for people interested in attention, Matthew Crawford's book "The World Beyond Your Head" does a pretty good job at covering some of the important philosophical (and practical' features
His emphasis on the idea of self-hood and agency being a deliberate choice, and not arising out of random mood.
"...genuine agency arises not in the context of mere choices freely made (as in shopping) but rather, somewhat paradoxically, in the context of submission to things that have their own intractable ways, whether the thing be a musical instrument, a garden, or the building of a bridge."
Also a bunch of concrete examples of attention is a key trait across a multitude of fields. Soup kitchen, motorcycle rider, organ maker, etc.
I really enjoyed reading this! Are you familiar with Pirsig's metaphysics of Quality? Reading your piece reminded me of that concept - I think he attempts to map out a new way of observing things with new language.
Thank you for the beautiful essay! I really enjoyed all the references. I would love to dive deeper into them. Personally I really liked Esme Weijun, which I read during the pandemic by accident while browsing at an independent bookstore in Ann Arbor, MI.
It’s one of my favourite essay collections! Excited for you to dive deeper, and after you have, for you to return here and discuss any thoughts! Thank you for commenting ✨
Hi Jasmine, This post of yours had a deep impact on me and stayed with me for a long time. Eventually, a few weeks ago when I was deciding what to write in my first substack post, the meditations on attention from this post inspired me. My sign-off is a nod to your post. :)
for people interested in attention, Matthew Crawford's book "The World Beyond Your Head" does a pretty good job at covering some of the important philosophical (and practical' features
Thank you so much! Added to my to-reads :) Any features that stand out to you?
His emphasis on the idea of self-hood and agency being a deliberate choice, and not arising out of random mood.
"...genuine agency arises not in the context of mere choices freely made (as in shopping) but rather, somewhat paradoxically, in the context of submission to things that have their own intractable ways, whether the thing be a musical instrument, a garden, or the building of a bridge."
Also a bunch of concrete examples of attention is a key trait across a multitude of fields. Soup kitchen, motorcycle rider, organ maker, etc.
Oh this is fascinating - I'm writing a piece on agency / play / choice, this is a great reference.
I really enjoyed reading this! Are you familiar with Pirsig's metaphysics of Quality? Reading your piece reminded me of that concept - I think he attempts to map out a new way of observing things with new language.
Hi Andrei! No not at all — would love your favourite quotes / excerpts but also added to my to-read list, thank you for the recommendation. ✨
https://artreview.com/byung-chul-han-i-practise-philosophy-as-art/ Do you know his work? Some of the ideas he expresses in this interview are reminiscent of yours here - enjoy!
I love Byung-Chul Han and love this interview in particular. I’m currently reading “The Scent of Time.” Thank you for sharing ✨
Thank you for the beautiful essay! I really enjoyed all the references. I would love to dive deeper into them. Personally I really liked Esme Weijun, which I read during the pandemic by accident while browsing at an independent bookstore in Ann Arbor, MI.
It’s one of my favourite essay collections! Excited for you to dive deeper, and after you have, for you to return here and discuss any thoughts! Thank you for commenting ✨
Hi Jasmine, This post of yours had a deep impact on me and stayed with me for a long time. Eventually, a few weeks ago when I was deciding what to write in my first substack post, the meditations on attention from this post inspired me. My sign-off is a nod to your post. :)
Thank you for writing this.
https://amipious.substack.com/p/the-last-time
This was beautiful. So inspiring and healing in multiple ways. Thank you.
this was, in a word, CATHARTIC to read. thank you for sharing!
Thanks Jasmine. Reading this is somehow therapeutic
Thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Thank you so very much for reading, and for leaving a comment ✨
This is one of the most gorgeous pieces I've read this year. Thank you for putting this together and articulating something so important
Melody! This is so very sweet (and you also have such a lovely name). Thank you so much for reading ❤️✨