#09: restless freedom
what's worth reading
Dear reader,
This week’s featured essays explore some of our uniquely human experiences: how we dream, choose, create, and care. There’s one that raises a gentle challenge to want more, a reminder that freedom isn’t weightless, a nod to Leonardo’s joyful curiosity, an invitation to live with the harm we cause, and a reflection on where our attention truly goes.
I hope you enjoy these selections.
Warmly,
Lou Blaser
Resident Curator
maybe you just need bigger dreams
Erifili Gounari | Crystal Clear | September 13, 2025
Many of us have been taught to lower expectations as a form of self-protection — to detach, care less, and avoid disappointment. But what if that safety comes at the cost of really living? This essay makes the case for caring fully, dreaming bigger, and accepting that hurt and hope are two sides of the same, beautifully human coin. (740 words)
the burden of freedom
lan-anh nguyen | Beyond The Pages | March 20, 2025
After quitting her job, the author finds that freedom isn’t the easy bliss it’s made out to be. Drawing from Sartre’s idea of radical responsibility, Kundera’s tension between lightness and weight, and Thoreau’s deliberate solitude, this essay examines the uneasy truth that freedom without meaning can feel like emptiness — and that peace comes from choosing the burdens that matter. (1700 words)
This week’s issue of The Filtered brings you 5 standout essays. If you’ve enjoyed this glimpse, you can join as a full subscriber and get the complete set every week — for less than $1 a week.