The Nix

by Nathan Hill

when all you have is the memory of a thing,” she said, “all you can think about is how the thing is gone.”

It’s no secret that the great American pastime is no longer baseball. Now it’s sanctimony.”

What this ad does is admit something you already deeply suspect and existentially fear: that consumerism is a failure and you will never find any meaning there no matter how much money you spend.

She didn’t leave your dad for me, per se. She left your dad because leaving is what she does.”

What moment led you into the maze? You begin thinking the entrance to the maze might also be the exit, and if you can identify the moment you screwed up then you can perform some huge course correction and save yourself.

That night, I was looking for an easy way out. But the hard way out was better, ultimately, for me, I think.”

Because if you see people as enemies or obstacles or traps, you will be at constant war with them and with yourself. Whereas if you choose to see people as puzzles, and if you see yourself as a puzzle, then you will be constantly delighted, because eventually, if you dig deep enough into anybody, if you really look under the hood of someone’s life, you will find something familiar. This is more work, of course, than believing they are enemies. Understanding is always harder than plain hatred. But it expands your life. You will feel less alone.

Sometimes we’re so wrapped up in our own story that we don’t see how we’re supporting characters in someone else’s.