String Theory in Review
Reflecting back on the essays posted this year, I can’t help but notice that each piece plays its own unique note, yet contributes to a harmonious whole—a collective symphony of insights that transcends the sum of its parts.
Dive back in or catch up on what you’ve missed, and see if any of these strike a chord…
Is time being eaten by a giant insect?
The new year begins with a reflection on the elusive nature of time– if it's really "after us", what 2022 really meant (as well as what the whole COVID thing meant), and whether maybe it's time to be, as the Talking Heads song goes, "letting the days go by"... since in the end, it’s all gonna be, the same as it ever was.
Shh. I’m about to share three little life secrets…
In the relentless pursuit of our own narratives and visions, accept an invitation to change your narrative, and start again.
How to Underachieve
Perhaps the bookend to “Shh.” This is a suggestion to quit trying so hard (you're making everyone nervous) and maybe learn a thing about the Swedish art of lagom and even, how to hold a wild bird…
Hobgoblins, Ogres, Wolves, Dragons, and Other Familiar Faces
Recognition that we are surrounded by negativity, and it can change us, permanently. Learn how to break up with your negativity bias.
This is not my jam
It’s our jam. And oh, how we love to protect it.
We spend the first part of our lives figuring out what our jam is, and the rest of our lives limiting ourselves to it. Learn to improvise, but also how to read the sheet music. In the symphony that is life, you will probably need both.
Shark Fin Soup
My gripe with the TV show, Shark Tank. A realm of cunning critiques, a distorted view of real business, yet curiously adored by audiences nonetheless.
The Sounds of Silence
We live in a "look at me" culture. Counteract by learning the sounds of silence and the art of listening, instead of constant self-expression and talking all of the time.
The Importance of Mischief
My ode to the art of mischief, as encapsulated in new trends in Minor League baseball names. There is magic in being a bit silly.
Experts
Why do we believe famous people are experts? How to practice the art of discernment when deciding who you wish to believe.
The whole is more than the sum of its parts
The Addams Family series burst out of nowhere. We never know when a new "whole" will burst out from the confines of its parts, like the splitting of an atom, or the bifurcation of a cell, from one into one million. This uncertainty can be a source of hope.
What is that whole, here?
So, in total, what does this all mean? String Theory presumes that everything is connected in some way. And that the whole of these connected parts are, as the title of the last essay suggests, greater than the parts.
Reading back on these thoughts, I am struck by the message to not take yourself or others so seriously. Don't get stuck in your lane– venture out and on. Be mischievous about it, and don't fall in love with the sound of your own voice pontificating.
Perhaps even take your foot off the pedal occasionally, just to see where it all might go if you are not always pushing it in the direction you think it needs to go. And no, the giant insect of time is not chasing you.
So relax a bit, and realize that no matter how important, or unimportant things you do might be, you never quite know how the narrative will turn out. The "now" strings together with your past and your future in a variety of ways, both seen and unseen. At least, that's my theory.