Thank you, Brian for such a thoughtful and thought-provoking comment.
I have heard literacy called a ‘psychotechnology’ in that reading and writing enhance our cognition because they give us a new way to think about, frame, plan out, and communicate our experiences.
And so, I think Ted Chiang’s idea is right in that literacy mediates our thinking. And I agree with you in that I do not think we should do away with these technologies.
But I do like to set myself the seemingly futile challenge of trying to get a glimpse at what my thinking and understanding of the world would be like if these technologies didn’t exist.
And while I haven’t come up with much, I do feel like I’d be more embodied, more viscerally aware, and somehow more movement orientated. Kinda like I’d still know ‘how’ to do stuff like run, jump, swim, etc., but I wouldn’t have labels or concepts for these things.
Anyways, I think I just wrote myself into a tangent, but either way, thank you for your comment and your support. And I look forward to checking out the piece you linked. :)
Yes, it feels like striking a balance is order. Somewhere between a massive pile of death and immersive augmented reality — is probably a good spot to start.
This is something else I often think about: was there ever a time where the balance between tech and our more primitive nature was in an optimal balance? I do not have an answer.
I think I heard about that! It was in Brazil aye? I’d like to believe as well. I’d also like it, if what the aliens say is true, for them to give us advice on how to course-correct. I mean, when a young person makes a mistake we don’t just point out the mistake and go on our merry way, we normally try guide them to a better way. Seems it’s the least the aliens could do.
Also, I sent you an email Brian, no need to respond, I just wasn’t sure if you received it. :)
Michael! I hear you, I hear you, I hear you. Oh, this whole question of value (intrinsic v. financial) is so fraught, and fear/self-doubt are so loud. I wish I could pledge/support all of my comrades on Substack, though it does feel so funny to think of pledging people who have pledged me (a few) and then there's the question of just not being ready to turn on PAID and also the fact that we currently are a no-income household. However. Do you have a Ko-Fi account? I've had the pleasure of sending a little something to people who mean a lot to me, and have read other people talk about how it's hard to sign up for a paid subscription and then cancel it later, how they wish they could just do a one-time "have a glass of wine/coffee/absinthe on me" but Substack's just not buying it. It really is about the gesture, not the money (at first.) Anyway, just a thought. Cheers, brother, you're doing great!
I really appreciate the encouragement and support.
And yes, I’m with you the whole question of value - intrinsic v. financial - is such a fickle mess. This piece would have been so much longer if I had of let myself go on and on about all the umms and arghs for and against bringing money into this writing thing that I love. But I think you said it perfectly - “it’s about the gesture”. I just thought it was so lovely that someone would compliment my writing like that and I just found it helped me question all the self-doubt I have around my writing.
And yes, it does seem substack has their model and it’s not super flexible, but I guess that’s the way they make their money...
And I do not have a Ko-Fi account — I had never heard of it until you mentioned it (I just googled it though haha). But thank you Troy, and besides, your support and comradeship is already more than enough :)
Michael, your writing speaks to me and I love it. Yet I do understand the self doubt. Now that I am older I have finally been able to start writing here and enjoying myself. It has encouraged me to a better writing practice overall and I am working on projects that I never thought I would make progress with. I am so glad that you are doing this while you are young. I wish that I had. When you feel those doubts just do it anyway. Not everyone will like everything you do. I feel I have made just a couple of great connections by doing my writing (you are one of them so thank you) and that has made all the difference to me. 'How strange' I thought to myself, 'after all this time, all I needed was two strangers in different parts of the world to enjoy something I had written' Ha ha - no fame or glory required apparently. Keep going. You will not regret doing it even if you make mistakes but you will regret not doing it. Writing clearly is your soul's passion and purpose. Looking forward to the book.
I really appreciate your support and I am very thankful to have made a connection with you as well.
I’m glad you’re here doing your thing and I’m glad I get to enjoy your writing and be a part of that.
And I couldn’t agree more with your line — “You will not regret doing it even if you make mistakes but you will regret not doing it.” — the fear of regretting not doing it, is definitely worse than any fear of doing it. That helps a lot.
Michael, I’m so glad you’re writing and sharing it! I turned on Paid subscriptions early and I have one Paid subscriber 😀 and in a weird way, it feels like I’ve gotten the whole turning on Paid out of the way.
Congratulations on the pledges, and I’m not surprised at them at all!
And I think what you did by turning paid on early and just getting it out of the way may be the smart move - it seems like it saves a whole lot of umming and arghing.
Michael, as per every time I read you, I found myself smiling and thoroughly enjoying the piece. And I cracked up out loud more than once. “I’m sure that cunt will pipe-up about something soon enough.” For one. I’m glad for the stunned silence though. May those periods last longer and the piping up be fewer and further between. I’m also glad you’ve turned on pledges. :)
Very much deserved, Michael! That first gesture validating your work is so crucial and of course, it won't completely silence that familiar and critical voice, but it's another tool to at least contradict it and feed your confidence further. Here's hoping for a time when money is no object and more of us can show our appreciation even more so !
Yes, it was a lovely gesture and a nice little tool to help in the fight against the self-doubt.
And hear hear — here’s hoping there comes a time when money is no object for all of us and we can all trade financial gestures for the mere merriment of it all haha :)
Thanks again, for the support and the encouragement, Mya.
Community, support, and encouragement are imperative when leading a creative life.
Stephen King’s Carrie was rejected 30 times, he threw the manuscript in the trash making the decision to give up writing altogether. His wife, Tabitha, took it out and encouraged him to try again. We all have self doubt, we all have moments where we question if we should continue heeding our soul’s purpose. It’s how we navigate that doubt that makes all the difference ...which is so much easier with support! We all hold the power of encouragement and it is my belief that as writers we need to encourage and uplift one another as much as we can.
Another lovely post, Michael. Your grace and gratitude are a light in the world.
Thank you for your support, your encouragement, and for repeatedly uplifting me with your lovely comments. Your continued engagement and encouragement is more valuable to me than you know.
And I’m not even joking when I say this — I feel like someone needs to make an anthology of some of your most lovely comments. I mean, you consistently leave me smiling from ear to ear whenever you comment on my piece and that, in and of itself, is such a gift.
Michael, this is so lovely. I love that your inner critic was momentarily silenced! It’s such a complex thing, bringing money into the mix, and I assume it’s slightly different for everyone depending on their relationship to money, to their writing, to their own value etc etc. For me, every time I get a paid subscriber I get a huge wave of surprise, delight, embarrassment (I don’t understand that one, but it happens), and panic (that it was a mistake, that they’ll regret it, all the things). But mostly it’s delight, and amazement.
I’m not surprised to hear you’ve received pledges. Your writing is eclectic and life giving and consistently entertaining, and I’m so grateful that it’s something that you’re offering out into the world! It deserves multiple sets of eyes on it. ❤️
Thank you, Chloe, that is so lovely of you to say - I really appreciate your kind words.
And yes, it’s such a strange and complex puzzle this whole money and art thing. If I had of let myself go down that rabbit hole this piece would have been far longer haha. But I think you sum it up nicely - it’s different for everyone.
Thank you for sharing your experience of what happens when you receive a paid subscriber that was helpful to hear.
And again, thank you for all the support and encouragement, Chole, it means a lot.
Thanks, Zan! I’m glad it resonated with you. It’s amazing how much impact a little encouragement can have. I’m glad your here writing in public, Zan, keep it up :)
My mom pledged $5/month. Does that even count? It’s my only pledge received thus far. You can imagine the self-doubt that soon ensued... 🙃 The self-doubt is real, no matter its inspiration!
That totally counts, Nicole! Support is support no matter where it comes from :)
I know, right! That loud bastard is damn hard to shake. I hope you keep fighting the good fight, Nicole. Besides, I’m looking forward to your next piece :)
Thank you, Stephanie! That is so kind of you to say, I really appreciate it.
Thank you, Brian for such a thoughtful and thought-provoking comment.
I have heard literacy called a ‘psychotechnology’ in that reading and writing enhance our cognition because they give us a new way to think about, frame, plan out, and communicate our experiences.
And so, I think Ted Chiang’s idea is right in that literacy mediates our thinking. And I agree with you in that I do not think we should do away with these technologies.
But I do like to set myself the seemingly futile challenge of trying to get a glimpse at what my thinking and understanding of the world would be like if these technologies didn’t exist.
And while I haven’t come up with much, I do feel like I’d be more embodied, more viscerally aware, and somehow more movement orientated. Kinda like I’d still know ‘how’ to do stuff like run, jump, swim, etc., but I wouldn’t have labels or concepts for these things.
Anyways, I think I just wrote myself into a tangent, but either way, thank you for your comment and your support. And I look forward to checking out the piece you linked. :)
Yes, it feels like striking a balance is order. Somewhere between a massive pile of death and immersive augmented reality — is probably a good spot to start.
This is something else I often think about: was there ever a time where the balance between tech and our more primitive nature was in an optimal balance? I do not have an answer.
I think I heard about that! It was in Brazil aye? I’d like to believe as well. I’d also like it, if what the aliens say is true, for them to give us advice on how to course-correct. I mean, when a young person makes a mistake we don’t just point out the mistake and go on our merry way, we normally try guide them to a better way. Seems it’s the least the aliens could do.
Also, I sent you an email Brian, no need to respond, I just wasn’t sure if you received it. :)
Ohh okay, I must of heard of a different one. That’s a pretty big wrinkle haha.
I know, right? A little clarity and guidance would go a long way! It doesn’t seem like we’re really asking for too much here...
Thanks Brian :)
Michael! I hear you, I hear you, I hear you. Oh, this whole question of value (intrinsic v. financial) is so fraught, and fear/self-doubt are so loud. I wish I could pledge/support all of my comrades on Substack, though it does feel so funny to think of pledging people who have pledged me (a few) and then there's the question of just not being ready to turn on PAID and also the fact that we currently are a no-income household. However. Do you have a Ko-Fi account? I've had the pleasure of sending a little something to people who mean a lot to me, and have read other people talk about how it's hard to sign up for a paid subscription and then cancel it later, how they wish they could just do a one-time "have a glass of wine/coffee/absinthe on me" but Substack's just not buying it. It really is about the gesture, not the money (at first.) Anyway, just a thought. Cheers, brother, you're doing great!
Thank you, Troy.
I really appreciate the encouragement and support.
And yes, I’m with you the whole question of value - intrinsic v. financial - is such a fickle mess. This piece would have been so much longer if I had of let myself go on and on about all the umms and arghs for and against bringing money into this writing thing that I love. But I think you said it perfectly - “it’s about the gesture”. I just thought it was so lovely that someone would compliment my writing like that and I just found it helped me question all the self-doubt I have around my writing.
And yes, it does seem substack has their model and it’s not super flexible, but I guess that’s the way they make their money...
And I do not have a Ko-Fi account — I had never heard of it until you mentioned it (I just googled it though haha). But thank you Troy, and besides, your support and comradeship is already more than enough :)
Thank you brother.
Well said Michael, as usual!
Thank you, Donna. Your support is much appreciated, as always :)
Michael, your writing speaks to me and I love it. Yet I do understand the self doubt. Now that I am older I have finally been able to start writing here and enjoying myself. It has encouraged me to a better writing practice overall and I am working on projects that I never thought I would make progress with. I am so glad that you are doing this while you are young. I wish that I had. When you feel those doubts just do it anyway. Not everyone will like everything you do. I feel I have made just a couple of great connections by doing my writing (you are one of them so thank you) and that has made all the difference to me. 'How strange' I thought to myself, 'after all this time, all I needed was two strangers in different parts of the world to enjoy something I had written' Ha ha - no fame or glory required apparently. Keep going. You will not regret doing it even if you make mistakes but you will regret not doing it. Writing clearly is your soul's passion and purpose. Looking forward to the book.
Thank you, April!
That was so damn lovely.
I really appreciate your support and I am very thankful to have made a connection with you as well.
I’m glad you’re here doing your thing and I’m glad I get to enjoy your writing and be a part of that.
And I couldn’t agree more with your line — “You will not regret doing it even if you make mistakes but you will regret not doing it.” — the fear of regretting not doing it, is definitely worse than any fear of doing it. That helps a lot.
Thank you, April.
Michael, I’m so glad you’re writing and sharing it! I turned on Paid subscriptions early and I have one Paid subscriber 😀 and in a weird way, it feels like I’ve gotten the whole turning on Paid out of the way.
Congratulations on the pledges, and I’m not surprised at them at all!
Thank you, Priya! Your support means a lot.
And I think what you did by turning paid on early and just getting it out of the way may be the smart move - it seems like it saves a whole lot of umming and arghing.
Thanks again, Priya, I really appreciate it.
Michael, as per every time I read you, I found myself smiling and thoroughly enjoying the piece. And I cracked up out loud more than once. “I’m sure that cunt will pipe-up about something soon enough.” For one. I’m glad for the stunned silence though. May those periods last longer and the piping up be fewer and further between. I’m also glad you’ve turned on pledges. :)
Thank you, Holly.
I’m glad you enjoyed the piece and thank you for singling out a line you liked — it’s always so nice to see what lines people enjoyed.
And thank you for the support and encouragement, I really appreciate it. :)
Very much deserved, Michael! That first gesture validating your work is so crucial and of course, it won't completely silence that familiar and critical voice, but it's another tool to at least contradict it and feed your confidence further. Here's hoping for a time when money is no object and more of us can show our appreciation even more so !
Thank you, Mya.
Yes, it was a lovely gesture and a nice little tool to help in the fight against the self-doubt.
And hear hear — here’s hoping there comes a time when money is no object for all of us and we can all trade financial gestures for the mere merriment of it all haha :)
Thanks again, for the support and the encouragement, Mya.
This is beautiful, thank you for being so vulnerable and sharing.
Thank you, Evelyn - for being so supportive and encouraging!
I really appreciate it :)
Recieving a pledge is wonderful affirmation of your writing. Congratulations 🎉
It was a lovely gesture.
Thank you, Robin, I really appreciate your support and encouragement. :)
Very good ME - gratitude the antidote for furious platypus - if you are what you eat - give moi humble pie
Thanks Emmett.
And yes, I’ve gotta do what I can to keep that furious platypus at bay haha — gratitude and humility seem to work nicely.
Community, support, and encouragement are imperative when leading a creative life.
Stephen King’s Carrie was rejected 30 times, he threw the manuscript in the trash making the decision to give up writing altogether. His wife, Tabitha, took it out and encouraged him to try again. We all have self doubt, we all have moments where we question if we should continue heeding our soul’s purpose. It’s how we navigate that doubt that makes all the difference ...which is so much easier with support! We all hold the power of encouragement and it is my belief that as writers we need to encourage and uplift one another as much as we can.
Another lovely post, Michael. Your grace and gratitude are a light in the world.
Thank you, Jenovia.
Thank you for your support, your encouragement, and for repeatedly uplifting me with your lovely comments. Your continued engagement and encouragement is more valuable to me than you know.
And I’m not even joking when I say this — I feel like someone needs to make an anthology of some of your most lovely comments. I mean, you consistently leave me smiling from ear to ear whenever you comment on my piece and that, in and of itself, is such a gift.
Thanks again, Jenovia.
Michael, this is so lovely. I love that your inner critic was momentarily silenced! It’s such a complex thing, bringing money into the mix, and I assume it’s slightly different for everyone depending on their relationship to money, to their writing, to their own value etc etc. For me, every time I get a paid subscriber I get a huge wave of surprise, delight, embarrassment (I don’t understand that one, but it happens), and panic (that it was a mistake, that they’ll regret it, all the things). But mostly it’s delight, and amazement.
I’m not surprised to hear you’ve received pledges. Your writing is eclectic and life giving and consistently entertaining, and I’m so grateful that it’s something that you’re offering out into the world! It deserves multiple sets of eyes on it. ❤️
Thank you, Chloe, that is so lovely of you to say - I really appreciate your kind words.
And yes, it’s such a strange and complex puzzle this whole money and art thing. If I had of let myself go down that rabbit hole this piece would have been far longer haha. But I think you sum it up nicely - it’s different for everyone.
Thank you for sharing your experience of what happens when you receive a paid subscriber that was helpful to hear.
And again, thank you for all the support and encouragement, Chole, it means a lot.
This meant so much! I feel exactly the same way about pledges, and like you it’s given me the confidence to keep writing in public 🙏
Thanks, Zan! I’m glad it resonated with you. It’s amazing how much impact a little encouragement can have. I’m glad your here writing in public, Zan, keep it up :)
Definitely know the feeling.
Keep going, M.E.
Thanks, Jason, I really appreciate the support. Honestly, it means a lot.
My mom pledged $5/month. Does that even count? It’s my only pledge received thus far. You can imagine the self-doubt that soon ensued... 🙃 The self-doubt is real, no matter its inspiration!
That totally counts, Nicole! Support is support no matter where it comes from :)
I know, right! That loud bastard is damn hard to shake. I hope you keep fighting the good fight, Nicole. Besides, I’m looking forward to your next piece :)