Gopichand Kotana

I was watching Project Hail Mary the other day, and seeing Ryland go through a singular experience made me realize something. There is no medium that can fully translate an experience. A medium to make others understand what you went through doesn’t exist, and never will. In a translation, the weight of living is always lost. And without that weight, it isn’t truly understood.

Social media has given us a false sense of knowing.
I sit here and think I know what Paris feels like.
I think I understand DC politics.
I think I know what street food in Hong Kong is like.
I think I know what coral reefs look like.
Now don’t get me wrong, exposure is a great thing, but I have to consciously remember not to mistake exposure with actually experiencing that thing.
Lived experiences are singular and real. They shape us.
If we want original thoughts, we need original moments.