Rina wakes before the bell. Always does. Anna's face is fifteen centimeters away on the shared pillow, mouth slightly open, one hand curled near her chin. Rina counts the breaths. Seventeen per minute. Yesterday was fifteen. The day before was fourteen. The wake bell sounds at 0400. Anna's eyes open, find Rina's immediately. "Kumusta ka?" … Continue reading Rotation Seven
Month: March 2026
The Presence Assumption: Digital Wellness and the Community It Presupposes
When a St. John's College student described a six-day phone fast as revelatory—"presence with nearby people became necessary"—they echoed a thirty-year-old prescription: reframe digital detox from "anti-tech" to "pro-community" by filling screen-free space with genuine presence. Melissa Kirsch made the same argument in the New York Times Morning newsletter, opening with a 1996 artifact ("netaholism," … Continue reading The Presence Assumption: Digital Wellness and the Community It Presupposes
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