Do we really care?
Hey,
The email newsletter as a way of sharing stories has always fascinated. My first one, called Ramblings, was an email I sent out to a couple of people in my contacts list in 2003/2004. I focused on poetry and literature, because I was submerged in that space at the time.
And here I am, 15 years later, still plugging away - albeit erratically. I have now switched my newsletter to Substack. It feels like the next phase of my running this newsletter. If you are receiving this then it is because you subscribed previously.
Will I stay here forever, I can’t say yes or no. But, what I will continue doing is sharing the random things I come across that I find interesting, from articles and blog posts, books, music, quotes, pictures, and everything in between. I will also share some of the things I write.
Nothing changes. Just the platform. If you have any comments, thoughts, etc, please do share and engage.
Anyway, this week’s seven random things are:
There is so much going on in the world that many of us, increasingly, are experiencing ‘compassion fatigue.” But, there is more to it, which is explored in What makes people stop caring?
I didn’t know who Gary Hustwit was until the start of lockdown globally when a friend a link to his site where he made available his films to watch for free, each for a week. Only then did I discover that he produced two documentaries I had been wanting to see for the longest time - Helvetica on, well, the font, graphic design and typography, and Rams, on the legendary German Dieter Rams. They are must watches if you are in any interesting in design and are available to watch HERE. One of his other films is Workplace about the future of offices and work, which is particularly poignant, considering many have been forced to rethink offices with the pandemic.
I recently started following Yuki Kawae on Instagram. I find his zen garden videos wonderfully calming.
For some reason, Anne Lamott’s book Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life has been sitting on my bookshelf for years. I’m glad that I finally picked it up to read, finishing it in a week. Such a poignant, engaging book. The one quote that stood out for me, amongst many, was: “For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet or excite you. Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die.”
I have been enjoying reading a lot more in the last few years. I make sure I devote the necessary time to reading and read promiscuously.
While I have been slacking a bit on the writing side, I wrote a mini-rant the other day: Having different views can be constructive.
I love Thandie Newton as an actor. This article In Conversation: Thandie Newton, has increased that admiration and respect even more.
That’s it for this newsletter. I am working my way up to weekly. I hope you will stick around.
Easy
Kojo