Lani Assaf

We’ve lost gradients of intimacy, a concept from architecture, the ability to loiter and meander through a space, engaging when we want in varying levels of expression. We don’t have any peripheral vision on the internet. We have to be in one place or the other. Simultaneously, we’re never really in any place—we can always blame connection issues a... See more

the world contains many kinds of infinities and so much nonsense, that when you find something that means something in this chaos, realize what incredible luck it is to encounter something so so rare and beautiful.

It's like we're living separate lives that we then tell each other about, not sharing in the living itself.

I have noticed that when all the lights are on, people tend to talk about what they are doing – their outer lives. Sitting round in candlelight or firelight, people start to talk about how they are feeling – their inner lives. They speak subjectively, they argue less, there are longer pauses.

To sit alone without any electric light is curiously crea... See more

No one benefits from you scrolling on your phone and feeling sad and then going to Starbucks.

The antidote is figuring out what you care about, what you're good at, and what you like doing that can make the world a little bit better.

Then, really do that thing.

You can’t do everything, but there are a few things you can do really well. You have to

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In Lauren Oyler’s essay about anxiety last week, she referenced a late 19th century diagnosis known as Americanitis , which described “the high-strung, nervous, active temperament of the American people.” Whether incited by advances in technology (causing loss of sleep, excessive worry) or capitalism (causing long work days, fast pace of life), the... See more

Ask for feedback on your attempts, not advice on your ideas.