The times are tense...and blame and anger are in the air every day. There's a lot of pain and anguish, and deep wounds surfacing, but I keep trying to dig deeper, to get to the bedrock of common humanity and our connection with each other, the planet, and all life. Maybe that's why I've suddenly found myself with an occasionally racing heart, but a seemingly calm mind, and no ascertainable physical cause. My heart is tuned into some message, which my mind has somehow rationalized or suppressed, I think. If it's some kind of subliminal anxiety, I can always find a reason: some project or anticipation. But ultimately, isn't all anxiety about feeling disconnected?

Hope was invented when our heart exceeds our reach. Perhaps our hearts try to beat into this gap, to bring life into the distance. Sometimes, we have pejorative words for this: craving, desire, grasping. But if our hearts are sent on ideals - justice, love, community, enlightenment - we need to keep hope alive, as Jesse Jackson said. Hope, that last tender butterfly out of Pandora's box, must overcome all the other pernicious amygdalic impulses of fear and aggression. Keep hope alive.

Happy May - May the Fourth be with us! Here are some recent blogposts from Psychology Today and for the upcoming CAAMFest, May 9-19 in SF and the East Bay. I still have a handful of comp codes graciously given to me by CAAM for my continued writing. If you'd like 1-2, good for any regularly priced screening, reply to this message and tell me how many you can use for this year's fest.

Thanks for staying in touch.

From Psychology Today

Loneliness: Social Media, the Internet, and Smartphones

We all carry a seed of loneliness....how do we inadvertently water this seed?

Touch Isn't the Problem, Social Media Is the Problem

The controversy over Joe Biden and inappropriate touch misses a more dangerous culprit: the quick-to-anger synapses of social media. Also: the science of touch.

Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell” Delights Audiences

"The Farewell" by Lulu Wang, starring Awkwafina, is based on the true story of an Asian American family dealing with a matriarch's terminal diagnosis.

From Memoirs of a Superfan

MEMOIRS OF A SUPERFAN VOL. 14.1: SALLY WEN MAO, ANNA MAY WONG, AND OCULUS

Mao is a great example of the continuity of the "ars poetica," and is part of what might someday be seen as a renaissance of young Asian American poets, including such stars as Ocean Vuong, Cathy Linh Che, Jenny Xie, Bao Phi, and others.

Susan Lieu’s one-woman show explores themes of loss, grief, and healing. (Playing at CAAMFest May 11-12, and at The Marsh May 15-19 

MEMOIRS OF A SUPERFAN VOLUME 14.3: SHORTS – SMALL PLATES THAT WILL FILL YOU UP

"I don’t program film festivals. I let film festivals program me. My identity is a collective effort. For CAAMFest season, I unfurl my synaptic sails, and let filmmakers, stories, and actors carry me where they will. In internet speak, my neural DM’s are open. I’m a by-the-wind sailor, trusting the environment we’re creating together, but gently tethered to my experience and life. I’m ready for inspiration, change, and transformation, and I’m never disappointed."

Enjoy your May!

Warmly,

Ravi