Reflecting (Spam Mail #7)

Hi there,

I’m back from a holiday hiatus. I started thinking about what to share in this newsletter last week, before the horrific and seditious attack on the US Capitol. It had me stop and ponder; what does the outcome of this denial of democracy really mean?

My goal with this newsletter has never been to cover breaking news. Instead, it’s meant to be deliberatively reflective; operating at a slower pace to afford space for thought provoking ideas (whether they be inspiring links or insightful longform articles). With this in mind, I have a truly incredible piece analyzing the attack on The Capitol, amongst some other great 💎 Word gems about reflection. As always, 💩 Cool shit for the links.

See you next week.

💩 Cool shit

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow - This maps the emotional waves we’ve felt during the pandemic.

Dsxyliea - Experience what it's like to read with dyslexia.

10 Misconceptions on UX to get around - I love how this quiz blends functional UX with unique and fun elements (find all the trivia!).

Pinecraft - Yes, this is christmassy. No, it doesn’t matter, because this is cool. It’s 3D interactive wood carving. And for every tree added to the virtual forest, a real one is planted too.

Seatback Safety Cards - If you love odd collections or just really miss flying this is for you.

50 Words Project - A beautiful initiative that lets you hear 50 words in different Australian Indigenous languages.

Goat 2 Meeting - Add a goat to your next virtual meeting. What a time to be alive.

💎 Word gems

The American Abyss (New York Times / Timothy Snyder)

There are so many insightful points in this article I struggled to pick a single quote. Snyder analyzes the historical context that resulted in the storming of the US Capitol on January 6. Focusing on Trump’s big lie (that the election was stolen), there’s a powerful truth: "The lie outlasts the liar”, and what we could expect because of this lie:

Trump’s coup attempt of 2020-21, like other failed coup attempts, is a warning for those who care about the rule of law and a lesson for those who do not. His pre-fascism revealed a possibility for American politics. For a coup to work in 2024, the breakers will require something that Trump never quite had: an angry minority, organized for nationwide violence, ready to add intimidation to an election. Four years of amplifying a big lie just might get them this.

What If You Could Do It All Over? (New Yorker / Joshua Rothman)

As we all do the typical thing of have goals for the year ahead, this piece reflects on our unlived lives. This article is also filled with too many gems to quote.

Even as we regret who we haven’t become, we value who we are. We seem to find meaning in what’s never happened. Our self-portraits use a lot of negative space.

Building a Peace Narrative (Charles Eisenstein)

This is worth a read if you’re thinking about how to tackle issues in 2021. It’s illuminating how powerful a narrative frame can be. By showing how pervasive a mentality of warfare is, this calls us to look for the cause, not attack the symptom.

The mentality of finding an enemy to overcome with force extends beyond warfare. Take agriculture, for instance. You have a problem, like declining crop yields, you identify the cause – there are weeds in the field. And the solution is to kill the weeds . Or maybe you have strep throat. What's the cause? Let's find the pathogen. That's the orientation. Find the pathogen. Ah, streptococcus bacteria. Solution? Kill it with antibiotics. Or how about crime? Well obviously crime is caused by criminals, right? So if we lock up the criminals, then we won't have any more crime. Terrorism, obviously it's caused by terrorists. So let's kill the terrorists. No more terrorism. Problem solved.

Jealousy List 2020 (Bloomberg Businessweek)

This is one of my favorite recurring series. Every year, the team at Bloomberg Businessweek share the articles they wish they had written.

It’s worth checking out.

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