Story of my life. Thank you for articulating this issue so clearly. It seems to be a phenomenon for more than just a handful of people, like I initially thought 🤔🙏
pedantic, out of touch, overthinking, even being a 'windbag'....I have been told all of that on 'social' media, back when I was dumb enough to try to be part of it at all, which I now don't.
And I am proud of having been called these things, but only by people who are too lazy to do more than what is absolutely necessary to convey their pathetic and paltry thoughts.
Then again, all these things have really been said of even the best thinkers. So if you have been called these things too, and you read any works from any good philosopher: you are absolutely on the right track.
''Let people think you are an idiot.''. - Epictetus
The age of signals reminds me of the "meme" problem, in a Dawkins sense. In age of Signals, virus like easy to digest tought-bits prosper far more then heavy ones.
Great article. I totally agree. However, in my senior years, I hardly speak with anyone, instead I argue with myself and still don’t come to an agreement. An interesting story, my 8 year old grandson said, out of nowhere in the middle of a boardgame we were playing, said, “what IS the meaning of life? We are born then we die. God doesn’t hep out at all!” I couldn’t come up with an answer, instead I said, “people and philosophers have been asking the same question for thousands of years and haven’t agreed on an answer.” I have hope for our future generations, if they think like him.
The “tax of articulation” is real. Not because clarity is flawed, but because speed is rewarded more than understanding. When nuance requires time, it becomes socially expensive. What resonates most is this tension: the more carefully you define, themore you risk being dismissed as excessive. Yet without that care, meaning collapses.
Perhaps the real rebellion now is not louder speech but sustained thought. Thank you for sharing this!
Wholly agree with the premise of this essay. Perhaps the fundamental cause of the problem here is rooted in modern society’s commercialist tendencies. Ideas spread when they are marketable; and it’s harder to market nuance and complex articulation as opposed to a quickly digested, feel-good bite of information.
Just echoing the other people here in how grateful I am for these sorts of articles. If nothing else, it feels less alienating to know other people experience the same concern and frustration.
I still am not sure though if I am a nuanced, articulate person or a bloviated windbag. Maybe a mix. All I know is when I see people respond to thoughtful conjecture with, "I'm not reading all that," I feel myself die a little inside lol.
As a therapist and someone who thinks “too much” and “overthinks” things, this article was a really refreshing perspective! My desire for communication that is clear, rich, substantive, curious, open, exploratory, and endeavors to reach greater understanding and connection has been a source of frustration for me and those in my orbit. This article gave me a way to understand this dynamic in a meaningful way. Thank you! (And I often talk in metaphors or analogies; I find they help people understand what you are saying in a different context, enabling them to see and feel what your words are failing to adequately describe in the current context…if that makes sense?… ;-).
The commercialisation of the language to capitalise on attention spans and the subsequent death of communication that is deemed a failure unless it commodifies something is truly sad. This article alone is proof enough that artful articulation is reward enough for the 'painstaking' effort required to put together a heavier narrative.
It's so encouraging to have this struggle that I feel like I've wrestled with my whole life, articulated. Thank you!
Story of my life. Thank you for articulating this issue so clearly. It seems to be a phenomenon for more than just a handful of people, like I initially thought 🤔🙏
pedantic, out of touch, overthinking, even being a 'windbag'....I have been told all of that on 'social' media, back when I was dumb enough to try to be part of it at all, which I now don't.
And I am proud of having been called these things, but only by people who are too lazy to do more than what is absolutely necessary to convey their pathetic and paltry thoughts.
Then again, all these things have really been said of even the best thinkers. So if you have been called these things too, and you read any works from any good philosopher: you are absolutely on the right track.
''Let people think you are an idiot.''. - Epictetus
Thank you for this. Quite enlightening.
The age of signals reminds me of the "meme" problem, in a Dawkins sense. In age of Signals, virus like easy to digest tought-bits prosper far more then heavy ones.
Great article. I totally agree. However, in my senior years, I hardly speak with anyone, instead I argue with myself and still don’t come to an agreement. An interesting story, my 8 year old grandson said, out of nowhere in the middle of a boardgame we were playing, said, “what IS the meaning of life? We are born then we die. God doesn’t hep out at all!” I couldn’t come up with an answer, instead I said, “people and philosophers have been asking the same question for thousands of years and haven’t agreed on an answer.” I have hope for our future generations, if they think like him.
The “tax of articulation” is real. Not because clarity is flawed, but because speed is rewarded more than understanding. When nuance requires time, it becomes socially expensive. What resonates most is this tension: the more carefully you define, themore you risk being dismissed as excessive. Yet without that care, meaning collapses.
Perhaps the real rebellion now is not louder speech but sustained thought. Thank you for sharing this!
Wholly agree with the premise of this essay. Perhaps the fundamental cause of the problem here is rooted in modern society’s commercialist tendencies. Ideas spread when they are marketable; and it’s harder to market nuance and complex articulation as opposed to a quickly digested, feel-good bite of information.
I love this article! It's very relatable
Just echoing the other people here in how grateful I am for these sorts of articles. If nothing else, it feels less alienating to know other people experience the same concern and frustration.
I still am not sure though if I am a nuanced, articulate person or a bloviated windbag. Maybe a mix. All I know is when I see people respond to thoughtful conjecture with, "I'm not reading all that," I feel myself die a little inside lol.
As a therapist and someone who thinks “too much” and “overthinks” things, this article was a really refreshing perspective! My desire for communication that is clear, rich, substantive, curious, open, exploratory, and endeavors to reach greater understanding and connection has been a source of frustration for me and those in my orbit. This article gave me a way to understand this dynamic in a meaningful way. Thank you! (And I often talk in metaphors or analogies; I find they help people understand what you are saying in a different context, enabling them to see and feel what your words are failing to adequately describe in the current context…if that makes sense?… ;-).
The commercialisation of the language to capitalise on attention spans and the subsequent death of communication that is deemed a failure unless it commodifies something is truly sad. This article alone is proof enough that artful articulation is reward enough for the 'painstaking' effort required to put together a heavier narrative.
Definitely to doubt is to be aware. I choose to avoid the sense that it is becoming increasingly rare. But then I am also an eternal optimist!