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The Art of Solitude: Buddhist Scholar and Teacher Stephen Batchelor on Contemplative Practice and Creativity
 “Give me solitude,” Whitman demanded in his ode to the eternal tension between city and soul, “give me again O Nature your primal sanities!” In those primal sanities, we come to discover that “there is no place more intimate than the spirit alone,” as May Sarton wrote in her stunning 1938 ode to solitude — her hard-earned testimony to solitude as the seedbed of self-discovery, for it is in that intimate place that we see most clearly what our animating spirit is made of. Solitude, Kahlil Gibran knew, summons of us the courage to know ourselves. Elizabeth Bishop believed — a belief I can attest to with my own life — that everyone must experience at least one long period of solitude in life in order to know what we are made of and what we can make of our gifts. “There is only one solitude, and it is large and not easy to bear,” Rilke wrote in contemplating the relationship between solitude, love, and creativity, “but… we must hold ourselves to the difficult.”
The visionary poets knew — as do the visionaries of scientist, as do all persons engaged in lives of creativity or contemplation, which are often one life — how this solitary self-discovery becomes the wellspring of all the meaning-making that makes life worth living, whether we call it art or love. From solitude’s promontory, we peer out into the expanse of existence and train our eyes to look with wide-eyed wonder at the improbable fact of it all. Solitude, so conceived, is not merely the state of being alone but the art of becoming fully ourselves — an art acquired, like every art, by apprenticeship and painstaking devotion to dwelling in the often lonesome inner light of our singular and sovereign being.
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IndiaWorkHow Metas smart Ray-Ban glasses spawned a Silicon Valley hit - WSJ Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses are gaining traction among consumers, who say they like using them to take photos for their friends and family as well as to create content for social media. The excitement comes as interest in the metaverse, an online world accessed via virtual-reality headsets, remains muted.
WorkTikTok to shut down music streaming service - WSJ ByteDance first began talks with music labels about expanding its music-streaming offering to compete with industry leaders in 2022, with ambitions to break into the industry by channeling the popularity of viral TikTok songs. WorkPuma wants to improve its brand. AI might help. - WSJ Puma said it has already deployed Google Cloud’s Imagen 2 model to help it craft personalized website images corresponding to the locations of some online shoppers. For example, shoppers in Japan may see an image of trail running shoes on the foothills of Mount Fuji, the company said.
WorkDont count on a megadeal to save Intel - WSJ Once the world’s most dominant designer and producer of advanced semiconductors, Intel’s stock price has collapsed this year as its problems have mounted. The company’s disastrous second-quarter report in early August put its market capitalization below $100 billion for the first time since 2012. It also pushed the stock below the company’s book value—largely consisting of factories and intellectual property minus its net borrowings—for the first time in at least four decades, according to data from FactSet. WorkThe biggest cement producers in the world have a big plan to cut emissions by 90%The startup still faces some roadblocks before its process is fully commercialized. According to Bloomberg, the capital costs tied to retrofitting cement plants could be significant. Additionally, demand for low-carbon cement may be lukewarm because the average cost is still higher than that of traditional cement, especially when the construction industry already operates on tight margins. WorkWorkZelensky Says Western Allies Must Allow Ukrainian Strikes Deep Into RussiaRecent diplomatic discussions among the three allied nations have focused on the question of allowing Ukraine to use imported weapons for long-range fire into Russia. Mr. Starmer and Mr. Macron are leaning toward giving permission but want to coordinate with Mr. Biden, who could soon decide to support Britain and France in loosening their restrictions before the United States does anything similar, U.S. officials say. WorkTrump Pitches 'New American Industrialism' and Luring Foreign ManufacturingMr. Trump and his campaign are eager to focus the race on the economy, an area where they believe he holds an advantage over Vice President Kamala Harris. Polls have consistently shown voters ranking inflation, the cost of living and the economy as top issues in the election. Ms. Harris is expected to focus on the economy when she travels to western Pennsylvania on Wednesday. WorkThese Voters Are Anti-Trump, but Will They Be Pro-Harris?Now, in the final stretch of this campaign, Democrats see opportunities to expand that universe of voters. The party is betting that since Mr. Trump was last on the ballot, he has disqualified himself with more Americans who detest his election denialism and conspiracy theories, as well as his party’s abortion bans. WorkWorkChina probes Calvin Klein over Xinjiang cottonIt noted that the issue had been "subject to significant scrutiny and contention in China, the United States and elsewhere, resulting in criticism against multinational companies, including us". WorkWorkU.S. Accuses Visa of Monopoly in Debit CardsVisa’s fees, which are largely invisible to the public, are paid by merchants and can be passed on to consumers, hitting younger and lower-income Americans the hardest, Benjamin Mizer, the Justice Department’s third-ranking official, said at a press conference on Tuesday. WorkAs Lebanon Reels From Israeli Attacks, the Future Is Murky for a Wounded HezbollahThe death toll given by the health ministry did not differentiate between fighters and civilians, and the strikes overwhelmingly hit parts of the country where Hezbollah dominates, suggesting that Israel had struck another fierce blow to the group. That capped a week in which Israel also blew up electronic devices distributed by Hezbollah, killing dozens of people and injuring thousands more, and assassinated a group of its military leaders in an airstrike near Beirut. WorkWorkSpotify's AI Playlists are rolling out for Premium users in the USPremium subscribers will find AI Playlists in the Spotify mobile app. (Spotify appears to be rolling out the feature gradually, so you may need to wait for it to arrive.) Navigate to Your Library, tap the + button and choose “AI Playlist.” Then, use the pop-up chat tool to start generating your custom tracklists. WorkWorkRoku says its new Ultra streaming box is 30 percent fasterRoku is also rolling out a new version of its operating system. Roku OS 14 is getting more customization, with thumbs up and thumbs down icons to provide feedback on programming, which should lead to users receiving better recommendations. The company is also making its Kids & Family content accessible from the main home screen and adding additional voice controls. The update will be applied to supported devices in the US "in the coming months." WorkWorkTwo die in mudslide as Hurricane John makes landfall in MexicoOtis blew out power in the city for days, left bodies scattered on the coast and desperate family members searching for lost loved ones. Much of the city was left in a state of lawlessness and thousands scavenged in stores, scrambled for food and water. WorkGambling lobby pushes Labor to consider age verification to block minors from betting In Australia, Gambling Help Online is available on 1800 858 858. The National Debt Helpline is at 1800 007 007. In the UK, support for problem gambling can be found via the NHS National Problem Gambling Clinic on 020 7381 7722, or GamCare on 0808 8020 133. In the US, call the National Council on Problem Gambling at 800-GAMBLER or text 800GAM. WorkWorkIsrael escalation based on risky belief it can bomb Hezbollah into a ceasefireDiplomatically, there appears to be “no off-ramp right now”, Orion added, while months of efforts to bring peace to Gaza, led by the US, Qatar and Egypt, have failed to bear fruit. Israel’s leaders – still smarting from the failure to predict Hamas’s surprise attack on 7 October – now believe they have the military superiority to force Hezbollah into a defeat, while Hezbollah only has to show it can still pose a threat to prevent Israelis from the north returning home. It is a toxic combination. WorkWorkMeet Tennibot, the tennis ball RoombaEletrabi also talked about what it was like developing the tech for Tennibot and how the company navigated the patent process, including deliberately patenting the device for “round shape objects” as opposed to just tennis balls so it can expand into sports like pickleball. WorkExclusive: Connected fitness startup EGYM is ramping up with $200m at a $1.2B+ valuationHowever, given that he was getting a lot of inbound interest, he decided to use the moment to find what he described as “dream investors.” Taking a leaf from the Jeff Bezos school of fundraising, he said, “I decided to assemble the right investors for my mission.” That mission: to double down on growth, with an appetite for a little risk thrown in by way of its AI play. WorkWorkWork4 days left to save up to $600 on Disrupt 2024 passes | TechCrunchBe sure to catch one of Disrupt’s thrilling highlights: Startup Battlefield 200. The top 200 pre-Series A startups will take the stage to pitch their innovations to an elite panel of VC judges, with the winner earning a $100,000 equity-free prize and the coveted Disrupt Cup. WorkWorkWorkWorkTed Cruz Is Again Fighting for Political Survival in TexasIn recent weeks, the race for U.S. Senate in Texas has grown increasingly competitive, with negative ads appearing with every channel flip and public polls showing a contest within single digits. Mr. Cruz, who is running for a third term, has been leading, but he attracts less support than former President Donald J. Trump does. WorkFormer Memphis Officer Apologizes for His Role in Tyre Nichols's DeathProsecutors recommended that Mr. Mills serve up to 15 years in prison, and Mr. Martin up to 40 years. Their testimony and Mr. Mills’s body camera footage are central to the prosecutors’ case against Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, the three former officers on trial. (All five officers also face state charges, including second-degree murder.) WorkReport on Antisemitism at CUNY Calls for Changes Across the SystemCUNY said that it had already begun to put some of the recommendations into effect, including approving the anti-hate center, which will be called the Center for Inclusive Excellence and Belonging. Ms. Hochul said on Tuesday that she was directing CUNY to enact all of them. WorkWorkJudge Rejects Trump's Last-Minute Bid to Delay Assessment of Jan. 6 CaseMr. Trump’s lawyers had initially tried to delay the process of applying the immunity ruling to his case at a hearing in Federal District Court in Washington this month. At the hearing, they suggested that surfacing evidence behind the charges would be unfair to the former president with the election looming. WorkVance and Walz Will Debate Standing Up, in a Rarity for V.P. ClashesFor most political candidates, it is not generally considered a matter of great consequence whether they sit or stand for a debate, barring physical limitations or a significant height disparity. Mr. Walz stands just under six feet tall, and Mr. Vance is about six feet tall. WorkHouse Panel Recommends Holding Blinken in ContemptBut Democrats said Mr. McCaul’s insistence on a September appearance was politically motivated and accused Republicans of trying to damage the Biden administration at the height of a critical campaign season. |
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