A Dirge for Detritus

On Asinine Abundance

By the sweat of your brow

you will eat your food

until you return to the ground,

since from it you were taken;

for dust you are

and to dust you will return.

—Genesis 3:19

We, half dust, half deity. —Lord Byron

Above: Marie Kondo’s hell.

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The next time you find yourself in your home or office or den—

Cast a long, sweeping gaze around you.

Do a full three-sixty.

Don't just look, but see.

Now narrow your aperture and take a closer look.

Focus on what's right in front of you.

See all that stuff?

Well, I have good news and bad news.

First, the bad:

All that stuff used to be money.

All that money used to be time.

All that time used to be opportunity.

All that opportunity used to be energy.

All that energy used to be potential.

All that potential used to be dreams.

All those dreams used to be yours.

Now, they’ve come down from the clouds and turned into clutter.

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Here’s the good news:

All this everything came from nothing.

All this nothing became something.

All this something grew into that everything.

Because of you.

Yes, you.

And you are still here.

That power to make and meld and morph from naught.

Still burns inside you.

Still builds by you.

It’s your force to free.

Wield it wisely.

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Per my about page, White Noise is a work of experimentation. I view it as a sort of thinking aloud, a stress testing of my nascent ideas. Through it, I hope to sharpen my opinions against the whetstone of other people’s feedback, commentary, and input.

If you want to discuss any of the ideas or musings mentioned above or have any books, papers, or links that you think would be interesting to share on a future edition of White Noise, please reach out to me by replying to this email or following me on Twitter X.

With sincere gratitude,

Tom