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Jun 11, 2023Liked by Alan Flanagan

Catching up on my 3am Thoughts, just read from Trivializing Ourselves to Death (good piece) backwards to Sisyphus here. And I think this one has joined my (now) other favorite of all 3am Flanagan, "Meaning, Purpose, and Arriving at Your Own Door." My self-loathing for keeping an IG account despite ruining my mood almost every time I look at it does get credit for introducing me to you and your ideas. I was pleased to have found someone who was echoing thoughts I'd had about the current nutrition science and vapid workout-training fare on social media. I was pleasantly surprised to discover your rigorously thoughtful sociopolitical writings, especially admittedly since they map to how I've come to see things over the years. But these ruminations on meaning and meaninglessness have floored me, because they trace where my thought and emotions have been going (or always sort of been), especially since/after I turned 50 a couple years ago, and decided I can't stay in a mid-life crisis forever (that I honestly think started sometime around 12 years old). Excellent stuff, Alan. As long as you keep writing them, I'll keep reading them!

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Thank you, Brian, I really appreciate this. I'm glad these more reflective essays have struck a chord with you, and I'll certainly be keeping them in the rotation as they occur to me to write. I'm thankful for your readership!

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These words meant so much to me! At the ripe old age of 63 I’ve always thought I should be like my bubbly extroverted husband and siblings, that I should also be able to chatter effortlessly at dinners, that my children would then phone me as often as they do my husband and I’d be able to chat aimlessly for ages, that if I was always happy and cheerful I’d have scores of friends. Now I realise it’s ok to be moody and quiet , it’s ok to think humankind is doomed, my children won’t love me more if I become a chatterbox, it’s ok if nobody misses me when I’m not at the dinner table any more, none of it will make the slightest difference to anybody in the future.I can enjoy those moments that bring me joy and embrace the rest!! AND IT IS ALL OK!!! 💞💞💞

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You already know.. These are beyond beautiful. They are. Incredibly "powerful and empowering", in a sense. Stunning..

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