The weird part of being a mix kid is how you understand that you both belong to more and less than those who aren't. I'm faced with this a lot right now. The two worlds in which I am both a part of and removed from. And a reality that my last name is more dangerous to have than I'm used to. I am proud of my heritage. I also gulped and did a quick memory check on who's name our cars were registered in when ICE made it to our corner of the state.

We asked why people are religious and ended up talking about gaps, certainty, wonder, hierarchy, and belonging. No clean definitions, but plenty of ways humans try to live with what they can’t fully know—together.

What does it mean to wonder? We explored wonder as aesthetic experience, metabolic process, and foundation of freedom. We debated whether the internet destroys wonder or opens it up, why schools systematically kill curiosity, and at what point water becomes water. Plus: Seth's very stochastic tea.

Third spaces are the coffee shops, breweries, and libraries where we go to be among people without having to do anything for them. Philosophy thrives in these places because they create the conditions for genuine dialogue—where you can bump up against ideas that aren't yours, perspectives that surprise you, and questions you didn't know you had.

"I've got three words for you, Seth: Star Trek." Bob thought maybe everything that makes us human is longing itself. Richard called it a persistent delusion we should let go of. Tonia said she's grown to view it as a precious sign of vitality. The room was laughing through a lot of this, the kind of playful engagement that comes when people are genuinely wrestling with ideas together.

Last night at Bridge & Tunnel, Fondren asked: What is comfort, and why do we seek it? The conversation explored comfort as spectrum, the difference between comfort and indulgence, whether fights can be rest, how comfort gets weaponized, and if society should cultivate it. We ended without answers—just better questions. Mother Teresa was definitely a one-trick pony.

What are games and why do we play them? We wandered through questions of survival versus pleasure, whether solitaire is a puzzle or a game, how games reflect and reinforce social hierarchies, and why imagination might be the through-line connecting it all. More questions than we started with totally par for the course.