While I was going through brain stuff this weekend, I changed my laptop background to this winner from a fantastic episode.

Definitely helps me stay on task even in low, low moods.

Speaking of - back to work with me! Every second counts. 💪

Afternoon, 'Nauts.

How's everyone's noggin noggin'?

Decent weekend, or are we in burn-it-and-forget-about-it territory today?

Tough one today, folks.

For the last year, I've been trying to stress that the West deeply misunderstands Israel to serve its own mythic ends, then is shocked when this distinct state--with its own culture, politics, & aims--acts in ways that differ from expectations.

Two news items from Sunday shouldn't shock anyone: at least, not if we remember that we *do not have* an international consensus to be governed.

And building one--if possible--will take a long, long time.
https://onlysky.media/mclark/ethnoreligious-war-and-the-struggle-for-a-global-secular-commons/

Off for the weekend, loves. Brain stuff.

🫂

Take the breaks you need.

Move the meat sack daily.

Keep perspective: you're doing the best you can, & if you're not doing harm you're already doing better than plenty.

Try not to catastrophize: the world will do that on its own.

Look at the sky, the trees, all the other critters that come and go. The world is more than all our arbitrary metrics of worth, and the pressure we put on ourselves to get it right.

You are getting it right.

You are.

Ugh. Replaced one typo in the above toot, and a new one arrived - but too late now. Letting it go.

There are some very good official reports linked in the piece, if anyone's inclined to do a deep dive. As always, my aim was to write in a way that makes the issue accessible. There's a lot more that could have been said, but hopefully this gets most important broad strokes across.

Oh, there it is! 🚀

In today's news brief for OnlySky, I most certainly do *not* escalate nuclear panic, but I do offer a wee explainer around the extremely important issue of satellite warfare & orbital security that's been lost in this weekls talk of nuclear threats in Congress.

There *is* a danger in our skies--but it might not be the one you're thinking of, when the word "nuclear" comes to mind. We can't let fearmongering keep us from setting better policy in space.

https://onlysky.media/mclark/nuclear-panic-and-the-latest-in-satellite-wars/

I am at the pacing phase of today's article. I have a sneaking suspicion that when I return for further revisions, it's going to take a slightly different direction - but that's what you get when trying to grapple with accelerationist thinking and nuclear arms chatter in relation to broader global-local power plays.

That, and a headache.

We humans could've done such nice things.

Still can, if we'd a mind to!

À bientôt.

#Pacing

A fairly new #graffiti #dog in the park.

Early morning in the park with my neighbourhood version of trash pandas.

They *do* graze, too, but they love cane sugar, and there's plenty of similar (cane stalks, juice stains) in these garbage cans.

Poor goofs.

I know I said that the next newsletter would be a nice easy piece, but... well, I still had some world-grief to get out of my system.

This one talks about falling out of love with the world: what that looks like, how one moves through the world when all the stories we tell to keep going don't interest us anymore, and what begins to reawaken the meaning-creator in us all.

I know a lot of folks here have also been struggling with the weight of it all.

This one's for us.

https://open.substack.com/pub/mlclark/p/falling-out-of-and-back-in-love-with

Off to draft the next task by hand, away from the computer. 👍

I don't know who else still writes longhand at times, but I highly recommend the activity, especially at the start of a new project, when you're trying to figure out overall framing & find your voice.

Keyboards and the delete key prompt different mental processes. With handwriting, thought often precedes muscle memory.

(@LnzyHou: if you're finding it hard to write, maybe try a change of locale and pen & paper to jog your thoughts!)

I am knocking on wood as I write this, but *oh*, it's so nice to pass a new threshold on paying off debt.

Last year, I just couldn't get ahead on it, but this year (FOR NOW--SHUT YOUR MOUTH, UNIVERSE!), everything's coming up Milhouse.

I'm still a few months from clearing it and getting back to saving up for the big goal, but - progress! 🎉

Who's your favourite screw-up in history?

(I'm leaving this category wide open so you can take it positively or negatively: someone who screwed up in a way that actually worked out wonderfully in the end, someone who screwed up massively in one field but still did good elsewhere, or someone who just failed so spectacularly that the extent of their incompetence is almost beyond comprehension. Your call! 🙃)

#RandomThoughts

Morning with my fellow donkeys. Online, offline... all asses welcome. 👌