The Unbearable Companionship of Strangers

July 7

Heraclitus said that no man steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man. But Heraclitus never got to take public transportation, pop in his headphones, and observe the overwhelming uniqueness of the countless lives around him.

You could hear a conversation about a loved one who might not make it. You can see the insides of someone’s backpack and what they carry with them everywhere. You can smell the dinner someone is bringing home to parents you will never meet.

You can count the lovers you never had, the faces you would burn into your psyche in another life as your closest friends and partners, but in this life, you are sharing a brief 15 minutes of sitting in somewhat close silence.

A thousand narratives,

Each with tens of thousands of possibilities, 

Almost all of which you can never comprehend,

You can never take,

You can never hold,

You can only accept this moment for what it is, allowing it to wash over you, without trying to set out a basket to capture it all—

The overwhelming, almost unbearable companionship of strangers.

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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