Deep Life Reflections: Friday Five
Issue 15 - Fine Margins
Hello and welcome to my weekly email newsletter, Deep Life Reflections: Friday Five, where I share five things I’m enjoying, thinking about, and find interesting.
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Here’s this week’s Friday Five.
1. What I’m Reading
The Marginalian. A blog by Maria Popova.
In October, 2006, college student Maria Popova sent a plain-text newsletter to seven friends under the name Brain Pickings. She didn’t stop. For nearly two decades, Maria’s writings—in what we now know as The Marginalian—have chronicled her exploration of life’s meaning through her interests in science, art, and philosophy.
What I admire about Maria’s blog is both the quality of her writing (she’s written for The New York Times and The Atlantic), and the dedication to her craft. Described in Maria’s own words as “a one-woman labor of love” The Marginalian has remained free and ad-free for readers, without the aid of staff, interns, or an assistant. It’s her life and livelihood.
If you’re curious about the name, marginalia are illustrations or notations scribbled in the margins of historical manuscripts. Much like these insightful annotations, wisdom often lies in the margins. It calls for a discerning eye to capture the essence of something, and then reflect on it. This nuanced approach is what Maria has devoted herself to.
In a digital age where we are often beholden to a small group of all-powerful social media platforms to share our stories, The Marginalian shows there is another way: staking out a tiny corner of the digital universe and cultivating a community of kindred spirits, growing it one thoughtful step at a time. For a taste of Maria’s writing and reflections, I recommend exploring a post she wrote last year: 16 Life-Learnings from 16 Years of The Marginalian.
Today, The Marginalian holds the honour of inclusion in the Library of Congress permanent web archive, recognised for its significant cultural value. Not bad for something that started as an email to seven friends.
2. What I’m Watching
Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker. Directed by Alex Gibney.
This excellent documentary film spotlights the life of Boris Becker, one of the most iconic tennis players of his generation. Divided into two parts, ‘Triumph’ and ‘Disaster’, the film takes us on a journey of his tumultuous career and personal life, with brilliant archive footage and interviews featuring other tennis greats such as Agassi, McEnroe, Lendl, and Djokovic (who he coached for three years).
Becker’s journey is one of paradoxes. He stunned the world when he won Wimbledon at just 17. Then he did it again the next year, winning four more major titles and reaching world number one. But we see the burden of success on Becker’s shoulders; we learn at one point he was ready to quit at 26, just like his hero Bjorn Borg.
We’re shown the scandals (often of his own making), relentless media scrutiny, and financial disasters that culminated with Becker serving eight-months of his two-and-a-half-year prison sentence in a U.K prison. Though Becker’s interviews reveal certain contradictions, he remains hard not to like. There is a vulnerability to him, in contrast with that toughness all champions have. It’s clear Wimbledon holds a special place in his heart. Fondly dubbed the most popular German in Britain, Becker replies with a smile, “There isn’t much competition.” It’s this self-deprecating humour which still makes him endearing to so many.
Boris Becker was catapulted into superstardom at seventeen. It made him, but it also broke him. The documentary captures the consequences of bad decisions and poor guidance, reminding us that no matter the level of our success or the extent of our talents, we are all susceptible to the harsh side of fine margins.
3. What I’m Contemplating
I recently visited a rare book store called Zerzura. It’s the first shop dedicated to vintage books in Dubai, with almost 150 rare and vintage books, including 20 first editions. I found first editions of Jaws by Peter Benchley, The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, and Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.
Every book in that store tells a story beyond the one printed on its pages. Behind the finished works are countless notes scribbled in the margins, many rewrites, and a litany of edits. And in the case of Nabokov’s manuscript for Lolita, his wife Vera rescued it more than once from the bonfire.
Yet, once completed, these books reach a kind of timelessness. Crafted through a labour of love and dedication, they stand as a testament to the craft itself; the diligence, persistence, and commitment to the creative vision.
We are all crafting our own ‘rare books’ in life. Whether we are penning our first novel, building a business, or charting a new course in life, we need to stay true to the principles of craft: attention to detail, resilience in the face of challenges, and the pursuit of a greater vision.
4. A Quote to note
“Craft is what enables you to be successful when you're not inspired.”
- Brian Eno, musician and producer
5. A Question for you
In what areas of your life or work do you find the smallest details to be the most significant?
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Thanks for reading and have a great weekend.
James