What a lovely piece of writing, and what a lovely segue into the main topic you did with the M Night Shamalama... yeah, that thing you did with the olfactory training.
I’ve had an awakening myself of sorts to how complacent in my thinking I’ve gotten over the years, always willing to shut off another branch of neurons so that I wouldn’t have to think and could just float away into the balmy consensus of whatever tribe I’d found. It takes a lot of effort to boot your brain up again... or maybe I’m just a bit slow, heh.
Have you read “Liberalism in dark times” by Joshua Cherniss? I picked it up in a book store on a whim and have started leafing through it. I have no hope of ever finding myself a place on the political spectrum again, but I’m curious about the actual history of liberalism and how it became what it is today... and if it’s possible to revive the old kind.
Always a treat! I’d forgotten how vital smell is to memory and pleasure. And the second half of your essay was thought-provoking and relatable. I remember how disillusioned I felt as a young person. After high school and definitely college, I really believed that stuff just stopped. But it never ends. It’s gotten worse.
My pharmacy work gives me practice speaking up and questioning things. Groupthink can be dangerous in high-risk healthcare settings. But of course I’ve fallen victim too. I got stuck following some self-care guru people in my early 40s and didn’t realize how bad their advice was until I broke away. And I’m still very susceptible to it when it comes to people I’m close to, but I’m getting better. Because I keep practicing. So glad you’re feeling better Amy :)
This was marvelous - both the first and the second part! As a fellow food lover, I so identified with the panic of losing the sense of smell! It was my main fear with COVID! Death? Not so much! HAHAHAHAHAHA!
And the second part also heartened me greatly - I, too, have given up on extremism on the left - it is truly shocking. So happy for you - it makes life so much less angry, and so much more rational. Inch by inch, we are taking back sanity. Long may it prosper!
What a lovely piece of writing, and what a lovely segue into the main topic you did with the M Night Shamalama... yeah, that thing you did with the olfactory training.
I’ve had an awakening myself of sorts to how complacent in my thinking I’ve gotten over the years, always willing to shut off another branch of neurons so that I wouldn’t have to think and could just float away into the balmy consensus of whatever tribe I’d found. It takes a lot of effort to boot your brain up again... or maybe I’m just a bit slow, heh.
Have you read “Liberalism in dark times” by Joshua Cherniss? I picked it up in a book store on a whim and have started leafing through it. I have no hope of ever finding myself a place on the political spectrum again, but I’m curious about the actual history of liberalism and how it became what it is today... and if it’s possible to revive the old kind.
Always a treat! I’d forgotten how vital smell is to memory and pleasure. And the second half of your essay was thought-provoking and relatable. I remember how disillusioned I felt as a young person. After high school and definitely college, I really believed that stuff just stopped. But it never ends. It’s gotten worse.
My pharmacy work gives me practice speaking up and questioning things. Groupthink can be dangerous in high-risk healthcare settings. But of course I’ve fallen victim too. I got stuck following some self-care guru people in my early 40s and didn’t realize how bad their advice was until I broke away. And I’m still very susceptible to it when it comes to people I’m close to, but I’m getting better. Because I keep practicing. So glad you’re feeling better Amy :)
This was marvelous - both the first and the second part! As a fellow food lover, I so identified with the panic of losing the sense of smell! It was my main fear with COVID! Death? Not so much! HAHAHAHAHAHA!
And the second part also heartened me greatly - I, too, have given up on extremism on the left - it is truly shocking. So happy for you - it makes life so much less angry, and so much more rational. Inch by inch, we are taking back sanity. Long may it prosper!
P.S. My husband said I was pulling an "M. Night Shamalan" with my abrupt tone shift here 🫠