Gorgeous. It’s rare to see writing that conveys the brutality and beauty of evolution at the same time. The interweaving of that with your first-person reflections are mesmerizing.
*On willful/stubborn' reminded me of Herman Hesse's meditation on "Eigensinn" (on "Glück" is also fine) - Eigensinn ('own-sense'). "Eine Tugend gibt es, die liebe ich sehr, eine Einzige. Sie heißt Eigensinn. ... . Wer eigensinnig ist, gehorcht einem anderen Gesetz, einem einzigen, unbedingt heiligen, dem Gesetz in sich selbst, dem „Sinn“ des „Eigenen“. - In this youtube reading, auto-translate went for "obstinate", ouch. Willful - full of will: yep, nice one. - Hoel's prose is at least a league above Hesse's. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po3go_DHdRE Wal-Mart: poetic. Cicadas: I could see them crawling (though they may not crawl much). Intense.
Thank you, not just for the kind words, but also for pointing me toward Eigensinn. I've read Siddhartha and The Glass Bead Game. None of his essays though. I wonder if something like this has it: https://www.amazon.com/My-Belief-Essays-English-German/dp/0374511098 I can't tell.
not sure: the German edition of "Mein Glaube" does not, but the English version seems to be a (much) larger collection of his essays (incl. reviews of books etc). "Eigensinn" (in German) is one of his best-known short texts. I liked the Hesse I read (my top 3: Unterm Rad/Siddhartha/Steppenwolf - too dumb for the Glasperlen-Spiel),. His strongest, most intense text by far is a letter as a teen to his father on being sent to a mental institution. Oh, wikipedia has this fun quote from his mother about small Hermann: "The little fellow has a life in him, an unbelievable strength, a powerful will, and, for his four years of age, a truly astonishing mind. How can he express all that? It truly gnaws at my life, this internal fighting against his tyrannical temperament, his passionate turbulence [...] God must shape this proud spirit, then it will become something noble and magnificent – but I shudder to think what this young and passionate person might become should his upbringing be false or weak."
This is such a lovely post. I knew I was in for a great intellectual /philosophical ride when you compared your teenage self taken to shop at Walmart to prince Siddhartha learning that old age, sickness and death exist outside the palace garden. Thanks!
So good Erik! An egg fact I like is that the ovum, planetary in cellular terms, is the only human cell visible to the naked eye. It's around the size of a full stop
Re: Whole Foods, what I think makes the UMC/Whole Foods cultural complex so alienating;
Like any upper class they adopt behaviors which set themselves apart from the plebeians. But they don't have a proper aristocratic script, so they explain their differentiated behavior to themselves and others in emotive, personal, egalitarian-coded terms. "I moved here (a $5 million dollar mansion by the ocean) because I just love the community. Oh, we have this great tavern nearby, you HAVE to try their hush puppies."
I never see raw unmediated emotion from UMC people. I guess that's normal for aristocrats, but a proper aristocratic demeanor feels cultivated, not fake. It's unsettling to see people lean so hard into the just-another-guy persona, when they clearly do not act like just another guy.
That’s a cool idea. If anyone wants to do any, and publish it on their blog, they’re welcome to. They can even use the preamble. Just link back somewhere.
I have my own list drawn up already, so if there’s any overlap just know it’s probably from something long planned.
Enjoyed this perspective very much. Current research attempts to "know" what the expression of the "stubbornness" is all about. Some express it as "competency" of cell intelligence. Can we ever really know about who, what or how we are?
I’m loving this series. You’re capturing a perfect synthesis between a child’s and adult’s perspective on the world. Absolutely re-enchanting.
The section on cicadas brought to mind my favorite album of this decade so far - The Idyll Opus by Adjy. It’s a folk/bluegrass opera telling a time loop story which uses the lifecycle of cicadas as central motif. It’s steeped in alchemy and mythology (explored in a House of Leaves-like book accompanying the album). It’s a true hidden gem I think people into the Intrinsic Perspective might appreciate.
Gorgeous. It’s rare to see writing that conveys the brutality and beauty of evolution at the same time. The interweaving of that with your first-person reflections are mesmerizing.
Awesome writing. Pulitzer-level. Better: "best-of-Hoel"-level.
*On willful/stubborn' reminded me of Herman Hesse's meditation on "Eigensinn" (on "Glück" is also fine) - Eigensinn ('own-sense'). "Eine Tugend gibt es, die liebe ich sehr, eine Einzige. Sie heißt Eigensinn. ... . Wer eigensinnig ist, gehorcht einem anderen Gesetz, einem einzigen, unbedingt heiligen, dem Gesetz in sich selbst, dem „Sinn“ des „Eigenen“. - In this youtube reading, auto-translate went for "obstinate", ouch. Willful - full of will: yep, nice one. - Hoel's prose is at least a league above Hesse's. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po3go_DHdRE Wal-Mart: poetic. Cicadas: I could see them crawling (though they may not crawl much). Intense.
Thank you, not just for the kind words, but also for pointing me toward Eigensinn. I've read Siddhartha and The Glass Bead Game. None of his essays though. I wonder if something like this has it: https://www.amazon.com/My-Belief-Essays-English-German/dp/0374511098 I can't tell.
not sure: the German edition of "Mein Glaube" does not, but the English version seems to be a (much) larger collection of his essays (incl. reviews of books etc). "Eigensinn" (in German) is one of his best-known short texts. I liked the Hesse I read (my top 3: Unterm Rad/Siddhartha/Steppenwolf - too dumb for the Glasperlen-Spiel),. His strongest, most intense text by far is a letter as a teen to his father on being sent to a mental institution. Oh, wikipedia has this fun quote from his mother about small Hermann: "The little fellow has a life in him, an unbelievable strength, a powerful will, and, for his four years of age, a truly astonishing mind. How can he express all that? It truly gnaws at my life, this internal fighting against his tyrannical temperament, his passionate turbulence [...] God must shape this proud spirit, then it will become something noble and magnificent – but I shudder to think what this young and passionate person might become should his upbringing be false or weak."
This is such a lovely post. I knew I was in for a great intellectual /philosophical ride when you compared your teenage self taken to shop at Walmart to prince Siddhartha learning that old age, sickness and death exist outside the palace garden. Thanks!
You write wonderfully!! Your substack post replaced my worn out eyes with eyes of wonder. Thank you!
So good Erik! An egg fact I like is that the ovum, planetary in cellular terms, is the only human cell visible to the naked eye. It's around the size of a full stop
Re: Whole Foods, what I think makes the UMC/Whole Foods cultural complex so alienating;
Like any upper class they adopt behaviors which set themselves apart from the plebeians. But they don't have a proper aristocratic script, so they explain their differentiated behavior to themselves and others in emotive, personal, egalitarian-coded terms. "I moved here (a $5 million dollar mansion by the ocean) because I just love the community. Oh, we have this great tavern nearby, you HAVE to try their hush puppies."
I never see raw unmediated emotion from UMC people. I guess that's normal for aristocrats, but a proper aristocratic demeanor feels cultivated, not fake. It's unsettling to see people lean so hard into the just-another-guy persona, when they clearly do not act like just another guy.
I have saved and am going to print to read to my children. Would you think about open source contributions to this project?
That’s a cool idea. If anyone wants to do any, and publish it on their blog, they’re welcome to. They can even use the preamble. Just link back somewhere.
I have my own list drawn up already, so if there’s any overlap just know it’s probably from something long planned.
Enjoyed this perspective very much. Current research attempts to "know" what the expression of the "stubbornness" is all about. Some express it as "competency" of cell intelligence. Can we ever really know about who, what or how we are?
I have a phobia of moths, too. No other insects but moths, and no one has any compassion :(
Poetry — I love it.
A majestic masterpiece in the making.
Ty Sam. It'll all get put together in the end - I think I can find a publisher for it, as an actual book, hopefully with illustrations for each topic.
Awesome!!
man, the day your son can read these...
they are like letters to the future him.
like Dr. Louise narrating to her son in Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang.
"If I visit Walmart now, I leave wondering why this is."
Less fear.
I’m loving this series. You’re capturing a perfect synthesis between a child’s and adult’s perspective on the world. Absolutely re-enchanting.
The section on cicadas brought to mind my favorite album of this decade so far - The Idyll Opus by Adjy. It’s a folk/bluegrass opera telling a time loop story which uses the lifecycle of cicadas as central motif. It’s steeped in alchemy and mythology (explored in a House of Leaves-like book accompanying the album). It’s a true hidden gem I think people into the Intrinsic Perspective might appreciate.
This somehow reminds me of the essays on r/autism_parenting.