Welcome to Thinking about Thinking
A newsletter about the search for meaning or purpose or whatever
I spend a lot of time thinking. So much time, in fact, that when I run out of things to think about, I find myself thinking about thinking—how to think more positively, how to reduce unwanted thinking, why we evolved to think the way we do, etc.
So, naturally, I’m great at thinking about all kinds of approaches to personal growth and spiritual development, but like a lot of people, I’m not nearly as good at actually applying them to my everyday life. But I am trying to do better, and that is what this newsletter is about (at least in part).
Portrait of the artist lost in thought by Aaron Wilson
As I explore topics in psychology, culture, creativity or anything else about the search for meaning that catches my interest, I hope to grow a bit more comfortable with life’s many ambiguities, to practice laughing in the face of adversity, and to move steadily in the direction of a better quality of life. I hope that reading about my progress (or lack thereof) will be relatable and useful to you as well. And funny. I hope you at least sometimes find it funny.
And though we may never find the answers we seek, we should keep looking anyway because as Rainer Maria Rilke advised,
“Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.”
Maybe. Maybe not. But it sure sounds good. And Rilke is hot right now! One of his poems was just featured in an episode of the HBO teen drama Euphoria starring Zendaya.
Let the enlightenment begin!
Here’s what you get with your FREE subscription:
reflections on my search for creative fulfillment, self-realization, and a better quality of life (with jokes!)
memoirs and personal essays capturing my navigation of the world as a highly sensitive, recovering ruminator and avid laugher in the face of adversity
cultural criticism and appreciation pieces about whatever art (books, movies, songs, bands, poems, etc.) has my attention at the moment
occasional Craig Patrick [Giants of Diving] news and original content (stories, poems, lyrics, song demos, videos, etc.)