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, a newsletter dedicated to Sensemaking and Storytelling in the Turbulent Twenties.
Normally this Substack is focused on the challenges of the day— the interconnected facets of the human condition in the 2020s.
It’s mostly on the debbie downer side— highlighting problems with sensemaking in the tsunami of information disorder, the enormous piles of Frankfurterian bullshit on the interwebs, and what John Vervaeke has termed the “wisdom famine.”
But, there are bright spots. It’s hard to grapple with the notion that things are simultaneously getting better and worse at the same time. Here is a list of positive developments, from Gapminder:
Great news, all.
But I had a thought on a ruck a few weeks ago.1
No one is coming to save us.
But that’s ok! No one should.
We will save ourselves, individually and collectively.
Besides, the tech bros will be busy swimming in money in their boltholes, Scrooge-McDuck-style.
None of the charts above absolve each of us of our individual responsibility to get in the ring, to put our shoulders to the task of Adding to the Pattern. That will look different for everyone. Start with something small, and build from there.
Most read posts this year:
In 2023 I wrote a total of 47 Substack posts, counting this one. It was good to put myself on a weekly schedule— it adds discipline, accountability, and constraint, which counter-intuitively fosters, rather than hinders, creativity. I wish more people knew that writing is a form of thinking, and it helps to crystalize ideas in a way that thinking in your head doesn’t. I’m working on a summary of The Extended Mind that discusses this.
Chaos Theory, Jung, and the Structure of Story
Shot taken during ideation/prewriting phase of this essay. “We are our choices.” — Jean-Paul Sartre “It is our choices…. that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” — J.K. Rowling “We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom. The world henceforth will be run by synthesizers, people able to put together the right information at t…
About that Song
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 Turbulent Twenties.
Coyne's Story Grid and Boyd's OODA
I love to synthesize. It’s one of my favorite things. I enjoy bringing together bits of wisdom across seemingly separate disciplines, seeing where they transcend contexts and domains. I like to read others who are synthetic thinkers (Jim Rutt, Daniel Schmachtenberger
Projects:
These are in various stages of completion. Hopefully in 2024, several (or all!) of them will come to fruition:
The Infernal Tower on Submission: No idea how this will turn out. It’s a Schrodinger’s cat of mystery at this point. As I’m starting to understand, “dying on submission” is not an unusual result, but no one really likes to talk about it for a variety of reasons. Publishing is a tough business. I’m happy with the novel — it represents my best work, with the feedback of a pair of great developmental editors. I have an excellent agent on the case. But there are many factors of timing, editorial preference, market conditions, and industry trends that are out of my control. No matter what, the experience has been an solid part of my progression as a writer.
First draft of The Heavenly Tunnel ongoing: I have forty some odd scenes blocked out at this point, and as I write, no doubt more will present themselves. I’ve wrote and rewrote several drafts of the first chapter, ready to start churning. Getting a better sense of the protagonist and story every day.
Story Tarot: A deck of 81 cards with Midjourney-created artwork. 27 character-focused cards, 27 plot-focused card, and 27 setting ones. The vision for this is to serve as a generative tool for the artist— to spur imagination, reveal opportunities, and channel creative faculties toward success.
The Commonplace Book: I’ve been working on this off and on for years now, through countless revisions, and I’m sure there is still work to do. The intent is to have a small, pocket-sized notebook on durable paper, with short entries on a variety of pockets to help the owner attend, appreciate, and act in the world. To be a “Nous Ark”, as Zak Stein once said. The entries include things like how to start a fire in the wild and navigate by the stars, cognitive biases and logical fallacies, summaries of wisdom traditions and poetry, and much more in between.
Retirement: In 2024 I will retire from the military, after twenty seven and a half years of service. It’s been a great ride, but all things must pass. Now I just need to figure out what to do with my life when I grow up….
My hope is that you’re out there, reflecting about 2023, considering how you can be a wiser version of yourself in 2024. We need you! This is an all-hands-on-deck type scenario, people! Happy New Year, and as Cliff K says, “Flow Well.”
This thought emerged in the spaces between griping to myself in the frigid pre-dawn about how bright headlights are these days, in my best imitation of Walt Kowalski in Gran Turino.
I really appreciate all your writing here, and your continued engagement on mine. Having you in my network has been mighty beneficial. Excited to see what comes next.