Articles curated by JSL, #303
On living and dying and being healthy and sexuality and more
Bonjour!
I reread Oliver Sack’s little book Gratitude this weekend. It’s a beautiful collection of essays about living and dying. He wrote it in the months leading up to his death and it’s a reflection on his 82 years of life and his impending demise. I have a few goals in my life and one of them is to detaboo the concept of death. I don’t fear death and I strive to keep it that way until the moment when I am actually faced with it, hopefully many years from now. I want to talk about death with my parents and other old folks I know and with my kids and my friends and everyone. We’ll all get to that stage sooner or later so why not prepare, emotionally, relationally, logistically?
Here’s a blurb:
This is exactly the state of mind I hope to be in when my time comes.
—
In other news, Nick Cave signs off the latest edition of his newsletter like this and it instantly made me think of my own two weirdo kids and it moved me:
“I’m glad you like the music, weirdos kids of Corsica. Stay strange, stay weird, stay dark, be happy, and above all, stay safe. We parents - we adults - love and need you and value you above all else, even though this love may sometimes feel imperfect. You are the best of us. You keep the sky from falling.”
With all this, please proceed to this week’s selection (there’s a lot of health stuff in there). Enjoy, keep reading, and have a equanimous week ahead.
—
What Matters More for Longevity: Genes or Lifestyle? (NYTimes)
If there is one question that occupies my mind, it is the one about how we humans arre molded into the individuals that we are. Nature and nurture and all that. As expected, this article doesn’t quite answer the question. But it does present some interesting findings. (Spolier: it’s both. It’s always both).
10 Ways to Eat Better (NYTimes)
These ten rules say exactly what you’d expect them to say. But you probably have forgotten about some of them or you ignore them in your daily life. If you click this link, the insights will be more present in your mind and you will abide by them 12% more often than you otherwise would have. That’s my own reasoning at least.
How to Become a Vegetarian (or Simply Eat More Plants) (NYTimes)
I’ve been an almost vegetarian for fifteen years or so. I don’t think I’ll ever go full vegie (or vegan, which, honestly, seems like the only truly morally defensible choice to me); my personality just doesn’t seem to be build for such absolutism. But I think we should all strive to consume less animal products. Here are a few tips on how to do so.
Meloni faces questions after Italy frees Libyan general accused of war crimes (The Guardian)
Everything about this story is fucked up. Please read it and ask yourself how we got to this place. And whether we might still be able to change things before we pass our societies on to our children.
The True Self is the Person You Want Others to Believe You Are (Rob Henderson)
This is interesting. A blurb: “[S]ocial psychologist Roy Baumeister theorizes that the feeling of authenticity (or lack thereof) comes from whether or not we are acting in line with the reputation we want. In other words, we feel most in line with our true self when we achieve our desired social image. Failure to achieve it, or losing it, makes us feel less authentic. When caught doing something they’re ashamed of, people say things like, “That’s not who I am” or “That wasn’t really me.” They are implying that reputation-damaging acts are not reflective of their true self. This doesn’t mean they are lying: Many people really believe their shameful acts are not reflective of who they are deep down.”
Britain’s Foreign Secretary Braces for the Second Trump Age (New Yorker)
Fascinating read. Yet another illustration of how the NYer just has superior access compared to any other medium I know of. If you’re interested in politics or Britain or America or Europe or the world, you should read this.
—
This is the best podcast—nay, the best story—I have listened to for a long time. Everyone who’s ever been a young man should listen to it. And so should everyone who’s ever been a youngh woman. Or those who are one of those two things right now or will soon be one. It’s about coming of age and developing one’s sexuality and learning to set boundaries and understanding one’s inner life and how that’s influenced by the surrounding world. I feel like I understand humans 12% better after listening to this miniseries.