The evidence for Taylor’s claim often shows up in ordinary scenes: a meal where phones stay out of reach, a walk without earbuds, a conversation where nobody is rushing to conclude. These moments can feel disproportionately nourishing because they restore continuity—between thought and feeling, between person and person.
Even brief “micro-pauses” can have this effect. Waiting for the kettle to boil and simply watching steam rise can reintroduce the nervous system to stillness. From there, connection becomes easier, because you’re no longer arriving at others already fragmented. [...]
