Love this week's intro! I feel like the idea of MUDC can be related to so many things in life - a certain partner, apartment, material object, etc. I so often fall into the loop of thinking if I just had this one thing THEN i'll be happy. Like you said, looking everywhere but inward! Also, this is my favorite part about you: "In what doubles as a fatal character flaw and an essential slice of my personality, I became obsessed."
Also, this Joan Didion essay is amazing. I didn't realize how many women writers are compared to her. These were some of my favorite alternatives:
"Chunky serif fonts, bar carts, rattan furniture."
"There’s no difference between [Didion and Kardashian]... they’re both visually unforgettable and have unhealthily unattainable aesthetics."
I hadn't even thought about it like that, but you are so right... the poison if "if only I had THIS" is prevailing, in every respect, and a surefire recipe for discontent!
That Joan Didion essay was such an eye-opener and a relief! I agree with the author, that it is useless and lazy to compare every female writer to Didion. I think what makes her most interesting is the time period she grew to prevalence in (a more interesting backdrop, by nature, than most of us, will ever get to experience!) coupled with her "unattainable aesthetic". I think her "brand" and glamour is just as notewrothy as her writing, to be honest.
Dara Khosrowshahi’s op-ed reads like a fantastic advertisement for Medicare for All! Hopefully we’re not too far away from having a Congress that legislates universal health care and mandates paid leave for all employees, so we can stop hoping that CEO’s will someday do the right thing
Funny that you say that, because I copy edited out the part where I wrote "funny that most of these same tech CEO's do not publicly support Medicare for All, which would essentially make this gig-worker argument a moot point." If only!
I wish I would’ve seen the wiki masterclass knock off before I spent $180 on my masterclass membership.
Hearing Masterclasses target demographic is making me feel pretty attacked:
“is a person whose life has become complicated, who has had to put aside some of the things they loved to do, who isn’t exactly doing the thing they dreamed of doing.
They’re anxious about their future, their present, their position relative to that of their peers”
It really relates back to your personal essay- a “keeping up with joneses” if you will. Maybe it’s why I am watching master classes on gardening when I have failed every house plant I’ve ever owned, or watching tony hawks class on skateboarding when the very same activity gave me a concussion at 13. It’s a feeling of always wanting to learn and be better and have talents that I think will make me of caliber of those around me. I should take stock on whether that self-worth is for me or for those around me. Thanks for the daily dose of introspection!
The target market portion of that article is what struck me the most! I felt so...seen? Manipulated? Mildly ashamed? It's genius in a way, because anyone with half a brain could look around America and infer that a vast majority of white-collar workers are feeling unsatisfied/craving "more," but are also, not willing to throw more money at profesional schooling, given the state of things. But I liked how the article ended — it's not the act of knowing that we're looking for, maybe, so much as the "panning for gold".
The article about feelings as feedback really struck me. I’ve tried so hard to ignore and suppress any negative feeling because I was so worried I would manifest it....this article was such a great insight in acknowledging and learning from my own thoughts.
Couldn't agree more! I'm not sure if you feel like way too, but reprogramming my mind to not automatically shut down when negative feelings arise (for fear of manifesting them) is proving to be more difficult than I anticipated...
That piece about time was one of the best examples of interactive content I've seen in some time. What a beautiful and simple way to educate on our relationship with time.
The intro this week kept me thinking of the quote (it’s something along these lines) “I’d never want to be a part of a club that would have me as a member.” In past years, I’ve put a lot of stock in the idea that getting into the right company or right crowd, or buying the right $200 leather slippers, will make me “cool.” Only to get there and realize it was all so fleeting! As soon as I checked off some supposed box, I uncovered a new circle or item to idolize and instantly lost gratification in whatever I had gained because if someone like me had it, MUST BE TOO EASY! Hahaha, self doubt and insecurity are a real struggle for so many people but it’s nice to acknowledge and keep working to grow our worth from the inside. Thanks for the reminder today!
Also also - I’m sharing the time piece with everyone I know. It’s fascinating.
OH BABY, that quote hits me somewhere deep in the gut! It's funny that you say the things you idolized lost their appeal as soon as you got them, versus feeling proud of those achievments. I think that is the nature of the problem; when we're pining after things, it isn't about getting them so much as it is about making ourselves feel bad.
Love this week's intro! I feel like the idea of MUDC can be related to so many things in life - a certain partner, apartment, material object, etc. I so often fall into the loop of thinking if I just had this one thing THEN i'll be happy. Like you said, looking everywhere but inward! Also, this is my favorite part about you: "In what doubles as a fatal character flaw and an essential slice of my personality, I became obsessed."
Also, this Joan Didion essay is amazing. I didn't realize how many women writers are compared to her. These were some of my favorite alternatives:
"Chunky serif fonts, bar carts, rattan furniture."
"There’s no difference between [Didion and Kardashian]... they’re both visually unforgettable and have unhealthily unattainable aesthetics."
I hadn't even thought about it like that, but you are so right... the poison if "if only I had THIS" is prevailing, in every respect, and a surefire recipe for discontent!
That Joan Didion essay was such an eye-opener and a relief! I agree with the author, that it is useless and lazy to compare every female writer to Didion. I think what makes her most interesting is the time period she grew to prevalence in (a more interesting backdrop, by nature, than most of us, will ever get to experience!) coupled with her "unattainable aesthetic". I think her "brand" and glamour is just as notewrothy as her writing, to be honest.
Dara Khosrowshahi’s op-ed reads like a fantastic advertisement for Medicare for All! Hopefully we’re not too far away from having a Congress that legislates universal health care and mandates paid leave for all employees, so we can stop hoping that CEO’s will someday do the right thing
Funny that you say that, because I copy edited out the part where I wrote "funny that most of these same tech CEO's do not publicly support Medicare for All, which would essentially make this gig-worker argument a moot point." If only!
It's so easy to look at a company or person on social media and become obsessed (or so I've hear, ha!). Thank you for your honesty as always.
Yeah, I hear there are strange birds out there who get TOTALLY obsessed with strangers, companies, even famous dogs! WEIRD!!!
I wish I would’ve seen the wiki masterclass knock off before I spent $180 on my masterclass membership.
Hearing Masterclasses target demographic is making me feel pretty attacked:
“is a person whose life has become complicated, who has had to put aside some of the things they loved to do, who isn’t exactly doing the thing they dreamed of doing.
They’re anxious about their future, their present, their position relative to that of their peers”
It really relates back to your personal essay- a “keeping up with joneses” if you will. Maybe it’s why I am watching master classes on gardening when I have failed every house plant I’ve ever owned, or watching tony hawks class on skateboarding when the very same activity gave me a concussion at 13. It’s a feeling of always wanting to learn and be better and have talents that I think will make me of caliber of those around me. I should take stock on whether that self-worth is for me or for those around me. Thanks for the daily dose of introspection!
The target market portion of that article is what struck me the most! I felt so...seen? Manipulated? Mildly ashamed? It's genius in a way, because anyone with half a brain could look around America and infer that a vast majority of white-collar workers are feeling unsatisfied/craving "more," but are also, not willing to throw more money at profesional schooling, given the state of things. But I liked how the article ended — it's not the act of knowing that we're looking for, maybe, so much as the "panning for gold".
The article about feelings as feedback really struck me. I’ve tried so hard to ignore and suppress any negative feeling because I was so worried I would manifest it....this article was such a great insight in acknowledging and learning from my own thoughts.
Couldn't agree more! I'm not sure if you feel like way too, but reprogramming my mind to not automatically shut down when negative feelings arise (for fear of manifesting them) is proving to be more difficult than I anticipated...
That piece about time was one of the best examples of interactive content I've seen in some time. What a beautiful and simple way to educate on our relationship with time.
Agreed! It also made me realize just how warped my perception of time actually is.....
The intro this week kept me thinking of the quote (it’s something along these lines) “I’d never want to be a part of a club that would have me as a member.” In past years, I’ve put a lot of stock in the idea that getting into the right company or right crowd, or buying the right $200 leather slippers, will make me “cool.” Only to get there and realize it was all so fleeting! As soon as I checked off some supposed box, I uncovered a new circle or item to idolize and instantly lost gratification in whatever I had gained because if someone like me had it, MUST BE TOO EASY! Hahaha, self doubt and insecurity are a real struggle for so many people but it’s nice to acknowledge and keep working to grow our worth from the inside. Thanks for the reminder today!
Also also - I’m sharing the time piece with everyone I know. It’s fascinating.
OH BABY, that quote hits me somewhere deep in the gut! It's funny that you say the things you idolized lost their appeal as soon as you got them, versus feeling proud of those achievments. I think that is the nature of the problem; when we're pining after things, it isn't about getting them so much as it is about making ourselves feel bad.