Women are now being commanded to ‘lift heavy’ in the gym by algorithms
Nothing about floor-shaking music, other people’s sweat and alarming metal contraptions tempts me
I don’t like alcohol. People think I’m a recovering alcoholic and that’s fine by me
I’m not insulted and if it makes others more comfortable to think that’s why I’m not drinking, it’s fine by me
Some writers refuse to be translated into the languages of states they disdain. Not me
It’s not clear to me on what moral basis I would refuse publication in Putin’s Russia while signing gratefully for Trump’s America
One phrase has always annoyed me: ‘Remember there’s always someone worse off than you’
Am I supposed to take comfort or pleasure in the greater hardship of others? Or is it that there’s a suffering competition?
Some students believe they can be writers without reading. This raises many questions
Wanting to write without wanting to read is, at best, trying to skip the first stage of an artistic apprenticeship
I was a teenage activist, often skiving school for public demonstrations
When you take to the streets in protest, you do so in a position of radical vulnerability. Think of the lone figure before the tanks in Tiananmen Square
How different would Ireland be if grown women ‘close to tears’ could bring the country to a standstill?
How different would Ireland have been this last century if the tears of women were a national emergency?
Contrary to popular belief, loving relationships and talking about feelings are not new phenomena
‘We didn’t talk about these things in my day’ seems to cover whatever range is convenient, and it never holds up
I have many beloved friends, but I’ve never been part of a gang
Friends who can look thoughtfully on conflict and sadness and trouble and still find charity and curiosity are precious
My ears prick up when someone says ‘to tell you the truth’
I like the way replacing but with and invites me to think. It’s an invitation, not a command
My fear rose up and my trust faltered on the mountain
It’s not a bad lesson at any age, to know how to take our pleasures at a lower altitude
Fighting over the bill in Ireland: I’ve seen people elbowing friends and throwing cash
The Irish arrangement affirms bonds through generosity and obligation
Were many people always thirsty in the millenniums before water bottles?
I rarely carry water and my bodily systems seem to run just fine
The desire for good food and pretty clothes was there at the beginning of humanity
The pleasure of thinking about prehistoric people was never that of laying claim to land or heritage but of familiarity and strangeness
A World Appears: Michael Pollan’s quest to understand consciousness and the mind
The bestselling author turns his attention to the mysteries of awareness and perception