"It’s the high fructose corn syrup method of storytelling."
What a great line! May I steal it for a moment?
We are being bombarded with the high fructose corn syrup method everyday, genuine human connection is getting lost. Many points in your essay reminded me of the book "Dopamine Nation", which I highly recommend to my friends. (By that same logic, if I recommend that book to you, may we be friends? :P). The first quote from the book that came to mind was "The relentless pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain, leads to pain." This was brought up when I read another golden nugget of yours, "If we are bypassing our pain, someone else is suffering for it." This line sank deep into me.
Last year challenged me to confront my cobbled-up walls, held together by tape and twine. I learned what years of pain-bypassing has created, how it wounded those near and dear to me, and why it needed to change. It was the harsh and raw reality that instant gratification will inevitably come to collect. And the interest rate is high.
But on the other side of that journey, I've found myself. I've learned what I'm made of. I know I can do difficult things, that my ability to face pain and my resilience is stronger than I had ever imagined. I learned that I can accept what life sends my way and be in control of how I forge through it. That I can stay grounded and truly enjoy the simple things this world has to offer.
"I urge you to find a way to immerse yourself fully in the life that you’ve been given. To stop running from whatever you’re trying to escape, and instead to stop, and turn, and face whatever it is. Then I dare you to walk toward it. In this way, the world may reveal itself to you as something magical and awe-inspiring that does not require escape." ― Anna Lembke, Dopamine Nation
I hope this week's treating you kindly, Kelly. Your essay was such a lovely, thought-provoking read and I want you to know how much I appreciate your thoughts, heart, and candour.
You wouldn't guess how, but it was an absolute pleasure to have found your corner of the multiverse.
Oh August, sweetness! Thank you for your kind words and reflections. I am so glad you're here (and curious as to the 'how')! That quote from Dopamine Nation gives me chills. "I dare you to walk toward it." Aren't we all looking for something magical and awe-inspiring that doesn't require escape?
Even if we don't know it.
I feel like many of us don't believe this magical world is possible -- hence the numbing out / bypassing behaviour. But to live with the pain, to not turn away but to embrace it as the fullness of the human experience and let it move through us without having it colour the way we approach the world, I think that's the ticket. The cost is too high otherwise. But learning that lesson -- like we talked about on the "Words ARE Spells" post -- is a process.
May we all be imbued with the patience required to meet the challenge <3
Thank you 🙏🏻
"It’s the high fructose corn syrup method of storytelling."
What a great line! May I steal it for a moment?
We are being bombarded with the high fructose corn syrup method everyday, genuine human connection is getting lost. Many points in your essay reminded me of the book "Dopamine Nation", which I highly recommend to my friends. (By that same logic, if I recommend that book to you, may we be friends? :P). The first quote from the book that came to mind was "The relentless pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain, leads to pain." This was brought up when I read another golden nugget of yours, "If we are bypassing our pain, someone else is suffering for it." This line sank deep into me.
Last year challenged me to confront my cobbled-up walls, held together by tape and twine. I learned what years of pain-bypassing has created, how it wounded those near and dear to me, and why it needed to change. It was the harsh and raw reality that instant gratification will inevitably come to collect. And the interest rate is high.
But on the other side of that journey, I've found myself. I've learned what I'm made of. I know I can do difficult things, that my ability to face pain and my resilience is stronger than I had ever imagined. I learned that I can accept what life sends my way and be in control of how I forge through it. That I can stay grounded and truly enjoy the simple things this world has to offer.
"I urge you to find a way to immerse yourself fully in the life that you’ve been given. To stop running from whatever you’re trying to escape, and instead to stop, and turn, and face whatever it is. Then I dare you to walk toward it. In this way, the world may reveal itself to you as something magical and awe-inspiring that does not require escape." ― Anna Lembke, Dopamine Nation
I hope this week's treating you kindly, Kelly. Your essay was such a lovely, thought-provoking read and I want you to know how much I appreciate your thoughts, heart, and candour.
You wouldn't guess how, but it was an absolute pleasure to have found your corner of the multiverse.
Oh August, sweetness! Thank you for your kind words and reflections. I am so glad you're here (and curious as to the 'how')! That quote from Dopamine Nation gives me chills. "I dare you to walk toward it." Aren't we all looking for something magical and awe-inspiring that doesn't require escape?
Even if we don't know it.
I feel like many of us don't believe this magical world is possible -- hence the numbing out / bypassing behaviour. But to live with the pain, to not turn away but to embrace it as the fullness of the human experience and let it move through us without having it colour the way we approach the world, I think that's the ticket. The cost is too high otherwise. But learning that lesson -- like we talked about on the "Words ARE Spells" post -- is a process.
May we all be imbued with the patience required to meet the challenge <3