Saved by Alex Wittenberg
Laughter In Dark Times
The age of the mass media spectacle prepared us for the age of the participatory spectacle that was social media. The loneliness of mass society drove us to embrace the promise of ubiquitous connection. The valorization of information led us to indiscriminately embrace the disorienting conditions of information superabundance.
L. M. Sacasas • From Common Sense to Bespoke Realities
This need for a reason is similar in another specifically human phenomenon—laughter.
Viktor E. Frankl • Man's Search for Meaning
So, what do we do with that privilege? Well, as I see it, we have three options: (1) Indulge it. Feel as hopeless as the facts seem to warrant. Give over to the nihilism and anomie all around us. At least you’ll be in tune with the times. Or (2) Guilt trip yourself. Police your weak moments. Stay hard with hope, as an act of solidarity with those w
... See moreAndrew Boyd • I Want a Better Catastrophe: Navigating the Climate Crisis with Grief, Hope, and Gallows Humor
Andrew: You’re convinced we’re definitely going down, and fast. You’ve shut the door. Joanna Macy still holds that door open. She thinks we might make it through, though we very certainly may not. I pressed her on it. Was she just hedging her bets? No. And she’s designed her work to prepare us for both possibilities. I sum up her existential invita
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