The Cogitating Ceviché Week in Review (26-3)
Discussion via NotebookLM
Editorial Summary
This week, the contributors danced between fable and firmware. Gio Marron revisited myth and mystery with painterly precision, while Calista F. Freiheit redefined responsibility in a culture obsessed with property. Conrad Hannon offered a Kierkegaardian corrective to the digital mob and dissected the recursive tyranny of the software update. Each piece confronted modern flux—whether algorithmic, ideological, or emotional—with curiosity, concern, and conscience.
Articles
* What It Means to Be a Steward, Not an OwnerJan 19 | Calista F. FreiheitAn exploration of the ancient concept of stewardship as an antidote to contemporary ownership culture.
* The Tyranny of the Update: Life Under Permanent BetaJan 20 | Conrad HannonA critique of the endless-update ethos, where progress becomes perpetual disorientation.
* The Juniper-TreeJan 21 | Gio MarronGrimm’s haunting tale, retold with poetic insight and subtle dread.
* Søren Kierkegaard: Writing Against the CrowdJan 21 | Conrad T HannonThe first in a series on thinkers who refused to scale, beginning with Denmark’s most paradoxical penman.
* Why Irony Is a Poor Substitute for FaithJan 23 | Conrad HannonA polemic against the detachment that defines our era—and its failure to sustain us.
* The Norwegian (part III of VII)Jan 24 | Gio MarronThe mystery deepens in Marron’s serial thriller: secrets unravel in snowbound silence.
Quote of the Week
“Irony makes a poor scaffold for a soul—its structure collapses the moment anything heavy leans on it.”— Conrad Hannon, “Why Irony Is a Poor Substitute for Faith”
Questions
What It Means to Be a Steward, Not an Owner
* Can stewardship be taught in a culture so steeped in ownership?
* What traditions or texts support this idea in your own worldview?
The Tyranny of the Update
* Is perpetual beta a design flaw—or a philosophy?
* When does improvement become erasure?
The Juniper-Tree
* Why do some fairy tales persist in disturbing us?
* What is the moral—or is there one?
Søren Kierkegaard: Writing Against the Crowd
* What does it mean to write “against” in an age of algorithms?
* Would Kierkegaard use Substack—or avoid it completely?
Why Irony Is a Poor Substitute for Faith
* Is there a place for irony within a faithful life?
* What happens when irony becomes default?
The Norwegian (part III of VII)
* What’s being hidden in the Norwegian fog?
* Who do we trust in Marron’s fragmented tale?
Additional Resources
* “The Crowd is Untruth” – Søren Kierkegaard
* Jenny Odell on Resisting the Attention Economy
* On the Tragedy of the Commons
* Digital Minimalism – Cal Newport
* The Brothers Grimm – Full Fairy Tale Archive
Calls to Action
* Calista F. Freiheit: This week, consider something you “own” that might be better stewarded—and share why.
* Conrad Hannon: Audit your update settings. What software do you let rewrite your routines?
* Gio Marron: Read a Grimm tale aloud—to someone, or just to the dark.
* General: Choose one article and bring it to your next coffee chat, book club, or late-night phone call. See what happens.
Thank you for your time today. Until next time, stay gruntled, curious, and God Bless.
