From abstraction to action: choosing what to do next.

I’ve been reflecting on the relationship between ideas and action—the abstract and the tangible.

When I read, listen, and think, I often feel enriched. Ideas become tools—ways of seeing and making sense of life. And that matters, because how we see the world shapes how we act in it.

Maybe that’s what wisdom is: not just understanding, but applying understanding in the service of important outcomes—flourishing, well-being, reducing pain and  suffering.

At the same time, I feel the other side: the flood. The steady stream of information, ideas, and input. Sometimes enriching. Sometimes overwhelming.

So I try to be discerning with my information foraging. A wise informavore? 

In a little while, I’ll grab the pruning shears and start clearing back the foliage along the sidewalk. It’s that time of the year. A simple act of maintenance. Making a shared path safer and easier.

No abstraction. Simply action.

And yet, it’s not separate from ideas. It’s an expression of them. “Be the change you want to see in the world.” “Begin simply. Simply begin.” 

Being selective—what we take in, what we act on—feels like a central skill. Whether with information or in the physical world, we are always deciding what to include and what to leave aside.

As José Ortega y Gasset put it, life is a continual process of deciding what we are going to do next.

Right now, I’m standing at my adjustable workstation, shifting my weight, thinking about sharing these musings. And if you’re reading this, you know that I chose to prune the words a bit, and post. 

Might as well.

Oliver Burkeman writes about imperfectionism—the idea that we don’t need to get everything right before we begin.

Yep.