Cole's Chronicle

Cole's Chronicle

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black and white pattern representing false proxies

False Proxies

Are culture’s impressions on the subconscious. They are what we have been told matters– shrouding the true indicators.

black and white sphere representing beauty

Beautiful

Is one of our favorite labels. But beauty isn’t a property of a thing; if it were, we’d all have the same taste.

Judgement Day

If we can frame all of our failures and follies in the service of some future success, when exactly is our trial date?

The Search

The most profound and enjoyable sensation we can experience is the dogged pursuit of the questions that have no answers.

Consistency

The first ingredient in the recipe for building a meaningful life is consistency. In fact, there is no other way to build anything, other than with consistent action. Brick by brick. Step by step. Most people are already quite habitual, but how many of these habits were intentionally cultivated rather

Regret

Who is it that we are trying to fool with our display of excellence? Our boss? Our friends? Ourselves? Or does arrogance come from an innocent place? Perhaps the weight of perfection has been placed by an unknown hand. Perhaps we aren’t aware of our own parade. Regardless of

Uncertainty

Is the only thing we can ever be certain of. It’s the blindfold we all wear—more comfortable for some than others. Uncertainty is revealing; It strips us of our biases and dispositions, exposes our insecurities and desires. It’s the cornerstone of humility and the catalyst for curiosity.

Experience

The persistent drone of an idle air conditioner; the dull sensation of contact between skin and garment; the unwavering image of a laptop amid a backdrop of knick-knacks and corkboards—experiences I am having in this moment, and this one, and probably the next. Experiences aren’t acute. There

The Silver Lining

The Silver Lining

Is a phenomenon we are surprisingly keenly aware of. The prospect of the sun is always more enticing than the reality of the storm. This selective attention has served humans well over time, encouraging perseverance in the face of adversity. But how useful is self-deception when we are solving

Stories

Peer deep enough into the present and you’ll find there’s nothing solid to grasp. Like an endless pinch to zoom, “now” expands or contracts without ever resolving into a final unit–asymptotically approaching definition, but never quite intersecting. However ineffable moments are, our lives are made up of

Foreigner

To notice the particular shade of green of the oak leaves, the length of the silence between bird chirps, the uneven sensations of gravel beneath your feet–this is what it's like to be a foreigner: taking in all things as they would be totally new. To traverse

Inadequacy

It’s the feeling of giving everything you have–your time, your energy, your desire–and finding it still wasn’t enough. Despite your best efforts, you couldn’t perform, you couldn’t be who you wanted to be. And it’s not the failure itself that’s so painful,

Thought

Every conscious action in history has one common thread: the prerequisite of thought. Every event–triumph or defeat, development or regression–was preceded by someone’s thought: “I would like to live here.” “What would happen if I put these together?” “This is uncomfortable.” Such thoughts lifted humans to the

Optimism

Is not a mood but a mindset–the conscious decision to frame every fractional moment as part of a meaningful whole. It’s the belief that things happen for you, not to you–that each experience, pleasant or painful, is an opportunity to learn. Optimism is a skill that’s

Want

Here’s a universal problem: wanting something you haven’t yet acquired. We all carry unmet needs, unfulfilled desires. But are we ever truly unable to obtain them? Sure, we can’t fly, breathe underwater, or see through walls. But these are outside the realm of human possibility–we have

Seasons

Our lives, when retold, are often grossly simplified. They become shaped by the stories others tell about us–and by how we behave around them in turn. A collection of assumptions and averages. When viewed from a distance, our life might look like a set of data points, trending in

Being

The hum of life. The empty room, the open sky, the busy street. The compressed air filtering in, then back out of your nostrils. The weight of the bed, the chair, the ground, pushing back against yours. The steady throb of your body, blood pulsing through your veins. The buzz

Living Philosophy

Living Philosophy

Given how similar humans are, we live remarkably different lives. Culture is powerful. Some live ascetically, others altruistically, and many hedonistically. But there is no correct way to live. We all operate differently. Our philosophical outlooks are shaped by genetics, environment, age, and condition–not universal truths, but adaptations to

Craft

Is the intentional elevation of the work at hand. It is deep, focused attention–total immersion in the task. Great products come from great craft, but great craft doesn’t come from great products. Craft is care for the process, not the result. It’s not skill, expertise, or talent.

Utility

Productivity. Growth. Action in the pursuit of future pleasure. The work done in this moment to augment the next one. Utility promises outcomes–health, happiness, success–but it neglects process. It ignores the real value of this moment: the potential to be present. Humans have benefited immensely from the concept

Desire

That which propels us to succeed is also the obstacle. It is the fuel of life, the enemy of bliss–the spark of action, the thief of peace. The more we desire, the sharper our purpose, the deeper our discontent. There is no desire to manufacture or eliminate, nor should

Finitude

Time only gets so much of us. We’re born into its current, swept along for some years, and then, one day, we die. As time carries on, we vanish–or at least our thinking selves do. Our atoms are recycled, perhaps into another conscious being, but for us, this

Time

Time is indifferent. It moves forward, unyielding, unconcerned with how we spend it. We are merely passengers, carried through its ceaseless current—into the future… which becomes present… which becomes past. Our lives blur, a fleeting moment in the vast cosmic scale. Yet, within this moment lies our eternity. Here,

Embrace

Just as the moon waxes and wanes, so too do we. Our states are as sure to turn as the tide. Yet, when darkness encroaches, we don’t yield to its certain saturation. We exhaust ourselves trying to prevent the inevitable; we cling to moments of bliss as if they

Curiosity

Is the mind's ceaseless appetite for comprehension. It’s the desire to understand both tangible and ethereal phenomena–to decode our own nature, map our trajectory, and unveil life’s deeper purposes. Curiosity is the courage to seek the silver lining in even the dullest of moments. It