thank you so much Dougald! it's an honor to be included in the neighborhood, although i'm not sure i've done enough to earn my place yet. let's say for now that i've parked my trailer down at the end of the road (where the grass clippings and empty beer cans get left) and am working toward establishing a permanent residence.
seriously—thank you so much for the kind words and very generous endorsement. it means a lot.
Feel the same re you both. Greetings from me in London, simultaneously lowering the tone and raising the spirits of the neighbourhood, whenever possible...
Thank you for, once again, doing what you seem to do best--weave connections. Your introduction to R.G. Miga's writing is well-received here. Someone asking similar questions in my own backyard.
Your treatment of scenius is astute. You write:
"Most of the praise you get in your life isn’t worth much, and most of the criticism is a distraction, but where scenius is at work, this changes: the praise you give each other is clear-sighted and grounded in mutual respect, the criticism is not a vehicle for psychological game-playing or a consequence of misplaced expectations, and through all of this, you lift each other up. I’ve had glimpses of this experience in a few seasons of my life, and whatever merit my work may have, I owe much of it to those settings."
I have found myself similarly blessed to be entangled with a few such conversation partners. That the way we are with one another might feed something beyond the self and its endless hungers--this is a possibility worth living for. Having caught a glimpse of it in fleeting moments serves only to deepen the longing.
I love this idea of cultivating Substack neighbourhoods—it feels like an appropriate way to thread together these solitary outpourings. Almost like the blogrolls of yore.
Also hello! It's been a long time, Dougald. I remember talking to you at my house, maybe 13 years ago(?). I was telling you about how I digged this One No, Many Yeses book by neighbourhood local, Paul Kingsnorth. It's interesting to see where we all sit now. I went on to work in tech—courting the Machine—whilst going simultaneously deep into insight meditation and awakening.
I'm now writing on Substack as well. I started out by sharing the story of my last three years: https://nobt.substack.com/p/three-years-part-one It's been difficult but cathartic. I'm excited to get back to writing during this sabbatical and hope to wonder into some more quirky neighbourhoods.
thank you so much Dougald! it's an honor to be included in the neighborhood, although i'm not sure i've done enough to earn my place yet. let's say for now that i've parked my trailer down at the end of the road (where the grass clippings and empty beer cans get left) and am working toward establishing a permanent residence.
seriously—thank you so much for the kind words and very generous endorsement. it means a lot.
Feel the same re you both. Greetings from me in London, simultaneously lowering the tone and raising the spirits of the neighbourhood, whenever possible...
Dougald,
Thank you for, once again, doing what you seem to do best--weave connections. Your introduction to R.G. Miga's writing is well-received here. Someone asking similar questions in my own backyard.
Your treatment of scenius is astute. You write:
"Most of the praise you get in your life isn’t worth much, and most of the criticism is a distraction, but where scenius is at work, this changes: the praise you give each other is clear-sighted and grounded in mutual respect, the criticism is not a vehicle for psychological game-playing or a consequence of misplaced expectations, and through all of this, you lift each other up. I’ve had glimpses of this experience in a few seasons of my life, and whatever merit my work may have, I owe much of it to those settings."
I have found myself similarly blessed to be entangled with a few such conversation partners. That the way we are with one another might feed something beyond the self and its endless hungers--this is a possibility worth living for. Having caught a glimpse of it in fleeting moments serves only to deepen the longing.
Many thanks to you for your work.
With care, Adam
I love this idea of cultivating Substack neighbourhoods—it feels like an appropriate way to thread together these solitary outpourings. Almost like the blogrolls of yore.
Also hello! It's been a long time, Dougald. I remember talking to you at my house, maybe 13 years ago(?). I was telling you about how I digged this One No, Many Yeses book by neighbourhood local, Paul Kingsnorth. It's interesting to see where we all sit now. I went on to work in tech—courting the Machine—whilst going simultaneously deep into insight meditation and awakening.
I'm now writing on Substack as well. I started out by sharing the story of my last three years: https://nobt.substack.com/p/three-years-part-one It's been difficult but cathartic. I'm excited to get back to writing during this sabbatical and hope to wonder into some more quirky neighbourhoods.
—Dan
I appreciate this. Thanks Dougald. We will let off steam in a pub one of these days.
This is very helpful to me as a new-to-Substack writer. I joined exactly because the company seemed so good.