a case for why pattern breaking, preserving agency, and pursuing self-mastery is humanity's unique selling proposition
072 | ANEWWITHHUE: A monthly Saturday listicle to spark joy, creativity, and curiosity.
A question that keeps circulating through my algorithm is: how do you navigate a transition when you don’t yet know what you’re transitioning into?
Call it the human condition: always living in between the present and future unknown, but perhaps it’s also the combination of post-Covid epiphanies and the existential alarm of AI stealing jobs that’s created this peculiar moment; amongst other things.
It’s what’s left many of us (myself included) in a position of deep questioning, quietly or maybe even loudly, slowly or quickly, by force or circumstance, a lot of us are repositioning ourselves and wondering what is then our purpose, if machines can do our work?
Except now we’re also faced to contend with the decades of comfort in relying on an illusion of a sense of security from jobs and titles, which had, for most of the modern world as we know it, has given us a feeling of steady sense of identity; and maybe even purpose.
They say AI’s intelligence is built on high-volume prediction and pattern recognition across mass data sets, velocities neither of us (humans) are equipped to compete with, neither should we bother or dream to try to. Because that is not our role.
Human intelligence is something far superior than machine.
Please don’t be fooled by the unflattering comparison that’s pervaded much of the zeitgeist, which simply dumbs down human intelligence to the level of mere computers.
Our intuition, our physiological networks, our neural systems, our feelings, our inherent and embodied connection with nature, are only some of the architectures that make up an existence that AI will never replicate. Because humanity’s brilliance is unmatched. No questions about it.
So, what does this moment in history, with AI looming, mean: to me, it’s why I keep returning to a call to reclaim our agency and autonomy. Free will, spontaneity, and choice are our treasures. How do we retain these skills instead of letting them erode to the ever invasive assault of our time and attention?
Because friends, I see things clearly now, one of our most profound skills is our ability to break a pattern. To do something entirely unpredictable and spontaneous because we are not governed by algorithmic limitations, we only behave as though we are, out of conditioning to the systems and structures that we’ve long relied on. But these are simply the status quo and mere illusions, not nature’s law.
If we are indeed entering a new era, as many are saying, then all I am saying is, maybe the most radical act you can take is to dive deeper into all the things that makes you distinctly human; and why today we’re talking about:
Why recognizing who gets to write history matters, why the stories we inherit shapes the lives we live, and what questions are arising in our quest to reclaim our narratives.
The invisible science of human connection and why understanding what makes us click is your first line of defense against the forces engineered to exploit us.
What it truly means to choose yourself: from your social circles, to work that lights you up, to the bodies you’ve been told are a thing to simply manage rather than trust.
Podcast. TED Talks Daily. This episode revisits Chris Duffy’s 2021 conversation on How To Be A Better Human (2021) with Professor David Ikard, scholar of African American and Diaspora Studies at Vanderbilt University, who made a compelling case, first on the TEDx stage, for why the way history is told matters just as much as the history itself. The conversation opens with a simple observation: we all misremember things. Sometimes it’s easier to recall fond memories from years ago than what I ate a week ago. But what happens when those misremembered things are the narratives shaping our collective understanding of race, power and progress, the consequences runs deeper. Ikard uses Rosa Park’s story: while she was often depicted in history books as the tired, elderly woman of popular myth, Ikard reclaims the facts: she was a 42-year-old activist, growing up around men who were active in fighting for civil rights, who in his words, was only tired of the inequality and oppression happening in America. That subtle distinction, he argues, is everything because sanitized history doesn’t protect us, it disarms us. Stripping figures of their agency and erasing the conditions that made their resistance necessary is a mistake. Duffy and Ikard explore how such distortions take root early, often in classrooms, and why seeking out primary sources of marginalized voices is essential to reclaiming a more honest past. It’s why Ikard had his son reading Rosa Parks’ autobiography. Above all, Ikard is calling for intellectual humility: the willingness to encounter new information and genuinely revise what we thought we knew. For me this is a point that hits home, as the fourth most populous country in the world is actively attempting to rewrite its history books. It’s a stark reminder of why how we recall the past is important. Erasing inconvenient facts is never a solution, not if truth is what we’re after, because the burden of misinformation will then be inherited by every generation that follows. The question on my mind: is how can I retain my agency in how I understand the past?
Podcast. The Next Big Idea. Have you heard of interpersonal synchrony? It’s what happens when human beings fall into rhythm with one another, because science proves we actually do “emit vibes.” Journalist and best selling author Kate Murphy unpacks the emerging science behind her new book, Why We Click: The Emerging Science of Interpersonal Synchrony. I know you’ve felt it before, that feeling of clicking with someone, or the way one person’s energy can either uplift or dampen an entire room. It’s not intuition, neither is it magic, but it’s measurable biology. Research shows that human beings have a natural tendency to sync not just movements and expression, but heart rates, brain waves, neural patterns, and hormonal activity (subconsciously, of course). (And yes, it’s likely why group fitness has taken off in the world.) But Murphy also issues a warning: the same instinct that forges deep bonds can just as easily be hijacked by bad actors, toxic environments, and the relentless pull of the herd. In a world increasingly engineered to influence us and command our attention, understanding these invisible forces shaping our connections isn’t just fascinating, it’s a practice of agency, and a protection of autonomy.
“When we embody and internalize one another, we’re able to get a read on their thoughts and their feelings, kind of like our superpower, it’s really the root of empathy.”
“We’re all kind of like these walking symphony orchestras, with all these different instruments, playing at different frequencies and so when you encounter another person they may really appreciate the tune, the melody, the tempo and sync up. Other people might detect a few instruments and maybe hum a few bars with you, but then they get off. And other people would be so distracted by their own internal rhythm that they will just be oblivious, they will not sync up with you at all.” —Kate Murphy
Podcast. ZOE Science & Nutrition. We’ve been told that chronic disease is something you manage, not something you can reverse. Dr. Mark Hyman disagrees. In this enlightening conversation with Professor Tim Spector and Jonathan Wolf, this episode moves through the complexity of modern chronic illness and the food environment we’re increasingly forced to confront. From how ultra-processed foods are engineered to override your body’s signals, to how insulin resistance quietly fuels a cascade of conditions from diabetes to dementia, to why chronic inflammation is linked to over 130 health conditions. But Hyman and Spector reminds us that the central insight isn’t in a diet plan, it’s about a mental reframe: that the body, given the right conditions, has an incredible capacity to heal itself and remain healthy across a lifetime. That what we’re doing to our bodies, everyday, compounds into why chronic illness is fast becoming the default of old age. But what both experts are saying is: it’s not fate, it’s a result of the choices we make throughout the years that makes the greatest difference. In an era when chronic disease strikes quicker and younger, it almost feels inevitable. This episode makes a radical case: you have agency, you have autonomy, your daily choices can modify your risk significantly. In one way it’s empowering to have so much agency, but in another sense it’s also troubling to realize that what we choose every day over the years is what determines our health at old age. Friends, if you only listen to one things this month, let it be this. Skip straight to minute 43:23 for practical guidance, if you’re short on time.
“What determines your outcome of health is not your genes, but what happens to your genes throughout your life. We call this the exposome of the genome…it’s what your genes are exposed to: what you eat, your activity, movement, exercise, sleep, how you navigate stress, your microbiome, environmental toxins, pretty much anything you can think of that you’re exposed to is washing over your DNA and turning on or off genes to either regulate chronic disease or create health.”
“If you take prisoners and you feed them healthy food, their violent crime goes down dramatically…57% reduction, and if you had a multi-vitamin, it’s an 80% reduction. The data is there.”
— Dr Mark Hyman
Substack. Character by Anne Benveniste : I burned down my social life and started again. What if the social life you’ve been tolerating is the very thing standing between you and the person you’re becoming? Writer Anne Beneveniste did something most of us are too afraid to attempt: she burned her entire social circle to the ground and rebuilt from nothing. Not out of chaos, but out of radical self-honesty. She writes about it and the uncomfortable in-between, while one identity has dissolved as a new one has yet to take shape. Instead of retreating to comfort and what’s familiar, she chose to create alignment over accepting her social ‘fate.’ Accepting the discomforts of change as the natural byproduct of radical meaningful change, she unexpectedly breathed new life and energy into her life. Lovely read if you’re navigating or seeking a transition in your life. Tap into Murphy’s findings (above) on interpersonal synchrony too.
Substack. The Career Archetypes by Joel Uili : We need to restore work to its sacred function. What if the heaviness you feel around your work isn’t laziness, but a sign you haven’t yet found the work you were made for? Before creating this newsletter, that feeling lived in me too; a constant sense of something missing. Uili’s essay is a quiet manifesto: that sacred work is meant for every life, the kind that gives energy rather than depletes. It’s the kind of work that isn’t tied to reputation or status, but about how deeply you connect with your work. Sacred work, Uili argues, isn’t a luxury reserved for the lucky and wealthy few, it’s a code of living, that’s often dormant and awaiting discovery. I feel sacred work can happen outside of a job too, because all of us need food on the table.
“work that makes you want to live. It’s life affirming. Rather than taking life away, the effort you put into it gives you energy and keeps you going.”
Publication. Girls Club Asia. A wonderful curation of Asian female artists featured from around the world! I am acknowledging my shared enthusiasm for discovering and profiling diverse talents. Because no matter how small or large, diverse representation matters. Uplifting the voices of the underrepresented and marginalized, such as creative Asian women, is work I am happily cheering and passing on. Enjoy!
Article. Matt Shumer. Something’s Big Is Happening. Two friends shared this article within the same week, and as I write this, it has around 80+ million views. It’s become one of the most viral essays on Ai in recent memory. Shumer, who positions himself as an AI industry insider, makes a compelling case for why all of us need to think seriously about AI. His central argument: don’t dismiss it, engage with it. It struck a nerve because so many of us are in the midst of either grappling with it, being completely overwhelmed, or somewhere uncomfortably in between. But did you know he’s also the CEO and co-founder of Otherside AI, the company behind HyperWrite, an AI writing assistant. It’s highly likely he used his AI model to write the viral essay. But how much of his essay was him versus his AI, there’s no way to know. But, does it matter? If millions felt compelled to share and read it, does the method of writing diminish the emotions it stirred or the conversations it sparked? I’ll let you decide. What this essay accomplished is bringing attention to the AI conversation into a far greater audience. It’s questions worth asking too, as even a refusal of AI is a stance; a deliberate choice on how you want to engage with AI (or not): if artificial intelligence is humanity’s next great frontier, what kind of relationship do you want with it? This question is no longer optional, it’s one that we all will eventually need confront. Wherever you are on your AI journey, the question is not whether AI will keep evolving, it’s how do you want to meet it as it continues to do so? It’s the vulnerability that Shumer exposes. Even though I’ve been playing around with ChatGPT 3.5 since it launched in 2022 I still feel lost and lightyears behind when it comes to the latest AI tools.
And if you’re now wondering whether I use AI in my work, I’ll leave you with this: did you use spellcheck on Microsoft Word?