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- Giving thanks, wbu?
Hey everyone,
I hope you all have a fulfilling day with family, friends or whomever you may be thankful for today - even if that’s just showing some love to yourself!
With the holiday, I figured it would be okay to shorten this week’s Log for brevity and to lessen our collective screen time.
Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving 🪵
Roots 🌱
Something from me
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut is one of my favorite reads. It’s witty and funny and deep and in keeping with Vonnegut’s other works, it encourages you to think whimsically about life and the world around you. Without spoiling the novel, I want to call attention to a concept introduced by Vonnegut called the “Karass.”
According to Vonnegut, a Karass is defined as “a group of people brought together to do God's work—though the purpose of that work is not something they can ever be fully aware of.” In other words a Karass is a group of people that are spiritually linked to one another in varying ways and may not even be aware of the reasons why.
In Vonnegut’s eyes, you can be a member of one Karass or multiple, they can include family members & friends, acquaintances & strangers. Your Karass includes the people that, for whatever reason, continue to show up throughout your life and provide meaning.
I remember being struck by this concept the first time I read the book. For whatever reason, it clicked. It gave me a framework to think about the people in my own life. My initial interpretation of Karass was that your Karass represents the people in your life that you’re simply meant to be with. Vonnegut attributes these connections to the will of God. I’ll remain spiritually non-committal (another conversation) and consider how thinking about your Karass brings intention to the people in your life.
In a world increasingly bereft of meaningful connection, thinking about my own Karass never fails to ground me in what is most important. The people in my life - for whatever reason they may have entered my life - are a source of genuine appreciation and warmth. They make me feel connected to the world. Connected. To. The. World. Think about that! So cool. And Thanksgiving of all holidays is a wonderful time to think intentionally about the points of connection in my Karass.
In previous years, the Thanksgiving narrative of giving thanks and gratitude felt cliche and forced. You just don’t really care about that sort of thing when you’re younger. And honestly I think that’s okay. Maybe I’m getting old! Maybe life is happening! But maybe in the moments where life begins to accelerate, we could all use a bit more holiday cliche.
Where would I be without my Karass? Who would I be? The people who continue to shape my life and the people whose life I continue to help shape. We may not always see eye to eye, we might even feel disconnected to our Karass in some ways. But the Karass, a breathing common thread, is cause for appreciation and gratitude. Cause for telling the homies you love them or hugging your cousins. And for that cause, I’m hugely thankful 🙂
The goal of this blog is to learn a ton and to help others do the same.
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I’m stoked to have you here and talk soon!
Greg
Wind 🌬️
What I’m listening to
This song has nothing to do with the holidays. But it is cliche.
And I need more of it!
