Thanks so much for this comment! I so admire how Unchained At Last has fought against child marriage, and I think part of your success is that you recognize that many legislators are simply ignorant. Many of them have a sentimental and unrealistic image of child marriage as a pregnant 17-year-old who wants to marry her 18-year-old boyfriend--when in fact even in that case the girl will be worse off if she marries, and most child marriages are much worse than this sentimental story. But the only way to persuade these legislators is to remember that they think they're helping but lack crucial information.
I love this piece. As well as the advantages of practicing loving kindness & getting out into nature I'll also attest to the benefits of self-reflection in making sense of arguments. I particularly recommend the question 'but why do I believe x'. The answer is often not because it's most likely to be true, but because it suits us.
Such an interesting point! It is always a good practice to think about our thinking. I should do it more--thank you for the kind words and for the reminder!
Agreed, this is a fantastic column with a "strong and curious" introduction! Loved reading this, loved your anecdotal transitions and picturing you in line at the farmers markets! Thank you for crafting this humorous, insightful and motivating essay about how we may find our collective inner chill.
On another note, I was recently in VT exercising my need to touch grass and get outside and to feel the perfectly sharp air on my nose...with none other than Maggie Kelly. And she, btw, is knitting up a storm thanks to your tutelage. I shared The Happy Wanderer with Karen and we both spoke highly of you, your family and your adventures as we blazed new trails in the snow covered forest and enjoyed our time together! Thanks Mari! I look forward to meditating my way out of frustration in the new year! Will be making that part of your essay a mini-poster for the fridge! Best wishes on crafting your next piece!!! oxxoxo
I saw your new column in my email. I thought, I'm too busy to read this now. Then I saw the Dante's Inferno image. I had to read what was behind that! Thank you for the strong and curious introduction. This is one of your best columns yet. I am trying to figure out how to create it as an automatic trigger to pop up on my phone and computer screen when it notes I've been on FB for over 10 minutes. I may not always be carrying a lady (or my decapitated head) but it will still be an efficient reminder to also be a Sower of Concord. Or just go outside. And by the by, Portugal local dogs are also frequently off-leash. However Radar hasn't got the message about running away. When off-leash, he goes into full-on bark-attack to almost all other dogs. Thank goodness he doesn't bite. But at 7kilos, he will someday be a nice snack for an annoyed dog if he doesn't learn this important dog-lesson.
Oh, sweet Radar! My brother's dog is a bit like this too. I think really small dogs do sometimes bark proactively. I read recently that the difference in size between very small and very large dogs is analogous to that between an adult human and a very large elephant. No wonder small dogs get nervous!
Thanks for the kind words about my post, and for the suggestion to create a tool to help us limit facebook time. I need to do that too!
Well said (as always), Mari. At Unchained At Last, the nonprofit I run, we recently introduced a policy we call "assume positive intent."
It's not at all easy to follow that policy.
Thanks so much for this comment! I so admire how Unchained At Last has fought against child marriage, and I think part of your success is that you recognize that many legislators are simply ignorant. Many of them have a sentimental and unrealistic image of child marriage as a pregnant 17-year-old who wants to marry her 18-year-old boyfriend--when in fact even in that case the girl will be worse off if she marries, and most child marriages are much worse than this sentimental story. But the only way to persuade these legislators is to remember that they think they're helping but lack crucial information.
I love this piece. As well as the advantages of practicing loving kindness & getting out into nature I'll also attest to the benefits of self-reflection in making sense of arguments. I particularly recommend the question 'but why do I believe x'. The answer is often not because it's most likely to be true, but because it suits us.
Such an interesting point! It is always a good practice to think about our thinking. I should do it more--thank you for the kind words and for the reminder!
Agreed, this is a fantastic column with a "strong and curious" introduction! Loved reading this, loved your anecdotal transitions and picturing you in line at the farmers markets! Thank you for crafting this humorous, insightful and motivating essay about how we may find our collective inner chill.
On another note, I was recently in VT exercising my need to touch grass and get outside and to feel the perfectly sharp air on my nose...with none other than Maggie Kelly. And she, btw, is knitting up a storm thanks to your tutelage. I shared The Happy Wanderer with Karen and we both spoke highly of you, your family and your adventures as we blazed new trails in the snow covered forest and enjoyed our time together! Thanks Mari! I look forward to meditating my way out of frustration in the new year! Will be making that part of your essay a mini-poster for the fridge! Best wishes on crafting your next piece!!! oxxoxo
Thank you so much for the kind words and for the update on Maggie! I am so happy to hear that she is still knitting!
I saw your new column in my email. I thought, I'm too busy to read this now. Then I saw the Dante's Inferno image. I had to read what was behind that! Thank you for the strong and curious introduction. This is one of your best columns yet. I am trying to figure out how to create it as an automatic trigger to pop up on my phone and computer screen when it notes I've been on FB for over 10 minutes. I may not always be carrying a lady (or my decapitated head) but it will still be an efficient reminder to also be a Sower of Concord. Or just go outside. And by the by, Portugal local dogs are also frequently off-leash. However Radar hasn't got the message about running away. When off-leash, he goes into full-on bark-attack to almost all other dogs. Thank goodness he doesn't bite. But at 7kilos, he will someday be a nice snack for an annoyed dog if he doesn't learn this important dog-lesson.
Oh, sweet Radar! My brother's dog is a bit like this too. I think really small dogs do sometimes bark proactively. I read recently that the difference in size between very small and very large dogs is analogous to that between an adult human and a very large elephant. No wonder small dogs get nervous!
Thanks for the kind words about my post, and for the suggestion to create a tool to help us limit facebook time. I need to do that too!