First Resort

September 22

Deep down, past all the layers of politeness, the boundaries, the therapy, the holding-your-tongue-on-a-Tuesday afternoon, there’s an big red button, covered with a dusty plastic cover with “in case of emergency” scrawled across the top.

It’s the reminder that, despite millennia of evolution, there’s still the deep down possibility of just kicking someone as hard as you can and running away. 

Those are our last resorts—violence, anger, escalation, yelling, taking the offense as far as need be, like a kid on the playground who fully believes they know the secret kung fu move that is forbidden because it can kill in one strike.

But those last resorts are just that: our last resorts. What are their opposites—the things to always try first? Empathy, understanding, good humor, a type of kind apathy that recognizes we have the lowest stake in this particular game?

Maybe the more we work on our first resorts, the less likely we need our last ones?

Morning Reading is a daily email to help center yourself, reflect, and prepare for the day. It’s sent with love from your friend, Zach in Austin, Texas. He even drew the logo himself.

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