I’m here beside you. Standing, stumbling, kneeling with you. Grieving, praying, digging through the wreckage of everything with you. Everyone around me is on their last nerve in at least one area of life. So much action is happening everywhere, and yet it also feels like everyone is waiting in the wings to see how the cards fall to plot the next move. There is a perennial liminality pervading reality discomforting us daily. I don’t think the cards will ever fall.
I love this piece Rachel, and the wonderful segment about Stiva (and how special Anna Karenina is for the small moments Tolstoy captures so well). This particular passage reminded me of an idea I'd heard from Todd Rose recently, (and that he published in a book) called Collective Illusions. It's about how we form opinions and beliefs based on what we think other people think, but often without actually asking them what they think. We instead assume or look for subtle cues and conclude, "ok, this person probably might think X, so maybe I should also get behind X." He has good data for how this drives our entire culture. But when people actually do talk to one another their beliefs, they find that they can't predict what even the people closest to them actually believe and think. All the more reason for us to take the small decision of speaking to one another, listening to one another, and being beside each other. Thank you for these beautiful words, as always Rachel. Also, congratulations on completing the first draft of your novel! What an achievement!
We often want to pass over the smallest choices and opportunities like they don’t matter, focusing our attention on the big things. And yet, they all hold the same weight to send ripples far and wide. We must remember that. 🙏🏻
An important read! Thank you for writing this piece. The choices we make are what shapes our journey and affects how we relate to each other. Choices are building blocks and it truly begins in the smallest of decisions. Inspiring!
I love this piece Rachel, and the wonderful segment about Stiva (and how special Anna Karenina is for the small moments Tolstoy captures so well). This particular passage reminded me of an idea I'd heard from Todd Rose recently, (and that he published in a book) called Collective Illusions. It's about how we form opinions and beliefs based on what we think other people think, but often without actually asking them what they think. We instead assume or look for subtle cues and conclude, "ok, this person probably might think X, so maybe I should also get behind X." He has good data for how this drives our entire culture. But when people actually do talk to one another their beliefs, they find that they can't predict what even the people closest to them actually believe and think. All the more reason for us to take the small decision of speaking to one another, listening to one another, and being beside each other. Thank you for these beautiful words, as always Rachel. Also, congratulations on completing the first draft of your novel! What an achievement!
We often want to pass over the smallest choices and opportunities like they don’t matter, focusing our attention on the big things. And yet, they all hold the same weight to send ripples far and wide. We must remember that. 🙏🏻
An important read! Thank you for writing this piece. The choices we make are what shapes our journey and affects how we relate to each other. Choices are building blocks and it truly begins in the smallest of decisions. Inspiring!