This is lovely. And it reminded me of a C. S. Lewis quote I've been thinking about a lot these past few weeks:
"Friendship is the greatest of worldly goods. Certainly to me it is the chief happiness of life. If I had to give a piece of advice to a young man about a place to live, I think I should say, 'sacrifice almost everything to live where you can be near your friends.’"
My partner and I are totally upending our lives at the moment to be closer to community and friends. It's nervous-making but totally the right move. It's the salvation and ambition we need rn.
the insight that “People are doorways out of solipsism” has been the most meaningful and essential insight of my 20s—so much suffering and uncertainty comes from trying to self-actualize alone, and only through doing things with and for others did I begin to feel genuine contentment in life
Love this. The last paragraph! I think you could devote an entire essay to unpacking that. It might seem obvious to you what you took away from that as an insight but I think there are multiple possibilities and I'd love for you to go into your take. I mean, my take is, be interested in way more than just your kids if you have them! But someone else could take away the idea that they should have lots of kids and get in good standing with them... lots of great ideas in this essay.
I just filled out your survey. I live quite rural, all my best friends and I are scattered around the country. A lot if people live like that here I think. One of the downsides to ruralish life. I would love to live near my friends but they are so scattered.
I have found the most satisfying path into meaning is just simply listening to my body. Letting myself follow paths laid out for me. Surrendering to my own nature. My body knows what to say yes and no to. It knows when to stay and when to leave. My body does not apologize for this intuition - it simply knows. By listening, I get to experience alignment and aliveness, and all else is soothed.
As I allow myself to open to the idea of something powerful, real and subtle in life while also getting to know my body more, im paying close attention to what gives me goosebumps. Because they feel like a signal to what is worth paying closer attention. A heartbreaking paragraph, a shape of a cloud, the look shared between two friends on a midday train, a melody in a song out of my preferred genre.
"For me, that’s salvation—that’s ambition." This gave me goosebumps! Your words resonate so strongly, I feel like I am constantly negotiating my relationship to ambition and working to redefine it outside of the ladder-climbing-oriented structures I was placed into growing up.
Ava, I love how you've challenged the idea of "saving the world" with something much simpler – loving those around you. It's a powerful message that true change starts small.
I have read about 5 of your other essays and I was wondering "Is Ava religious?" and I stumbled upon this essay where you address my exact question.
You mention in your essay:
"Most people are looking for God in one way or another... The problem is there’s a lot of people out there who want to tell you the right way to seek. I never liked that. All my life I’ve hated being told what to do. Any religion that’s going to tell me to obey a guy is losing me right at the door."
I have a question:
Is your objection to religion the fact that people are telling you the right way to seek or that seeking and finding God requires you to obey/submit to a higher power and you don't want to do that?
Wow, such awareness of feeling in your writing. Meaning is the purpose of life, so it's a mystery why we prioritize status over meaning. I suspect it's because status is easily quantifiable, and meaning is not. Meaning is too unique and personable in our age obsessed with logic and measurements. Thank you for writing and sharing.
Your delightful essay reminds me of the work of Jason Leister, a unique soul, who left the trappings of many a Matrix and has created his own path. See his book THE INCOMPARABLE EXPERT.
This is lovely. And it reminded me of a C. S. Lewis quote I've been thinking about a lot these past few weeks:
"Friendship is the greatest of worldly goods. Certainly to me it is the chief happiness of life. If I had to give a piece of advice to a young man about a place to live, I think I should say, 'sacrifice almost everything to live where you can be near your friends.’"
My partner and I are totally upending our lives at the moment to be closer to community and friends. It's nervous-making but totally the right move. It's the salvation and ambition we need rn.
the insight that “People are doorways out of solipsism” has been the most meaningful and essential insight of my 20s—so much suffering and uncertainty comes from trying to self-actualize alone, and only through doing things with and for others did I begin to feel genuine contentment in life
Love this. The last paragraph! I think you could devote an entire essay to unpacking that. It might seem obvious to you what you took away from that as an insight but I think there are multiple possibilities and I'd love for you to go into your take. I mean, my take is, be interested in way more than just your kids if you have them! But someone else could take away the idea that they should have lots of kids and get in good standing with them... lots of great ideas in this essay.
I just filled out your survey. I live quite rural, all my best friends and I are scattered around the country. A lot if people live like that here I think. One of the downsides to ruralish life. I would love to live near my friends but they are so scattered.
I have found the most satisfying path into meaning is just simply listening to my body. Letting myself follow paths laid out for me. Surrendering to my own nature. My body knows what to say yes and no to. It knows when to stay and when to leave. My body does not apologize for this intuition - it simply knows. By listening, I get to experience alignment and aliveness, and all else is soothed.
But does it provide shareholder value?
As I allow myself to open to the idea of something powerful, real and subtle in life while also getting to know my body more, im paying close attention to what gives me goosebumps. Because they feel like a signal to what is worth paying closer attention. A heartbreaking paragraph, a shape of a cloud, the look shared between two friends on a midday train, a melody in a song out of my preferred genre.
This essay gives me goosebumps.
This is incredible, wow
"For me, that’s salvation—that’s ambition." This gave me goosebumps! Your words resonate so strongly, I feel like I am constantly negotiating my relationship to ambition and working to redefine it outside of the ladder-climbing-oriented structures I was placed into growing up.
This was great, and came to me in a point in my life where I very much needed it.
Ava, I love how you've challenged the idea of "saving the world" with something much simpler – loving those around you. It's a powerful message that true change starts small.
Also, why don't you want to convert to Islam?
I have read about 5 of your other essays and I was wondering "Is Ava religious?" and I stumbled upon this essay where you address my exact question.
You mention in your essay:
"Most people are looking for God in one way or another... The problem is there’s a lot of people out there who want to tell you the right way to seek. I never liked that. All my life I’ve hated being told what to do. Any religion that’s going to tell me to obey a guy is losing me right at the door."
I have a question:
Is your objection to religion the fact that people are telling you the right way to seek or that seeking and finding God requires you to obey/submit to a higher power and you don't want to do that?
This is very beautifully written.
Wow, such awareness of feeling in your writing. Meaning is the purpose of life, so it's a mystery why we prioritize status over meaning. I suspect it's because status is easily quantifiable, and meaning is not. Meaning is too unique and personable in our age obsessed with logic and measurements. Thank you for writing and sharing.
Your delightful essay reminds me of the work of Jason Leister, a unique soul, who left the trappings of many a Matrix and has created his own path. See his book THE INCOMPARABLE EXPERT.
Absolutely LOVE this. 🙏🏽