The Pondering Well (2.11.25)

What I’m Pondering

This article about the tension between ecological preservation and fire prevention in California really underscores the idea of tradeoffs. When considering any choice, all the way from a personal to political level, there are always tradeoffs being made. We sacrifice quality for quantity, speed for safety, freedom for security, the list goes on. On a general level, I think we tend to choose safety and security over benefits that are associated with higher risk, such as freedom and agility. For example, the regulations for the aerospace industry make it very challenging to make changes quickly, which can sometimes have a detrimental effect. But on the other hand, that level of control prevents a lot of failures and therefore saves lives. There is a choice being made to trade efficiency for safety. Likewise, in the automotive industry, there’s been a trend towards sacrificing performance for lower environmental impact. None of this is to say that these regulations or decisions are wrong, but simply to point out that there is a tradeoff being made.

I think our conversations would benefit from being more honest and clear about the tradeoffs being made in any particular decision. We can’t make informed choices until we truly understand what is at stake. What values are we choosing to move towards and what is being given up for that? We live in a world of tension—trying to find the balance between conflicting states of being. If we aren’t clear on where we are and where we want to be, how can we hope to find our way?

What I’m Reading

City of Endless Night by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Pendergast series #17). I've been reading this series out of order, simply whatever book I happen across next. While containing some highly improbable elements, the writing style and characters are interesting enough to keep me engaged. If you read enough mysteries/thrillers, they get fairly repetitive, but this series is definitely its own niche.

I also just started Left Neglected by Lisa Genova, which has been riveting so far. I'll write more on my thoughts after I finish it.

What I’m Listening To

More to This, Marc Scibilia (youtube) (spotify)

I've been thinking about dying And how that's gonna be My skin and bones give up the ghost And I finally feel my fragile soul And all I am falls into mystery

Something to Ponder

This was a really interesting video of someone who visits a town where they speak the closest existing version of Old English.

Book Recommendation

The Cartographers

I really enjoyed this genre-blending novel by Peng Shepherd. Based on the true story that map makers used to place false locations on their maps to identify anyone who copied their work, the author takes this concept in a fascinating direction. A mix of mystery, science, and magical realism, it was a really fun read.