Howdy, pilgrim! You're in the ^zhurnal — since 1999, a journal of musings on mind, method, metaphor, and matters miscellaneous — previous volume = 0.9953.For the whole ZhurnalyWiki in TiddlyWiki form, load https://zhurnaly.tiddlyhost.com/ (~20MB, may take a few seconds) — a backup copy is at http://zhurnaly.com/zhurnalywiki.html (may be a few months old). For static snapshots of the ZhurnalyWiki's ~9,000 individual pages, see http://zhurnaly.com/z/.
For Mindfulness + Nonattachment + Oneness Insight suggestions see https://insight.tiddlyhost.com/ — a backup copy is at https://zhurnaly.com/insight/. For physical Insight Cards (and Dice!) see Insight. Thank you!
Steven Barrie-Anthony's op-ed essay "I’m a Psychoanalyst. This Is What Technology Is Doing to Us." in the New York Times offers insights worth pondering:
... technology brings a kind of alexithymic fog — alexithymia being the condition of having difficulty identifying or being able to express one’s emotions. This isn’t universal, and the emotions we’re pushing away aren’t always the same. But it happens in a startlingly consistent way.
When we do manage to feel, it can be difficult to dwell with the feelings. Instead, we move swiftly into action. ...
Tech encourages the instrumentalization of emotional life, by which I mean that our feelings seem real only if they translate into actions that help us achieve specific goals. ...
... we are highly incentivized to focus on action in pursuit of external markers of success. The notion of staying with feeling without translating it into action seems pointless.
Barrie-Anthony talks about how "mindfulness", in its Western instantiation, has led to "mindfulness apps" that tally meditative minutes to feed leaderboards, with ostensible goals of helping "... de-stress, get more work done, lower your blood pressure". His conclusion:
To tackle the problems of technology we have to return to our emotional lives for their own sake, and not always leap to doing or changing or fixing. This is the only viable pathway if we are to remain in touch with our humanness and to preserve love, empathy, emotional and spiritual richness, and the capacity to create art and music that reflect our inner lives.
This echoes Jon Kabat-Zinn (in Wherever You Go, There You Are, chapter "This Is It"):
... Meditation is the only intentional, systematic human activity which at bottom is about not trying to improve yourself or get anywhere else, but simply to realize where you already are. ...
... and also Kabat-Zinn (in Coming to Our Senses, chapter "Two Ways to Think About Meditation"):
... This other way of describing meditation is that whatever "meditation" is, it is not instrumental at all. If it is a method, it is the method of no method. It is not a doing. There is no going anywhere, nothing to practice, no beginning, middle, or end, no attainment, and nothing to attain. Rather, it is the direct realization and embodiment in this very moment of who you already are, outside of time and space and concepts of any kind, a resting in the very nature of your being, in what is sometimes called the natural state, original mind, pure awareness, no mind, or simply emptiness. ...
... and Paul Wilson (in Finding the Quiet, chapter "The art of letting go"):
... be prepared to allow things to happen at their own pace. Without applying effort. Without trying to analyze in any way. And without expecting any particular outcome. ...
... and Maurine Stuart (in Subtle Sound: The Zen Teachings of Maurine Stuart, chapter "Breathing In, Breathing Out")
... The thought of practicing Zen is gone. The thought of successful practice is gone. Scattered mind is gone. There's just simply one-mindedness, and then no-mindedness: Mu-shin. Nothing seeking, or striving, or getting; just counting. Just breathing. Just being. Just this. ...
... and in Toki Pona, perhaps:
taso kon
taso lon
taso ni
| toki pona | rough translation |
|---|---|
| taso kon | just breathing |
| taso lon | just being |
| taso ni | just this |
(cf This Is It (2008-11-14), No Method (2010-01-21), Without Effort, Analysis, or Expectation (2010-08-04), This (2013-03-09), Just Breathing, Just Being, Just This (2017-04-03), ...) - ^z - 2025-11-12
- Wednesday, November 12, 2025 at 08:48:33 (EST)
From the Wikipedia page on "Meliorism":
Meliorism (Latin melior, better) is the idea that progress is a real concept and that humans can interfere with natural processes in order to improve the world. ...
... meliorism stands in the middle between optimism and pessimism and treats the salvation of the world as a probability rather than a certainty or impossibility ...
... all three statements are true at the same time: "The world is much better. The world is awful. The world can be much better." ...
(cf My Religion (2000-11-06), Tikkun Olam (2019-12-11), You Are a Poem (2020-02-10), Factfulness (2020-02-14), Two Thoughts (2020-10-02), Invisible Fixers (2021-03-26), ...) - ^z - 2025-11-06
- Thursday, November 06, 2025 at 06:54:44 (EST)
The 2000 book Meditations on Design: Reinventing Your Home With Style and Simplicity by John Wheatman has a table of contents that summarizes, mantra-fashion, big themes of awareness and connection — applicable to making a lovely living space:
... great thoughts to inspire creativity in building a personal space-time!Reinventing Your Home
Looking Inside
Bringing the Outside In
Memory and the Things You Love
The Poetics of Home
A Good Room Is Never Done
(cf Conversations in Paint (2000-08-18), Golden Rules of Interface Design (2012-07-02), Architectural Design (2016-11-04), Designing Your Life (2023-08-08), ...) - ^z - 2025-11-02
- Sunday, November 02, 2025 at 11:02:21 (EST)
From an interview "‘I’m alive, but battered’: Philip Pullman’s new novel was a struggle" by Sophia Nguyen in the Washington Post (2025-10-23), Pullman's recommendation:
... the way to write a book is to establish the habit of writing. Habit has written far more books than inspiration has. I’ll put it like this: The muse that visits the poets and brings them inspiration — if she wants to find you, she needs to know where you are. If you’re downtown drinking or watching football or something, she doesn’t know where you are. She won’t bother.
(cf Slaughter in the Hall (2006-01-11), Rules for Writing (2010-03-07), Evil Certainty (2019-12-09), ...) - ^z - 2025-10-23
- Thursday, October 23, 2025 at 13:37:36 (EDT)
For back issues of the ^zhurnal see Volumes v.01 (April-May 1999), v.02 (May-July 1999), v.03 (July-September 1999), v.04 (September-November 1999), v.05 (November 1999 - January 2000), v.06 (January-March 2000), v.07 (March-May 2000), v.08 (May-June 2000), v.09 (June-July 2000), v.10 (August-October 2000), v.11 (October-December 2000), v.12 (December 2000 - February 2001), v.13 (February-April 2001), v.14 (April-June 2001), 0.15 (June-August 2001), 0.16 (August-September 2001), 0.17 (September-November 2001), 0.18 (November-December 2001), 0.19 (December 2001 - February 2002), 0.20 (February-April 2002), 0.21 (April-May 2002), 0.22 (May-July 2002), 0.23 (July-September 2002), 0.24 (September-October 2002), 0.25 (October-November 2002), 0.26 (November 2002 - January 2003), 0.27 (January-February 2003), 0.28 (February-April 2003), 0.29 (April-June 2003), 0.30 (June-July 2003), 0.31 (July-September 2003), 0.32 (September-October 2003), 0.33 (October-November 2003), 0.34 (November 2003 - January 2004), 0.35 (January-February 2004), 0.36 (February-March 2004), 0.37 (March-April 2004), 0.38 (April-June 2004), 0.39 (June-July 2004), 0.40 (July-August 2004), 0.41 (August-September 2004), 0.42 (September-November 2004), 0.43 (November-December 2004), 0.44 (December 2004 - February 2005), 0.45 (February-March 2005), 0.46 (March-May 2005), 0.47 (May-June 2005), 0.48 (June-August 2005), 0.49 (August-September 2005), 0.50 (September-November 2005), 0.51 (November 2005 - January 2006), 0.52 (January-February 2006), 0.53 (February-April 2006), 0.54 (April-June 2006), 0.55 (June-July 2006), 0.56 (July-September 2006), 0.57 (September-November 2006), 0.58 (November-December 2006), 0.59 (December 2006 - February 2007), 0.60 (February-May 2007), 0.61 (April-May 2007), 0.62 (May-July 2007), 0.63 (July-September 2007), 0.64 (September-November 2007), 0.65 (November 2007 - January 2008), 0.66 (January-March 2008), 0.67 (March-April 2008), 0.68 (April-June 2008), 0.69 (July-August 2008), 0.70 (August-September 2008), 0.71 (September-October 2008), 0.72 (October-November 2008), 0.73 (November 2008 - January 2009), 0.74 (January-February 2009), 0.75 (February-April 2009), 0.76 (April-June 2009), 0.77 (June-August 2009), 0.78 (August-September 2009), 0.79 (September-November 2009), 0.80 (November-December 2009), 0.81 (December 2009 - February 2010), 0.82 (February-April 2010), 0.83 (April-May 2010), 0.84 (May-July 2010), 0.85 (July-September 2010), 0.86 (September-October 2010), 0.87 (October-December 2010), 0.88 (December 2010 - February 2011), 0.89 (February-April 2011), 0.90 (April-June 2011), 0.91 (June-August 2011), 0.92 (August-October 2011), 0.93 (October-December 2011), 0.94 (December 2011-January 2012), 0.95 (January-March 2012), 0.96 (March-April 2012), 0.97 (April-June 2012), 0.98 (June-September 2012), 0.99 (September-November 2012), 0.9901 (November-December 2012), 0.9902 (December 2012-February 2013), 0.9903 (February-March 2013), 0.9904 (March-May 2013), 0.9905 (May-July 2013), 0.9906 (July-September 2013), 0.9907 (September-October 2013), 0.9908 (October-December 2013), 0.9909 (December 2013-February 2014), 0.9910 (February-May 2014), 0.9911 (May-July 2014), 0.9912 (July-August 2014), 0.9913 (August-October 2014), 0.9914 (November 2014-January 2015), 0.9915 (January-April 2015), 0.9916 (April-July 2015), 0.9917 (July-September 2015), 0.9918 (September-November 2015), 0.9919 (November 2015-January 2016), 0.9920 (January-April 2016), 0.9921 (April-June 2016), 0.9922 (June-July 2016), 0.9923 (July-September 2016), 0.9924 (October-December 2016), 0.9925 (January-February 2017), 0.9926 (March-April 2017), 0.9927 (May-June 2017), 0.9928 (June-October 2017), 0.9929 (October-December 2017), 0.9930 (December 2017-March 2018), 0.9931 (March-April 2018), 0.9932 (May-July 2018), 0.9933 (July-September 2018), 0.9934 (September-December 2018), 0.9935 (December 2018-February 2019), 0.9936 (February-April 2019), 0.9937 (April-July 2019), 0.9938 (July-August 2019), 0.9939 (August-November 2019), 0.9940 (November 2019-February 2020), 0.9941 (February-June 2020), 0.9942 (June-August 2020), 0.9943 (August-November 2020), 0.9944 (November 2020-March 2021), 0.9945 (March-July 2021), 0.9946 (July-September 2021), 0.9947 (September 2021-January 2022), 0.9948 (December 2021-August 2022), 0.9949 (August 2022-April 2023), 0.9950 (April-August 2023), 0.9951 (August-November 2023), 0.9952 (November 2023-August 2024), 0.9953 (August 2024-October 2025), ... Current Volume. Send comments and suggestions to z (at) his.com. Thank you! (Copyright © 1999-2025 by Mark Zimmermann.)