A little over two years ago, I took the following photo while touring Mount Rushmore on my way to graduate school in Wisconsin. At the time, I marveled at how tiny the destination actually looks in person, and also at how overwhelmingly white the rock features are. (I mean this literally, although of course the… Continue reading What freedom means to me
Category: essays
Why there are conspiracy theorists
Prior to the pandemic, I was hoping to spend the summer teaching courses based on my book, Literature: How to Read and Understand the World. I was going to host an in-person release event at a coffee shop, following which I would run once-weekly meetings at this same location. Additionally, I was planning to put… Continue reading Why there are conspiracy theorists
What does it mean to awaken?
In June of 2019, I had an awakening experience that served as the capstone of my life until that time. I have written about this experience here. In response to this, I began publicizing my life more than I had previously. I suddenly felt the wellspring of confidence that it is to be bounded by… Continue reading What does it mean to awaken?
Spiritual vs scientific objectivity
I want to introduce the idea that there is a form of spiritual objectivity that can be reached over a lifetime of emotional work and spiritual practice. This framework is parallel to scientific objectivity, but transcends and encompasses it. In scientific objectivity, we work to ensure that we as observers remain separate from the experiment… Continue reading Spiritual vs scientific objectivity
An unlikely union
My whole life I’ve been distrustful of doctors. I don’t know what it is. The coldness of the waiting room, the feeling of paranoia amongst the people waiting. The feeling of being analyzed when seen by the doctor, as though the exchange is a one-way street. In me, the childhood fear of needles has never… Continue reading An unlikely union
