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
Category: writing
How Narcissism Transforms Extraction Into Moral Obligation
Most analyses of narcissism focus on personality: the grandiose self-image, the need for admiration, the lack of empathy. This misses something structural. Narcissistic systems—whether in relationships, organizations, or institutions—don't just extract resources from those with less power. They transform that extraction into a moral imperative, making the giving feel like duty rather than theft. The … Continue reading How Narcissism Transforms Extraction Into Moral Obligation
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