Breakfast

Your browser does not support the video tag. My friend Mateusz sent me this video of a Zen priest comparing David Foster Wallace to Zen Buddhism. He doesn't really get too deep into analysis with DFW, and mostly uses Infinite Jest as a visual exemplification of the dangers of over-thinking. While that's a fair critique, it's a bit of an oversimplification, and it's a critique that gets made every time someone commentates on Infinite Jest or DFW in general. However, his commentary on Zen teaching was salient; generally, it's better to rely on intuition rather than cognition to attain peace, enlightenment, what have you. There was a part I specifically liked: a young monk asks the monastery's abbot about how to attain Zen, and the abbot responds with "Have you had your breakfast today?" I liked that part because what I've found is that intuition can be found in a daily practice of basic regimens; simple self-care and regular everyday routines go a much longer way than any kind of…