Making Enthusiasm Cool Again

The trouble with letting my enthusiasm show is that most of the time I’m afraid I won’t look cool. I’ll be outed for being joyful in a world that’s scary and getting worse. Enthusiasm almost feels inappropriate.

But what if enthusiasm is just effort infused by love? And what if we didn’t feel inhibited to bring love – not romantic love but the natural luminosity of our minds – into our days? What if, even amid the chaos that is 2024, we still, nonetheless, brought a kind of enthusiasm floated by love, into our courtrooms, conference rooms, classrooms, and living rooms? That would be cool enough, wouldn’t it?

(For my Berkeley students, who navigated a difficult year and all the while, honored me and one another with their loving and dedicated practice.)