So, here we are. I’ve been musing for two months now how to get started, how to give account, how to bear witness. At first it’s always hard to talk about it. I once survived a fire, in London, found myself out in the parking lot in the middle of the night, clutching my passports and my laptops, and my laptop
I devoured every single word. This will resonate with many people. You're a wonderful thinker, writer, and human being – we're lucky to have you and I can't wait to read the next editions!
Beautiful writing, Anna. Love reading so much of your life’s journey so far. It’s wonderful to see how all your experiences have been a force that shaped the ii into such a wholesome community.❤️
For infinite wisdom, print this post out, put it on your coffee table, and turn to a random page at any time of the day. Beautiful!!
"Amid political, economic, or public health upheavals our stress response makes us forgetful short-termists, we rush, we amass, we eliminate too quickly, we flake out, we withdraw. Absolutely no one likes to change. We pour innumerable dollars each year into “improving” our lives relationally, physically, financially, intellectually, but deep, elemental change causes us fear, it tends to be a product of fleeing, or mourning, or divorce, rarely ever good news."
Thank you, Anna, this is big. I'm everywhere in this. I found many old mirror images staring back at me. And this here, this is a quote from the present, from a now that will never fade: the open eyed gaze of the stranger:
"In gap-eras you need the outsiders’ unbiased view. It’s not only children who are surprised by every little thing, so are the newcomers, those fresh pairs of eyes. We see beauty where you don’t, we spot solutions where you can’t. If we’re rebuilding language now, I want us, the aliens, to whom everything sounds so very strange already, to offer our help."
“I knew that my accent was “bad”, that the guy from The Economist called me up after he liked my writing, but hearing my voice he quickly hung up on me. I knew the guys who’d hit on me went for an easy score, since in their cultural hierarchy I was equal to nothing. ”
💔💔💔
Thank you Anna for writing. Personal writing is the best kind of writing.
Excellent -- I write extensively on transcultural truths, an new field I call Structural Memetics. You might be interested in my own personal trauma story. Here's the thing -- the expansion of self that comes with a difficult life allows your brain to see many things most folks cannot even understand.
But you have to survive it.
Always happy to think about doing a Salon or something.
This was a wonderful read. Thank you for being you, Anna, I am grateful to be your friend and eager to read what you write next ❤️
I devoured every single word. This will resonate with many people. You're a wonderful thinker, writer, and human being – we're lucky to have you and I can't wait to read the next editions!
"Like all lazy people, I work a lot" hit.
This needs to be read in ten passes, I bet.
This level of honesty in writing is so incredibly rare. Thank you.
It felt like the opening chapter to a book – I hope it is.
So many thoughts from this.
Beautiful writing, Anna. Love reading so much of your life’s journey so far. It’s wonderful to see how all your experiences have been a force that shaped the ii into such a wholesome community.❤️
For infinite wisdom, print this post out, put it on your coffee table, and turn to a random page at any time of the day. Beautiful!!
"Amid political, economic, or public health upheavals our stress response makes us forgetful short-termists, we rush, we amass, we eliminate too quickly, we flake out, we withdraw. Absolutely no one likes to change. We pour innumerable dollars each year into “improving” our lives relationally, physically, financially, intellectually, but deep, elemental change causes us fear, it tends to be a product of fleeing, or mourning, or divorce, rarely ever good news."
Thank you, Anna, this is big. I'm everywhere in this. I found many old mirror images staring back at me. And this here, this is a quote from the present, from a now that will never fade: the open eyed gaze of the stranger:
"In gap-eras you need the outsiders’ unbiased view. It’s not only children who are surprised by every little thing, so are the newcomers, those fresh pairs of eyes. We see beauty where you don’t, we spot solutions where you can’t. If we’re rebuilding language now, I want us, the aliens, to whom everything sounds so very strange already, to offer our help."
So. Much. Feel.
“I knew that my accent was “bad”, that the guy from The Economist called me up after he liked my writing, but hearing my voice he quickly hung up on me. I knew the guys who’d hit on me went for an easy score, since in their cultural hierarchy I was equal to nothing. ”
💔💔💔
Thank you Anna for writing. Personal writing is the best kind of writing.
Excellent -- I write extensively on transcultural truths, an new field I call Structural Memetics. You might be interested in my own personal trauma story. Here's the thing -- the expansion of self that comes with a difficult life allows your brain to see many things most folks cannot even understand.
But you have to survive it.
Always happy to think about doing a Salon or something.
https://empathy.guru/2019/06/22/how-does-rapid-change-happen/