It is easy for me to say, “there is always a choice” coming from access and safety, but doesn’t this mentality serve everyone? Does an approach focusing on the present offer the individual the most power in their personal journey, no matter their circumstances?

 

The text embodies both what I need to hear, and ideas I want to spread: we can find agency in any circumstances. If our focus remains here, feelings of anxiety and depression are mitigated. Freedom comes after discipline, and this end is only reached with conscious intention. 

 

Paper has age and texture, and oftentimes these qualities are deliberately minimized. Adhere paper to wood, or cover it with resin, and depth disappears in pursuit of perfection. I have pressed paper behind glass and it waves in resistance to being flattened. Scrolls have an ancient quality. They hang, slightly lifted off the wall, letting the depth of the paper breathe.