Dives II
I really, really, REALLY wanted this photo as my hero image, but it’s not in the public domain, and I didn’t receive the appropriate permissions in time before publishing today!
My college required some courses in theology and philosophy, and I can still remember my first class as the professor wrote in green marker on the whiteboard. “Philos,” he said. “Love.” And then the second word squeaked out. “Sophia…knowledge.”
These new frameworks for understanding the world were revelatory for me. But philosophy now often refers to a simple mission statement or a narrow articulation of strategy, like the references to “coaching philosophies” you’ll hear a lot about in the U.S. with the NCAA basketball tournament gearing up.
I still prefer the broader, historical interpretation, so here’s how I begin a project in any medium.
I want to:
1. leave you in awe by showing you something you’ve never seen. ...or...
2. spark wonder by showing you something familiar in a way you’ve never seen it.
Awe is the best kind of disbelief.
And wonder, like our shadows and our souls, is with us from the beginning.
Instead of the usual collection of ideas, I want to offer you a deep dive this month. A single link. It demonstrates both principles that guide my philosophy.
Please immerse yourself in the best short film I’ve watched in several years. The Last Observers contains humor, a good soundtrack, and (of course) archives!
For without archives, “there is no knowing what we will see.”
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This newsletter was written on the traditional lands of the Piscataway and Nacotchtank.