While with my father over Thanksgiving, a mutual friend came forward with a strong opinion about a certain brand of professional athletics: “I am sick of seeing wealthy white men throwing their lives away and calling it brave.” Surprising myself, I volunteered Alex Honnold as a counter-example, saying that to me there was something about… Continue reading Alex Honnold’s “Free Solo” as aesthetic experience
Case studies
Navigating absolute and relative realities to minimize suffering and amplify joy
Navigating health crises
I beat up my friend
As our outdoor, high school assembly wound down one spring morning, my friend and I playfully tossed into each other’s shoes a variety of wood chip which coated our seating area’s floor. This back-and-forth escalated with increasing quantities of wood chips, and then, as we were dismissed and my friend stood up to head to… Continue reading I beat up my friend
My Covid experience and the cycle of life and death
Three days after my coworker reported suffering from a “weird cold,” I sat minimally elevated in my bed, staring down a positive Covid test. For three days after that, I remained bedridden, my slightly elevated state pushed horizontal by symptoms such as fever, chills, fatigue, a cough, nasal congestion, body aches, and more. All the… Continue reading My Covid experience and the cycle of life and death
Jackson Holzberg Buckley 