Welcome to Craving Aversion
Same vision with a new title and author photo
Craving Aversion is a blog by me, Michael Zhao, exploring the search for meaning and the cultivation of presence and awareness in all forms.
The name refers to the Buddha’s diagnosis of the source of human suffering: Craving things we don’t have and being averse to the things we think we can’t tolerate distracts us from living in the moment and experiencing the world as it is in all its beauty, complexity, and horror. That together, both words contain “raving” and an anagram of “rave” in them feels like a fitting bit of serendipity. (I also like that it can be misread as “craving a version”, which I am sure has some deeper double entendre that will reveal itself in time.)
As a journalist, longtime raver, and a newly-practicing insight meditator, my work cuts to the essence of living with intent and purpose. Cultivating awareness and mindfulness is not limited to the meditation cushion and neither is this blog.
Not all (or perhaps even most) of the topics I cover will be about raving or buddhism—although those wells run particularly deep. At its core, much like meditation, raving is about pushing the physical and mental limits of the body in order to become open to the present as it is. To that end, activities like long distance running, creating art, and even gardening have more to do with the practice of raving than putting on a little outfit and going for a night of dancing. It’s all about intention.
Maybe this feels like a stretch right now, but hopefully, it will make more sense the deeper we go. I look forward to sharing this journey with you all.
You can also follow along on Instagram, where I’ll be posting occasional memes in addition to promoting this project.
I believe that good writing is meant to be read as widely as possible and as such, will never paywall my words—although some paid-member benefits are in the works for the near future. The topics I cover are not ones that most publications will pay for, but the experiences and research that go into producing these essays do not come cheaply. Your financial support makes it all possible. Upgrade in the next two weeks for the cost of a Sweetgreen salad and a kombucha to lock in this discounted rate in perpetuity. Thank you for reading!