has happened? For this to happen once in a lifetime is too […]
What’s driving you?
Gentle reader: Where does your own motivation come from? Where does motivation originate, and how can it be replenished? What drives people to keep going and keep achieving over sustained periods? Martin Amis is the master of the two-worder. He can create pairings of words that cut to the essence of their subject with a […]
Be better than me
I’ve been silent on this blog for a little while. It’s been much too long for me. Things have been distinctly hectic, meaning that I’ve not had sufficient time alone with my thoughts. It’s time to pull back and to think. Time to draw breath again. Time to feel inspired. Inspiration can come from any […]
Bubbles and psychos, learning and bicycles
Do you know how to learn? Life is always trying to teach you a lesson. It may not be what you want to hear. But you are well advised to listen. The game is never fair. The rules are always changing. The lessons are always there for you to learn, if you choose to heed […]
Three ages of play: Doodles, poodles, apple strudels
Why is play often seen as harder to justify as we get older? Play is both a luxury activity and an essential one. Play sets the imagination free. This is captured perfectly in 2014 cinematic masterpiece The Lego Movie – the purest depiction I’ve seen of the joyous, light-speed leaps and bounds of the mind […]
The essence of everything
“Impermanence is the essence of everything,” says Pema Chödrön in When Things Fall Apart. “Impermanence is a principle of harmony.” I’ve been thinking a lot of late about impernance and the fleeting nature of things and of life. The lifespan of a flower is fleeting. The picture at the top of this page is the […]
Twitter’s perfect compromise?
If you tweet, what do you think of this week’s radical new change to Twitter’s very @-ness? Gifting us more characters to play with, or a disturbance in the Force of what Twitter is all about? “A good compromise is when both parties are dissatisfied." These words are widely attributed to the great Larry David […]
Like nobody is reading
If a tree falls in a forest and no-one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?* Is the true Zen wisdom of blogging to be found not in whether it speaks to an audience, but in the purity of writing itself? Moby has been there and done that. In a fascinating chinwag […]
A little hate must fall
Into every life a little hate must fall. It’s what you do with it next that counts. Former Outkast gent Andre 3000 has the most wonderful voice. Listening to his NPR Microphone Check podcast appearance, it’s easy to imagine loving everything he says. But no matter who you are, what you say, or how you […]
MJCarty 