Aurora

Even in the face of overwhelming evidence, and the experience of the billions who came before us, it’s still hard to get our heads around the idea that we are going to die.

You know, I read once that if you’re sad, you’re living in the past. If you’re anxious, you’re living in the future. But if you’re at peace, you’re living in the present.

There but for the grace of God go I,

He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.

The cosmos would always be there. Humanity might be another story.

on September 4, 1882, Thomas Edison would turn on the generators at Pearl Street Station, in Lower Manhattan, activating America's first power grid. Human beings were on the path to total electrical addiction.

if you’re sad, you’re living in the past. If you’re anxious, you’re living in the future. But if you’re at peace, you’re living in the present.

Aubrey was surprised by how quickly she’d begun to mentally disconnect from the infinite online distractions she’d used to seek. She had kicked the internet to the curb with a speed and conviction that surprised her, awakening as if from hypnosis and realizing what a prisoner of algorithm her thoughts had been. No coffee, no internet? Thank Christ.

You can’t find happiness; happiness finds you. We are completely passive in the act of our own contentment because it isn’t an act. It’s a result. For the first time in years, she was living an uncomplicated life, and happiness had resulted.

Isn’t that just like a human? Even in the face of overwhelming evidence, and the experience of the billions who came before us, it’s still hard to get our heads around the idea that we are going to die.

Viktor Frankl says there are only three that matter. To do work that matters to you, to care for others, and to rise to the challenge of difficult times. Work, love, courage. That’s it. Any other human pursuit is horseshit.