Also being very tired is my cue to go online. What you say about tending to our homes is very insightful. But there are good things here too like this essay, and being acquainted with you and others. I hope you address that, though that makes it all the more seductive.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who reads on the internet when I'm tired. I keep downing myself for spending so much time online since I retired. Then, I look at the number of essays on my blog and I realize that yes I have been working. Maybe not on a novel, but I have been posting things. And Facebook actually taught me how to have an audience. And cheap post boosts helped me sell my novel. I just listened to Paul Kingsnorth talking to Iain McGilchrist and it's kinda cool that McGilchrist says technology does good things too.
I wish Laura could be one of the people he interviews for his pre sales of Kingsnorth's book because she's onto something important and helpful that I think would resonate with what he's talking about.
You are too kind, Katie. I don't think I'm pitching in the same league, LOL. 😁 I think I'd like to I see myself more as a successor and inheritor of Helen Luke... I particularly admire how she wrote "for the world" and then embodied her work in Apple Farm Community.
Fascinating read. As always, balance is fundamental. The imagination is the key to transforming our lives, but at the same time, we need not fall into the trap of fantasy. This metaphor of the internet as fairyland is unsettling. I love how you tease out the subtle ways temptation, curiosity, and enchantment operate online — especially the bit about selling ideas of Self like spells. Let’s ground ourselves in embodied reality (and maybe do the dishes). I see it as facing ourselves, holding a mirror that is not a fantasy portal. In the end, the paradox of life is that good fantasy is about transformation. But we cannot do that if we are not grounded in the present moment. Thanks for sharing such a brilliant piece.
Thanks for your kind words! I like that you bring up mirrors-- I've been meditating on how they show up in fairy tales, too, and what that might have to offer us.
I’m so sorry! I have your article linked on my landing page plus the first article in the series. I also had full intentions of plugging your book! How else would you like to be linked?
No worries! It’s just a weirdly competitive space and this is my baby. As long as there’s a h/t and especially one in anything monetized, all is good. Sorry if I came off as harsh! Deleting the first comment so this doesn’t kick up drama!
Don't worry, no changeling babies here! 😉 This was basically me extrapolating your ideas into an Orthodox Christian framework to share with my teens (who roll their eyes if I text them a link to anything that's not a meme, lol). I do think your idea is brilliant and I very much look forward to both the book and the upcoming piece in Tablet.
I am interested in the aspect of the idea of the self, the one we present to others and the one towards ourselves. Will that be explored later in the series?
I’m not sure how much I unpacked this in this series, but I can absolutely explore this more. Let me think and find the perfect story. I really appreciate your engagement and comments!
This is so wise and helpful and speaks to me, though Mrs Horse has had to wait while I read. What a great poem to show this. This writing is godly work. Thank you.
Also being very tired is my cue to go online. What you say about tending to our homes is very insightful. But there are good things here too like this essay, and being acquainted with you and others. I hope you address that, though that makes it all the more seductive.
If the internet/fairyland weren't so full of good people, it would be much easier to walk away!
Oh yes, how tired I am is very directly correlated to how much time I will spend online on a given day.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who reads on the internet when I'm tired. I keep downing myself for spending so much time online since I retired. Then, I look at the number of essays on my blog and I realize that yes I have been working. Maybe not on a novel, but I have been posting things. And Facebook actually taught me how to have an audience. And cheap post boosts helped me sell my novel. I just listened to Paul Kingsnorth talking to Iain McGilchrist and it's kinda cool that McGilchrist says technology does good things too.
I wish Laura could be one of the people he interviews for his pre sales of Kingsnorth's book because she's onto something important and helpful that I think would resonate with what he's talking about.
You are too kind, Katie. I don't think I'm pitching in the same league, LOL. 😁 I think I'd like to I see myself more as a successor and inheritor of Helen Luke... I particularly admire how she wrote "for the world" and then embodied her work in Apple Farm Community.
Yeah but. I think this series would make a great conversation with Kingsnorth for his mini series promoting his book.
That’s for sure.
Fascinating read. As always, balance is fundamental. The imagination is the key to transforming our lives, but at the same time, we need not fall into the trap of fantasy. This metaphor of the internet as fairyland is unsettling. I love how you tease out the subtle ways temptation, curiosity, and enchantment operate online — especially the bit about selling ideas of Self like spells. Let’s ground ourselves in embodied reality (and maybe do the dishes). I see it as facing ourselves, holding a mirror that is not a fantasy portal. In the end, the paradox of life is that good fantasy is about transformation. But we cannot do that if we are not grounded in the present moment. Thanks for sharing such a brilliant piece.
Thanks for your kind words! I like that you bring up mirrors-- I've been meditating on how they show up in fairy tales, too, and what that might have to offer us.
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I’m so sorry! I have your article linked on my landing page plus the first article in the series. I also had full intentions of plugging your book! How else would you like to be linked?
No worries! It’s just a weirdly competitive space and this is my baby. As long as there’s a h/t and especially one in anything monetized, all is good. Sorry if I came off as harsh! Deleting the first comment so this doesn’t kick up drama!
Don't worry, no changeling babies here! 😉 This was basically me extrapolating your ideas into an Orthodox Christian framework to share with my teens (who roll their eyes if I text them a link to anything that's not a meme, lol). I do think your idea is brilliant and I very much look forward to both the book and the upcoming piece in Tablet.
I am interested in the aspect of the idea of the self, the one we present to others and the one towards ourselves. Will that be explored later in the series?
I’m not sure how much I unpacked this in this series, but I can absolutely explore this more. Let me think and find the perfect story. I really appreciate your engagement and comments!
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This is fantastic! I can’t wait to keep reading. It’s really enlightening and inspiring. I can’t express how much I like it. Thank you!
This hits right at the heart. It makes me think we need to pray the Lorica of St. Patrick before venturing into fairyland/the internet.
This is so wise and helpful and speaks to me, though Mrs Horse has had to wait while I read. What a great poem to show this. This writing is godly work. Thank you.