Boy do I wish I had been in Chicago last Friday 🎵
It’s a glorious time to be an American tennis fan. Half of the US Open men’s & women’s semifinalists are American! Unreal. 🎾
Currently reading: All Things Are Full of Gods by David Bentley Hart 📚
Finished reading: Middlemarch by George Eliot 📚
Currently reading: Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake 📚
The wisdom of simplicity: an interview with Uruguya's former president José Mujica 🔗
A brief, powerful interview with Uruguay’s former philosopher-president, who is now battling cancer.
Though I disagree with him on many things, he has a lot of profound, simple wisdom to share:
Humans can create infinite needs. The market dominates us, and it robs us of our lives. Humanity needs to work less, have more free time and be more grounded. Why so much garbage? Why do you have to change your car? Change the refrigerator? There is only one life and it ends. You have to give meaning to it. Fight for happiness, not just for wealth.
What meaning can we give to life? Man, compared to other animals, has the ability to find a purpose…. If you find it, you will have something to live for. Those who investigate, those who play music, those who love sports, anything. Something that fills your life.
The book is the greatest invention of man. It’s a shame that people read so little. They don’t have time.
Four years ago, I threw [my phone] away. It made me crazy. All day talking nonsense. We must learn to speak with the person inside us. It was him who saved my life. Since I was alone for many years, that has stayed with me. When I’m in the field working with the tractor, sometimes I stop to see how a little bird constructs its nest.
The power of journalism rises & falls inversely to journalists' belief in the power of journalism. The more journalists are convinced of their world-changing power, the less anyone listens. The more they just do their job, the more people tune in.
Get out there right now & watch Esperanza Spalding & Milton Nascimiento’s beautiful Tiny Desk (Home) Concert. A stunning collaboration between a true great of Brazilian jazz & a young musical genius. 🎵
Currently reading: The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.
Oft recommended; I’m reading it & going through all the exercises with my mother. Grateful she suggested this idea! 📚
Current listening: Pat Metheny’s beautiful new solo guitar album, Moondial.
The album includes a beautiful version of “My Love & I”—but that’s redundant, since every version of “My Love & I” is beautiful. 🎵
Luke Burgis offers a reading list for creators & entrepreneurs.
Personally, I’d replace Mill & Emerson with Middlemarch & any Jane Austen. And add McGilchrist as the third book for this century, along with some poetry.
But it’s an excellent set of books nonetheless! 📚
Current listening: Ron Carter, All Blues.
Roland Hanna’s solo on “Light Blue” is a beautiful little miracle. 🎵
Finished reading: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.
What a remarkable book. I love academic memoirs, & this fits within that genre—but pushes well beyond it as well. It’s also a profound meditation on cancer, mortality, healthcare, poetry, faith, love, & family. Highly recommended. 📚
We’ve got a trip to Yellowstone & Grand Tetons coming up next month. Any recommendations for must-do hikes, must-see sights, etc? 🥾 🏕️
Currently reading: Middlemarch by George Eliot.
An old favorite. Profound from the first paragraph. 📚
Finished reading: Moonbound by Robin Sloan.
So great! Handed it off to my daughter—she’s 11; I’m sure she’ll enjoy it just as much. 📚
Finished reading: Night Train by A. L. Snijders.
Wonderful microstories, translated by Lydia Davis. Highly recommended. 📚