“The man who goes each day to the village to hear the latest news has not heard from himself in a long time.” — Henry David Thoreau, 1884
There’s a famous 2014 study, in which people typically prefer being electrically shocked to being left alone with their thoughts for 15 minutes. The study serves as an illuminating look at the power (lessness) of the human mind.
I wonder if the share of people who would choose the shock has increased since 2014, alongside the ever-expanding digital onslaught? If it has, are we evolving as a species or moving in the other direction? The ability to sit with one’s thoughts for 15 minutes seems like a reasonable metric of human development.
So maybe we’ve been moving backwards for a while, but maybe it’s time we take a baby step forward and face the 15.
2.7.26
when you’re cutting onions you hear
“OoOo that smells good.”
these people — they love you
these people — you love them
2.8.26
104 ducks draw circles in the february sky
falling towards earth, towards grain
flight patterns of survival
illuminate life
2.9.26
these characters appear at the post office,
in the line at the grocery store,
at the gas pump to my left,
there’s story there,
their story
2.10.26
is waiting for nothing better than expecting something?
2.11.26
under icy waters
the world
slips away with
each slow beat
of my heart
yet it
still beats
2.12.26
flying reminds me how much i love driving.
dust on the dash, feathers above, tears in the seat,
the hum of the engine,
the agency of the wheel,
the pop of blown speakers,
the road home
2.13.26
it is transportative —
walking into Loui’s Pizza on 8 Mile Road
there will never be another
expression like this
↓ momentum ↓
— David Whyte
— Jim Harrison
