Reading time: 4.56

Hey Reader,

The first time I picked up The Heretics by Will Storr I got about 25 pages into it — not even past the introduction — before I had to put it down because I got so angry.

It’s about people who think the Earth is flat, who believe homeopathy can cure cancer, who think they’ve been abducted by aliens. Climate change deniers and antivaxxers and Moon landing deniers.

Fringers + conspiracy theorists.

I got angry because my initial reaction was, “How can people believe this stuff? How can they be so stupid? They must be idiots. I’m not going to read this nonsense that sympathises with them.”

But I missed the point.

I came back to the book a couple of weeks later with a different attitude.

Instead of a “these people are idiots” attitude, I came back with curiosity: what would lead someone to believe something that is demonstrably false? Are they stupid?

The answer, I found, was “no”. They’re not stupid, at all. It is, as most things are, much more complicated and interesting than that.

Storr wrote his book because he wanted to get inside their heads, see things from their point of view, and understand why people believe the things they believe.

He wrote The Heretics not because he wanted to poke fun at people or shame them, but because he was curious.

And when I read it from a position of curiosity, I learned a whole load about belief, identity, and persuasion. Storr changed my point of view — he showed me a different way to see the world.

He showed me how those other people see the world, and I began to understand why they believe what they believe.

This is the power of a story and a book — fiction or nonfiction.

In a divided world where there’s no time or space for nuance online, it can feel impossible to bridge those divides, to find a place where we can meet people we profoundly disagree with and say, “I see you.”

Conversations get heated and emotions get in the way, and I completely understand why.

When one person tells another, “I don’t think you deserve the same rights as me” it can feel impossible to see them as anything other than hate-filled monsters.

Nobody is only one thing, though. We are all nuanced.

Books and stories are so powerful because they show us another worldview with a little space between us, so we get to see where someone else is coming from without anger and hurt and fear getting in the way.

Even writing this is scary because there are people who think anyone who denies someone else’s humanity is simply evil and should be cancelled, blocked, deleted, wiped out, and I get it.

My first reaction is to go there too.

Because it is simply wrong to deny another human being their right to exist and live and thrive.

But there’s no space in my reaction to heal anything or build bridges or change minds and hearts. We only push each other further away.

If we write our stories, though, and offer them up as a gift, we give people who disagree with us — people who we might hate — a chance to see us and our experiences and see things another way.

They might read it; they might not. But isn’t it worth a try?

Don’t write to be right.

Write to show people a different way of seeing something. This is how we change the world.

And now, it’s time for the Friday Goodie Bag. Hurrah!

Space to Exhale with Lisa Hurley

Lisa Hurley is dreaming BIG with her new book Space to Exhale and I am really excited about her plans! Lisa’s book is “a handbook for curating a soft, centered, serene life” and who doesn’t need more of that right now?

You can find out more about the book here and pre-order it (I’ve already got my order in).

And here is Lisa’s post, where she’s asking for support with various aspects of her book launch. Maybe you can help — and even if you can’t, you can definitely learn something from her approach to book launching, and the first thing is: ask for what you want and need, and your community will step up for you.

The RSPB’s social media accounts are LIT

When you think of the RSPB, what pops into your head? A slightly staid, buttoned-up National Trust type vibe, maybe? Well, think again. The RSPB is having a LOT of fun with their social media accounts, and I’m here for it.

Because they have a cause, and their cause matters, and they’re using whatever tools they can get to eyeballs (and cash) on their issues.

Also they do Bird of the Week and this might be the thing that causes me to put TikTok back on my phone again.

Check out their LinkedIn page here, which is also fun.

Brooklyn’s pay-what-you-wish barber

Think capitalistic high-ticket prices are the only way to make a good living? Think again.

This Brooklyn barber — Greg Purnell — has been running his pay-what-you-wish barbering business for THIRTEEN YEARS and things seem to be going quite well for him.

I’m not against charging high-ticket for stuff, of course… I just think it’s important to know there are different ways of operating that can afford you a beautiful life, and this is one of them.

Read some of Greg Purnell’s story here, in Anne Kadet’s lovely newsletter.

This good news about technology saving the planet

I know we’re all quite angry at Big Tech at the moment for a variety of good and sensible reasons (FUND FEMALE FOUNDERS!!!) but here’s a good news story.

The Rainforest Connection has developed and deployed a “fire alarm” for the forests. Trees can literally call for help when illegal logging happens. The monitoring system detects acoustics and vibrations associated with logging activities, pinpoints them, and alerts a team to the area to put a stop to it before too much damage is done.

More of this, please. Find out more and fund them here.

Why you should make something you care about like Shit You Should Care About

News avoidance is growing (totally understandable because it’s overwhelming and horrifying) which is a problem (because burying our heads doesn’t solve anything) so Lucy Blakiston started Shit You Should Care About on social media.

I’ve been following her account for a few years now, as you do, but her story is really cool. The Guardian picked it up and you can read it here.

My message is: make something you care about because you never know where it might lead you. Lucy Blakiston never thought her efforts would lead her here, but they did. Because she cares. And that’s the key to all success, really.

If you give a shit, someone else will, too.

And that’s all for this week!

Have a most wonderful weekend and make something beautiful.

TTFN,

Vicky