Think Week #9
James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Code & Prose, Begin with the end in mind, The Cost of Apathy
Begin with the end in mind
Sound advice, but how?
Read someone’s eulogy.
There’s no better way to reflect on your inevitable end than to pause and look at another life well lived.
Eulogies capture the essence of a person’s journey, their triumphs and trials, and the impact they’ve had on those around them.
They distill a lifetime into a narrative that invites us to contemplate our own paths.
By examining the stories of the giants that have come before us, we gain insights that can shape our own lives.
Let’s start with my guy James Baldwin.
One of the greatest writers of the 20th century.
On December 1, 1987, James Baldwin passed away from stomach cancer in France.
Baldwin called so many legendary figures of the 20th century, friend, including Maya Angelou, Nina Simone, and editor Sol Stein.
Notably, Stein and Baldwin were high school classmates at De Witt Clinton High School in the Bronx. Absolutely wild.
But it was Nobel Prize–winning novelist Toni Morrison who wrote Baldwin’s Eulogy.
Life in His Language was published in The New York Times. It’s 1241 words of goosebump forming prose.
Toni demonstrates a command of storytelling that few of us will ever achieve.
I’ll share three quotes below and unpack them.
Jimmy, there is too much to think about you, and too much to feel. The difficulty is your life refuses summation — it always did — and invites contemplation instead. Like many of us left here I thought I knew you. Now I discover that in your company it is myself I know. That is the astonishing gift of your art and your friendship: You gave us ourselves to think about, to cherish.
Baldwin’s legacy reaches far beyond the impact he had on the civil rights movement and the elevation of black people in America.
His work continues to help all of us take a closer look at ourselves and reflect on what it means to be human.
You made American English honest — genuinely international. You exposed its secrets and reshaped it until it was truly modern dialogic, representative, humane. You stripped it of ease and false comfort and fake innocence and evasion and hypocrisy.
Baldwin was unapologetic, fierce, honest, and courageous.
You have to be comfortable making other people uncomfortable but you also need a steady hand when your opinions and beliefs are challenged.
Exhibit A below.
… initial spectacle of mediocrity condescending to genius is painful, but the subsequent triumph of [Baldwin’s] self-taught brilliance over credentialed ignorance is thrilling to witness.
You replaced lumbering platitudes with an upright elegance.
On social media it’s tempting to regurgitate common knowledge and phrases… chasing after a quick dopamine hit from the notification bell.
Don’t do it.
Infuse your posts with a unique style, grace, charm, wit, and soul.
Code & Prose
I’ve been programming for almost ten years now and I first fell in love with writing back in 2010 when I wrote my first screenplay. Code & Prose is a core part of my life and I want to talk more about the intersection of these two areas.
I’m wrapping up my first atomic essay that dives into a few questions:
Where do you draw the line when it comes to leveraging AI to create?
How much can you use AI to brainstorm?
If I use AI, what is human enough?
These are questions that I’ve sat with for a while. I don’t use AI much at all when it comes to research and writing. I use it every single day as a software engineer.
But what is ethical and what is cheating?
Atomic Notes
Indie Thinkers
: “The reality of corporate America is that if you follow the rules, do what you’re supposed to do, and maintain pleasant relationships with your coworkers, inertia takes over, and you can make a living wage while coasting through your career by answering a few emails, updating a few spreadsheets, and making the occasional presentation. But this ability to coast is dangerous.”
— Continue Reading
: “I need to figure out a niche. It’s an exciting time, I won’t lie. There are so many things I like. So many things people have told me I am good at. So many things the world needs, but only so many things that can make me money. It’s pretty damn exhausting, I will be honest.”
— Continue Reading
: “The big debate amongst educators, that stretches back two millennia and still continues today, comes down to whether education should be about instruction or induction. Should we tell young minds what to think or should we teach them how to think? Do we learn things more effectively through structure and discipline or through freedom and play?”
— Continue Reading
Fab Five
Fin
I wish I could have met James Baldwin. He left this world in December of 1987, about 6 months after I entered it.
Through the process of writing this piece, I felt like I got to meet him face to face. His words and legacy have become a part of my own journey, challenging me to think deeper and live more authentically.
Baldwin’s fearless exploration of truth and humanity resonates now more than ever, reminding us of the power of art to transform how we think.
Writing about him has not only been enlightening but also therapeutic.
It’s ignited a spark within me to pursue my own truth with the same unwavering courage.
As I reflect on his life, I’m inspired to live mine with more purpose and passion, carrying forward the wisdom and lessons he shared.
— Daniel
P.S. A reminder that growing a blog is easy.
Daniel, I fell sick around the time this came out and I could never respond to your lovely words. First of all, thank you so much for mentioning me. I appreciate it so much.
I also like James' reference and the round up in your newsletter is applause worthy!
Oh Daniel - I love this so much in so many different ways. James Baldwin and Toni Morrison are two of my favorite writers and both had profound influences in my own desire to pursue writing.
Thank you so much for sharing their words and life here - it's funny, I just taught a workshop THIS MORNING on James Baldwin's short story "Sonny's Blues"! We were all marveling over his absolute mastery, the remarkable way he shed such light on both our individual and collective humanity.
Code & Prose sounds exciting - subscribed!