Loved the essay. I would suggest that the world itself is not angry. The silly people living in it might be. I have yet to see angry grass or upset rocks.
Okay, maybe the Canada Geese are angry. You got me there.
Ha! So true! Just the people and the Canada geese! I like to tell people that the world isn't going to end anytime soon. Humanity might be close to our end, and we may take quite a lot of flora and fauna with us, but Earth will reboot. Caring for the world is an act of self-preservation.
Every night before sleeping I think of three things that I feel gratitude for. It often includes my observations from the day, like the hummingbird that visited my garden, the new blooming leaf, the hug my child gave me. A call from a friend. It is simple but I find it so powerful.
So rightfully you have written about finding such pockets of joy in this angry, chaotic world. One click on a social media app and I am overwhelmed. People trying to drag you into religion, politics, hyper nationalism - it’s exhausting and sad!
It’s reassuring to read this article and it is absolutely fabulous to be a sensitive person in this senseless society. Being sensitive is being connected to your senses as nature intended for us to be.
Great essay. I think little pockets of emotion is what my poetry is about (or poetry in general). I especially like the dust in the window haiku, I have a poem similar to that.
On an unrelated note, I think this essay in particular would go really well as a speech/spoken word, so something to think about in future :)
Thank you! Oh--you hit my weakness! I also thought this would be a great one to read aloud (I even had fleeting thoughts of doing a simple stop-motion animation, narrated by me). However, I am awfully self-conscious about my reading voice and audio quality of my recording attempts--something I need to get over.
I get your fears about the audio quality and your voice. I get a ton of hate comments about my voice when I read my poems on TikTok, but I just reply to them to see if they'll respond. Most of the time it's the type of teenager that has a private account, or one I wouldn't like to hang around with. Hope this helps somewhat :)
Thanks for this, Jason! I absolutely needed this beautiful advice today 💕
My pleasure! I think we all need to keep reminding each other to breathe and hold space for rest as we take turns fighting for democracy.
If you learn to overcome your fear of death you will have no fear.
Perhaps the truest and most elusive truths of all
Wonderful mantra for these turbulent times 🙏
"Quiet joy in the face of tyranny is resistance. Noticing the wonders of the world allows you to persist in that resistance."
YES!! Thank you for this. I've been feeling guilty for not marching in all the protests.
We all have different gifts to offer. I think your book will be a source of joy to many, including me!
Lovely, Jason - just lovely. I had much of the same experience growing up, and this is such a helpful reminder.
Thanks! Substack seems to be a place where many of us sensitive types have ended up online.
This was stunning. Thank you for the essay and all the gorgeous art and poetry you give so freely.
Thanks! I'm so thrilled you enjoy my work!
I just received my copy of Wild Divinity -- I like to dip in first thing in the morning and last thing at night!
This is so well-said. Besides my own observational art process, your sentiments are exactly why I started a community sketch club in my little Alaskan community, shown here: https://www.discoverybysketch.com/hoonah-community-sketch-club
Loved the essay. I would suggest that the world itself is not angry. The silly people living in it might be. I have yet to see angry grass or upset rocks.
Okay, maybe the Canada Geese are angry. You got me there.
Ha! So true! Just the people and the Canada geese! I like to tell people that the world isn't going to end anytime soon. Humanity might be close to our end, and we may take quite a lot of flora and fauna with us, but Earth will reboot. Caring for the world is an act of self-preservation.
Every night before sleeping I think of three things that I feel gratitude for. It often includes my observations from the day, like the hummingbird that visited my garden, the new blooming leaf, the hug my child gave me. A call from a friend. It is simple but I find it so powerful.
So rightfully you have written about finding such pockets of joy in this angry, chaotic world. One click on a social media app and I am overwhelmed. People trying to drag you into religion, politics, hyper nationalism - it’s exhausting and sad!
It’s reassuring to read this article and it is absolutely fabulous to be a sensitive person in this senseless society. Being sensitive is being connected to your senses as nature intended for us to be.
Gratitude is like water; it finds its way into all the cracks if we let it flow.
Great essay. I think little pockets of emotion is what my poetry is about (or poetry in general). I especially like the dust in the window haiku, I have a poem similar to that.
On an unrelated note, I think this essay in particular would go really well as a speech/spoken word, so something to think about in future :)
Thank you! Oh--you hit my weakness! I also thought this would be a great one to read aloud (I even had fleeting thoughts of doing a simple stop-motion animation, narrated by me). However, I am awfully self-conscious about my reading voice and audio quality of my recording attempts--something I need to get over.
I get your fears about the audio quality and your voice. I get a ton of hate comments about my voice when I read my poems on TikTok, but I just reply to them to see if they'll respond. Most of the time it's the type of teenager that has a private account, or one I wouldn't like to hang around with. Hope this helps somewhat :)