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The Algorithm Loves One-Dimensionality. Your Life Doesn’t.
“The way to know life is to love many things.” — Vincent Van Gogh
We’ve been watching Fountain of Youth on Apple TV for three nights this week. It’s not a series — it’s a standard 2-hour movie.
But we’re busy. We’re jet-lagged. We’re exhausted. We have kids.
So yes — three nights to finish one movie.
But what made it special for us? Vienna.
The movie features the Austrian National Library, Hofburg Palace, Josefsplatz, and Hotel Imperial — all places we visited in 2023.
So, we recognize the settings. We remember the architecture, the art, the books, the feeling of wandering those streets with our family. And suddenly, this good movie becomes so much more — because of us.
That’s how meaning works: we assign it.
Small things become big things when they’re tied to memory, place, or love. When you combine the places you’ve visited, the music and books you love, the food you crave, and the people and passions you enjoy spending your time on, that’s where the true meaning emerges.