My Favorite Substack Writers Answer a Few Questions - Part 2

Dear friends,

This is part two of the interview series with some of my favorite writers.

The purpose of this is to celebrate how we’ve built this community. Such a simple act of asking questions and receiving answers has brought me so much joy. Life is beautiful if we know how to live it. We don’t have to be alone in this writing journey.

And there is something this series has taught me: people are much more open to sharing what’s inside their hearts.

For a long time, I assumed people would feel awkward if I asked them anything personal. So I didn’t ask a lot of questions growing up. I made up answers in my mind before even giving people a chance to say something. I couldn’t be more wrong. All it takes is to throw yourself out there and just ask.

Here is a quick rundown of these five writers. They deserve all the credit for their honest and heartfelt answers. I will publish one conversation each week starting next Friday, then we will return to the biweekly cadence.

I hope you will enjoy these conversations as much as I do.

Kwaku helps me understand what it means to live with a sense of academic privilege as a second-generation immigrant in the UK. He shows me it’s okay if we are still figuring things out in our 30s. It’s okay to try. It’s okay to discover who we are. It’s okay to lose our minds every once in a while while raising two kids.

I am a lot more comfortable in the uncertainty. For the things that I do want to pursue, I am developing the discipline and patience to see them through and not be made stagnant by the perfectionism and paralysis by analysis that has often plagued me in the past. I have come to recognize that walking in faith is not exclusively a religious concept and is something we must all embrace in maneuvering in unfamiliar waters.

Whenever I struggle to wrap my head around the pace of technological development and where humanity is heading, JK’s blog is the first place that comes to mind. I began to incorporate some of his thinking about risk and progress, technology and society, and knowledge and possibilities into how I answer those philosophical questions from my kids.

Progress is not inevitable; it does not march in one direction or arise spontaneously. Progress requires specific economic, social, and political conditions that allow for risks to be taken, experimentation, and yes, failure. This also means, however, that progress is a choice. The human species is fully in control of whether or not we allow the progress of the last few centuries to continue. In this fact, I am comforted. The question is, do enough of us recognize the value and importance of progress to do so? Join me as we explore the history progress, contemporary challenges, and how to solve them.

Becky was the first writer I’ve met in person as it happened we both live in Hong Kong. She showed me what it means to live a life to its fullness. Her energy, creativity, and warmth are affectionate. I couldn’t be more grateful to meet her on this journey.

Creativity did not demand total abandonment of the grind that pays the bills. I did not need to make a masterpiece, just a thumbnail that depicted my day. Squeezing in twenty minutes of art into my lunch break takes just as much time as buying a coffee down the road.

Samira has the power to synthesize the extraordinary in ordinary lives. Her words have such a soothing effect that calms my restless soul. She shows me it’s okay to slow down at times, to face our mistakes, to cry, to be a mom, and to be a human being. She reminds me there is nothing to be afraid to face ourselves.

I often wonder if homes have souls. Or are they just manifestations of our own desires or lack thereof? Do they take up their owner's personalities, or do they have their own? Where do their souls go when they are ground to dust? Who is their keeper of memories?

Zhenya grounded me with his writing about Eastern Philosophy. What he writes is exactly what my friends and I would like to forget when we were in school. I didn’t have the eyes to see the treasures sitting right in front of me back then. Zhenya invited me to return to my roots. Thank you so much for your wisdom, Zhenya.

The wisdom of the lotus in the mud is echoed in various cultural and spiritual traditions. From the teachings of Buddhism, where the lotus symbolizes purity and spiritual awakening. To the stories of individuals who have triumphed over great odds. The theme of finding beauty in adversity is universal.

It’s clear to me that this is a step forward in the right direction to where I want to be online. I want to nurture my relationship with you. I want to connect with you. There is nothing else that motivates me more.

We will start with Kwaku next Friday.

Here is the first series for those of you who have just found this place:

My Favorite Substack Writers Answer A Few Questions

See you then.