Rethinking Everything
There’s a certain comfort in thinking about what we’ll all do when things get back to normal.
I find myself retreating to that line of thinking, at times, as it allows me to perceive the moment as an interstitial: something I’m doing now which I can enjoy as an oddity, because at some point it will give way to the familiar rhythms and folkways of the usual.
There’s a very good chance, though, that the definition of “normal” will have changed by the time this global pandemic recedes, like a beach newly revealed by a waning tide, an abundance of ocean-borne knickknacks, rubble, and treasures deposited by the water, while mountains of sand, shells, and other familiar environmental elements are pulled out to sea.
A transitional, liminal state between different normals, rather than a mere pause in routine.
I’ve been trying to focus on the potential benefits of this nearly inevitable change, as—alongside the many horrors of what we’re going through right now—we’ve also been provided with an opportunity to reassess the way we’ve been doing things for quite some time, and to make changes based on what we’ve learned in the interim.
Large-scale experiments are being conducted whether we asked for them or not, and what we learn from these experiments could help shape a new perception of what's normal.
We’ve seen, for instance, how clean our air can become, even at the densest centers of our most populous cities. And while it would almost certainly be undesirable to maintain a complete shut-down of commerce, and near-complete isolation of residents, it’s conceivable that we could use what we’ve learned to make adjustments to where we allow cars, how mass-transit is deployed, and what industrial infrastructure is prudent to have, where.
We’re being forced to experiment with remote-work and remote-education technologies before we would have otherwise done so at this scale, and we may come out the other side of this pandemic more prepared to utilize such tools to increase access to resources, expand the scope, scale, and diversity of the employment pool, and increase our range of connections so that those who are lonely are less so, and those who have something to share with the world are more empowered to share.
There are a great many people going through the arduous, at times quite painful and difficult process of questioning their perception of the things, from their suppositions about economics to their long-held political ideologies to their understandings about how our governments and societies operate—and how they should operate.
Many of us are realizing just how dependent we are on each other for our physical and mental well-being. We're more clearly seeing the threads that connect country to country, city to city, and person to person, appreciating the benefits of those threads while also wondering how we might reinforce our independent nodes, so that our pockets of humanity don’t wither when transmission along those threads needs to be temporarily slowed or ceased for the benefit of those on both ends.
There are milestone moments throughout our lives, during which we pause to rethink everything. We’ve accumulated enough knowledge and experience to come to new conclusions based on what we’ve learned, and importantly, due to some kind of unavoidable change in our rituals and routines, we finally have the time to convert theory into practice—to act upon what we've learned in those preceding years.
There are fewer such moments for societies, and many of them are fairly traumatic; wars, famines, plagues.
Just as it would be a shame to allow one’s 20s to pass without ever rethinking one’s earlier assertions and assumptions about life, it would be a missed opportunity to allow this moment to pass—a moment in which so much is already disrupted and broken—without considering how we might rebuild better, based on what we’ve learned in recent decades.
In a continued effort to provide calming, delightful photos in this newsletter, here's one of my sister's cats behaving himself because he thinks I have food.
Updates
As I mentioned in the last issue, I'm trying out a few new things in this week's newsletter.
First, I asked folks to email me about their pandemic projects and overall experience over the past few months, and I've include some excerpts from those messages, below.
Second, there's a new classifieds section, which serves the double-purpose of allowing people in this community to share their personal projects—books, podcasts, small businesses, blogs, etc—while also providing me with a small bit of revenue that should allow me to produce this newsletter weekly instead of monthly, which is something I've long wanted to do, and which I think might be especially useful right now.
And third, I've got a few other new things I'm trying out—like live, online meetups—and you can find details about those below, as well.
Community: Your Stories
I am incredibly fortunate to have folks from around the world reading my work, and one of the main benefits of producing this newsletter is that I get to hear from people living in all these countries, who have very different circumstances and backgrounds and expectations for the future, but who nonetheless are willing to write to a stranger from the internet to share what they're up to, what they're thinking about, and other such experiential insights.
This section is an attempt to share some of that with you.
Note: Everyone here has given permission for their words to be shared in this way, and the messages are very lightly edited for typos and to remove personal messages to me.
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My college kid is home and probably will be for sometime. I am heartbroken for him.
My oldest kid is a nurse in a busy ED at a hospital. Hard not to worry.
I am a preschool teacher without a class at the moment....So, I am knitting my first sweater. I am walking daily. I am deepening my relationships with compassion. I am going slow. I am breathing. I am aware of the little things that make me happy. Like finding little essays like this one in my box. Thank you for the breather.
Sincerely, Char
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Hi Colin,
I’ve been trying to get a psychology job after travelling for a bit. I’ll use the isolation time to read and read so that I improve my skills when I’m back in a job. Similar goals around my health, leisure and finances. Sometimes fewer options can be freeing.
Best wishes, Alasdair
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My Pandemic Project is to use this time to work on my OCD.
I have lived with a moderate to severe diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder for a good 30 years. I’ve been treated with medications to ease the anxiety, but I have never had the luxury of going to impatient ERP treatment. Exposure Response Therapy is the gold standard of treating OCD. I don’t have any doctors anywhere near where I live who treat OCD with ERP and inpatient care is very expensive, even with insurance. I’ve fumbled through ERP using self help books with varied success and the mantras of “Face Your Fears” and “Risk the Uncomfortable” have rung through my ears for years.
This Pandemic has been a real Come to Jesus moment for me. Uncertainty and Doubt are at the core of almost all OCD. My subset forms of OCD tend to be contamination and order. Most of the time I was worried about germs that I’m rational enough to realize probably weren’t there in the first place and now I actually am being told there are germs that can possibly kill me and my family. I think every time I turn on the news or look online there’s an article on how to properly wash or decontaminate my hands, home, car and stuff my OCD brain never dreamt could be contaminated.
Closing my gym was pretty much the straw that broke the camel's back. Exercise has been by far the most gratifying way for me to grapple with crippling anxiety and stress. If the weather cooperates I can go for a run outside but it’s been cold and rainy. I’m still dealing with bitterness having that safe place taken from me but I realize it’s for the better good.
All in all, I came to the realization this morning that there’s billions of people on the planet Earth experiencing some degree of extra uncertainty and we are all uncomfortable. I’m starting to think ever having certainty was a myth and maybe I will be happier if I challenge myself to be ok with having moments of being uncertain and uncomfortable. In one sense I feel like I have been thrown into the fire and in another sense there’s relief and freedom knowing I have no choice but to deal with my OCD as I help others navigate their fears. One thing for sure, when things normalize I will be all the more grateful for plentiful groceries, unrestricted social events and the ability to go to theatres, restaurants.
Kris
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Hi Colin,
I recently lost my partner to cancer on 12th Feb. It was a ridiculous short battle but he did not suffer long. He was a brilliant guitarist and had taught me four chords of Radiohead's ‘True Love Waits’. I have no sense of rhyme and cannot read notes. He had taught patiently hours, days, weeks and months, but it didn’t get any further than 4 chords. I would like to be able to play the whole song on his birthday 3rd June, so I have started teaching myself to play it (hopefully). If not, at least I will use my time right and he would be proud I picked up the guitar he had bought for me last Christmas.
He was a keen walker, so I am also planning to do a 100k walking challenge around the Jurassic Coast within a short amount of time in July and to raise the awareness of Lymphoma. That was the cancer which took him away from me. I am hoping the uncertain situation will be more settle by then and allow me to complete the challenge.
I am sure you will receive some other interesting projects too. Looking forward to reading them. Thank you for your lovely inspirations.
Take care, Tammi
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Hi Colin,
I finally published my first collection of poetry, having had single poems published here and there throughout the years, and that feels good. I've been re-reading my journals which has been interesting entertainment, have put together an emergency preparedness kit (bug-out-bag) because that seems appropriate, and the neighbors are planning a sidewalk-safe-distance happy hour on the street tomorrow. It has been a reflective time, and as an introvert I am digging the social distancing.
Cheers, Heather
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Hi Colin!
It’s 5am in Milan, Italy. I can’t sleep due to this crazy lockdown. Would like to thank you with all my heart for this last newsletter that brought some peace in my heart and mind. It’s good to know that although this is my 11th day of quarantine completely alone, I am not really alone.
I have been struggling to keep myself busy and trying to keep up a schedule in order to be productive, but since the last 2 days I have just felt my energy super super low...felt like crying for “no reason” and completely hopeless also for my country (Brazil) as I keep reading news that most people are not collaborating to keep safe around there. This started to worry me and stress me in a terrible way.
Also these last days I have been too much online on Ig and Fb. Although it seemed like I was just having fun seeing memes and videos about this crisis, I think it started to drain me. I don’t even find it funny anymore. I don’t even answer people’s messages that don’t even bother to say hello or ask how I'm doing, or tell me how they are doing. They just automatically send me video after video with all kinds of tragedies and memes. All at once.
So...today I spent the day away from social media and news. I realized that for now things are not got be okay, and me reading the news is not gonna make things better. That I just have to be a little patient and continue doing my part. I deleted all my social media apps for a while and I felt so much better already during the day. Felt a bit of weight off my shoulders and that I don't need to be online to be part of this crisis. We are all in it anyways. So...just wanted to thank you for your work and for this newsletter today. It comforted me very very much and I'm sure it has and will comfort many people. Hopefully all this mess will end soon and we will remember it as a valuable time of growth.
Kind Regards, Merilly
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I’m 26 and I live in Lawrenceville, GA. I love volunteering with my local humane society and am helping The American Red Cross at this time of need. Yoga is my favorite stress reliever and my necessary sleep agent. I am also currently improving my writing abilities and knowledge by researching proper punctuation usage and actively learning a whole slew of new words. I’m working my way through Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. Drawing has always been a passion of mine so I am giving myself permission to really dive in and draw horribly so I can learn to draw at least okay. My goal is to have enough foundation so I can sit anywhere and create what is inside of my head or document the beautiful world in front of me.
To make an income I was working as a receptionist at an acupuncture clinic while doing serving gigs on the weekends. Those jobs have now been put on hold which has been extremely stressful. My hopes are that I can temporarily work at a local grocery or some such place so I can continue to pay my bills during these difficult times. I know many people who work in the restaurant industry that are losing their minds right now because they made a pretty considerable income and that has now come to a halt.
This pandemic is coming at an interesting time for me. I have recently come to the surface of a very deep four-year depression. I moved to NYC to pursue acting when I was eighteen and hobbled back home at 22, bruised and crushed from the whole experience.
I stumbled across The Minimalists’ documentary a couple of months ago and the possibility of living a meaningful life reignited my inner fire. Earlier this month I was actively beginning to hangout in more public spaces. I have been self-isolating for far too long and re-realized my need to learn from and engage with the people around me. Alas, the virus. Isolating is now recommended by the CDC which is horrible but also a little ironic for me personally. My renewed goal is to reach out to people via video chat, email, and other media forms in order to maintain current friendships and hopefully build new ones.
Thankfully my family are all well and I am helping my parents stay safe and take care of themselves. Georgia is handling all of this in sort of an odd way. Many of the people around me don’t believe that they can get sick or don’t understand the dangers of a pandemic. Informing them in a kind way has been a novel challenge. After the President began addressing the nation they seemed to begin to understand that this is not just a media hoax. Well, at least I hope it isn’t. That would be quite elaborate.
Your works have been truly inspiring to me. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself with the world.
Hayley
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If you'd like to share your pandemic project and/or personal experiences in this bizarre time from your unique perspective, send me an email and tell me what's been up in your neck of the woods.
Community: Events
I had a very small, casual get-together via an app called Throne this past week, and though it's interesting and I'll be watching its development, it's not quite right for regular real-time get-togethers quite yet, I think (thanks to everyone who showed up to help me test it out!).
This week, on Friday, I'd like to try using Zoom for this purpose. So if you'd like to pop by, say hi, and have a quick chat about whatever, there are details about this and future virtual events at colin.io/chat.
Classifieds:
RetireJapan is the only English-language website focusing on personal finance, investing, and retirement in Japan. Best of all, we're a community that aims to share information and help each other. Come join us at retirejapan.com :)
“He knows not his own strength who hath not met adversity.” —William Samuel Johnson (Courtesy of Kenneth)
You are a beautiful human. You belong here. You are valuable. You are worthy of love. Courtesy of textureclothing.com.
The Optimal Living Daily podcast narrates minimalism blogs, including Colin's. Subscribe in a podcast app/Spotify or listen at OLDPodcast.com
Wherever you are, you're not alone. We're in this together. You're doing great, keep it up. (Courtesy of Jonathan)
Classifieds support the publication of this newsletter and are a way for readers to share their work, words, or things they enjoy with this community. Learn more or buy your own classified, here.
Interesting & Useful
I've decided to formalize my sharing of links to interesting things by creating a little section for it. Today, it's a bundle of free resources I think are amazing and fun:
Here are a bunch of free, live concerts you can watch online
Play loads of classic video games free online (6000+ available)
Library of soundscapes from different places around the world
Here's a water fowl friend I made while on tour not long ago.
Project Updates
Let's Know Things: I published the 200th episode of my podcast yesterday (it's about the Saudi-Russia Oil Price War), which means I've been making this show once a week, every week, for nearly four years now. It remains one of the most challenging and rewarding things I've ever done, and I feel immensely fortunate to be able to invest the time and energy required to make it. A huge thanks to everyone who's listening and supporting this podcast: it means a lot :)
Brain Lenses: Tuesday's essay was about something a lot of us are feeling right now, I think—Skin Hunger (a term that doesn't refer to cannibalism, thankfully).
Ask Colin: Monday's column was about recalibrating our expectations and goals to align with these unusual times.
Outro
This has been a very long newsletter, and I hope that if you made it all the way down here, it's been worth the time invested.
Know that if you're feeling alone or stressed or sad, that's okay and normal. If you want to say hi, I answer every email I receive and would love to hear from you, whether or not you think you have anything important or interesting to say.
What's your day to day like at the moment? Any big news from your area? We've just gone into lockdown here in mid-Missouri—how're things progressing in that regard in your hometown? How's work going, and any particular concerns you're facing in your industry? Send me an email and tell me what you can.
Say hello on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or via potato.
You can support my work by becoming a patron, buying a book, or supporting my podcast. You can subscribe to Brain Lenses and/or Ask Colin, you can also buy me a coffee if that's more your thing.
Watching this today: Objectified.