The hypoxia of the sea & the silent hitman

The sensation of being unable to breathe had both literal and symbolic resonance in our texts this month.

Of the two texts-in-progress we workshopped, one was an evocative memory of diving in the Baltic sea that conjured feverish dreams linked to the fate of the planet. The essay began with a diver floating on their back, sinking into the sea as they empty their lungs. But it turns out that the one who will be suffering from lack of oxygen isn't the diver, it's the sea and its creatures. And so begins a meditation on how human impacts on the environment cascade to create dire consequences.

The other text, very different, was the draft of an opinion essay titled "The Silent Hitman", which began by presenting a glamorized public image of scientists as selfless and pure seekers of knowledge, only to pivot to a disturbing recent survey of what many scientists actually experience: competitive harassment. The essay then wove in personal anecdotes and contemplated possible solutions to a big problem in science that few people want to talk about—but one which resonated powerfully with our group.

It was heavy stuff this month. But as always, talking about the texts led us to a rich and inspiring gathering of ideas about how to take our writing further and deeper.

Image: Adam Zubek-Nizol, Vecteezy