Disconnection, Edward Bernays, the Machine, Author Update
A Mindful Miscellany, #18
Mindful: Attentive, Aware, Conscious, Thoughtful, Alert.
Miscellany: A collection of various items, parts, or ingredients, especially one composed of diverse literary works.
Welcome to A Mindful Miscellany, dedicated to finding Signal in the Information Apocalypse.
Image Source: Midjourney.
Epidemic of loneliness. New report from Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy here on the threat that loneliness poses to society. Last week I talked a little about this, this problem of widespread disconnection— we’ve lost so much connective tissue, the human-to-human in physical reality of coming into correspondence with one another. I don’t really do calls to action very much— but here’s one: reconnect with some friends and family that you love, ideally in person, but over technology if required. Especially if they don’t hold your precise views about reality.
In “The Happiness Hypothesis,” Jonathan Haidt examines ancient philosophy, religions, and psychology to answer the question “where is happiness found?” Some of these belief systems hold that happiness is found externally— in material possessions, accomplishments, and experiences. Others that happiness is found internally, in reconciling yourself properly to reality. Haidt concluded that happiness is found in between— in the relationships with friends and loved ones which provide meaning and purpose to our lives.
From the beginning of the report:
“We are called to build a movement to mend the social fabric of our nation. It will take all of us—individuals and families, schools and workplaces, health care and public health systems, technology companies, governments, faith organizations, and communities—working together to destigmatize loneliness and change our cultural and policy response to it. It will require reimagining the structures, policies, and programs that shape a community to best support the development of healthy relationships.
Each of us can start now, in our own lives, by strengthening our connections and relationships. Our individual relationships are an untapped resource—a source of healing hiding in plain sight. They can help us live healthier, more productive, and more fulfilled lives. Answer that phone call from a friend. Make time to share a meal. Listen without the distraction of your phone. Perform an act of service. Express yourself authentically. The keys to human connection are simple, but extraordinarily powerful.
Loneliness and isolation represent profound threats to our health and well-being. But we have the power to respond. By taking small steps every day to strengthen our relationships, and by supporting community efforts to rebuild social connection, we can rise to meet this moment together. We can build lives and communities that are healthier and happier. And we can ensure our country and the world are better poised than ever to take on the challenges that lay ahead.
Our future depends on what we do today.”
Century of the Self documentary: I started watching this recently. I knew who Edward Bernays was (Creator of “Public Relations” and nephew to Sigmund Freud) through the amazing work of Tim Wu, but this goes through the timeline in a very accessible way. Every human should know who this guy was— he shaped much of the modern world, for good and ill.
Paul Kingsnorth: This is a summary post of his entire multi-year writing project— good entry point to his work. Here is a short description from the post:
“The ultimate project of modernity, I have come believe, is to replace nature with technology, and to rebuild the world in purely human shape, the better to fulfill the most ancient human dream: to become gods. What I call the Machine is the nexus of power, wealth, ideology and technology that has emerged to make this happen.
We are increasingly unable to escape our total absorption by this thing, and we are reaching the point where its control over nature, both wild and human, is becoming unstoppable. It is developing its own theology, as it takes us at warp speed into a new way of being human. Its modus operandi is the abolition of all borders, boundaries, categories, essences and truths: the uprooting of all previous ways of living in the name of pure individualism and perfect subjectivity. We are not made by the world now; we make it. And we can make anything we want. Or so we want to believe.
It is nearly impossible to even keep up with the pace and scale of change at this point. I doubt that any of us really has a grip on what is happening. What I have presented here is only one man’s take, from his own small perspective, on the accelerating war on humanity and nature that we have ourselves unleashed. Here is how the story has unfolded.”
The Infernal Tower Update: Rewrite continues. I am on the downslope, past the mid-point. It was about 70,000 words when I sent it to the editors last year, and after their outstanding feedback (and early readers), I realized I was going to cut an entire subplot and the first prologue I wrote. I am pleasantly surprised—It is now almost 40,000 at the midpoint. I have about 20 or so more scenes to rewrite, and then it will be that much closer to seeing the light of day. What is it about? Lots of things, but if I had to try and sum it up in one sentence, you could say it’s Dante’s Inferno meets Hunger Games, inside a San Francisco skyscraper.
Have a great week everyone!
Great especially about people reaching out to one another!