One Fire

Hi Reader, Words suck. ...he says, necessarily using words. There's a reason I put a poem in the P.S. in my last email. Because when I think about trying to describe the experience of coming home, I just want to give it up as impossible. Words can't do the job. Or they can only in poetry. I'm not really interested in writing poetry, so I need a different angle. The far end of the spectrum from poetry is probably technical writing. I won't subject you to that. I try to avoid pedantry. ...he...

Hi Reader, For the last eight years, it was pretty common to hear "I don't know what I'm talking about" come out of my mouth (or keyboard). I always felt a little awkward about saying this while also writing a book and being on podcasts and generally talking about... well, I don't know what (which was the point)... while simultaneously trying to offer something that would help someone. Was it advice? Self-help? Philosophy? Random blahblah? Are those things even mutually exclusive? I put a lot...

Hi Reader, Imagine with me for a moment. Imagine that this moment is like a single frame in the film of reality. That the past isn't done and gone and the future isn't just a now-imaginary thing that will someday arrive, but that past, present, and future all exist simultaneously in some level of reality that's beyond time. Or, no, not beyond—a level of reality that contains time. Imagine that in the same way the universe contains matter but is not made of matter, reality is not happening...

Hi Reader, A reminder: I started writing these emails aimed at a vision for the future I expressed as "a world no longer divided by religion." I've included an update about that in the P.S. For now, on to the main idea. Let's continue pulling on this thread of growing today. I was particularly happy with the last couple emails I sent you—about my thoughts not being my own, and the paradox of my thoughts being the only things that are my own. I felt I was able to compellingly articulate...

Hi Reader, I'm not going to tell you what I'm thinking right now. Well, that's awkward. On several levels. In the first place, why wouldn't I want to share with you? More importantly, if I'm not telling you what I'm thinking, what am I doing right now? There are probably other levels on which "I'm not going to tell you what I'm thinking right now" is a strange thing to say, but let's focus on this second one. It's a paradox, of course. "I'm not telling you what I'm thinking right now" is true...

Hi Reader, A few weeks ago my email mentioned two stories: that of hiding, and that of growing. Today I'm picking up that second thread. It's a bit frustrating when I sit down to write these emails to you. My current world of family and babies means I have a lot of time to think and very little time to write. There's so much I want to share with you and scant few words in which to do it. There's nothing wrong here; it's simply the season of life I'm in. But it's good to notice that I continue...

Hi Reader, First, a brief accountability note: I followed through on my commitment to begin handling the too-much-to-do-ness of life. But I don't really want these emails to be life updates, so that's going into the PS where you can ignore if it you like. Next, let's turn that around: How has it been following through on your commitments these past two weeks? I invite you to let me know, good or bad. Now, one last reflection on hiding. The oldest story about hiding that I know of is the story...