The Times We Are In (#1) – Launch and FAQ’s

The Times We Are In (Newsletter #1) – Launch and FAQ’s

Hello Dear Friends,

First of all, Seasons Greetings to everyone. Secondly, welcome to the first edition of JJM’s newsletter, The Times We Are In! (or Inn, if you prefer, but that’s the name of a pub in Ireland – see cover picture).

In this edition:

1. Newsletter FAQ.
2. Stream of thought: Piecing together past and present lives
3. Essay and picture news

Newsletter FAQ:

What will this newsletter be about?
Expect casual streams of thought sometimes in the way I would write e-mails to friends or acquaintances. I will share my thoughts on things happening in the world or reminisce about past experiences or share bits and pieces about myself, especially about my life journey. In other words expect a little bit of self-indulgence, but as usual it will not be “just about me” … (which is rare anyway). This newsletter will also contain news about my writing and travel projects.

What inspired this newsletter?
The LEAFBOX interview I was invited to and the host’s style of questioning and his general approach of interviewing eclectic personalities prompted me to start this newsletter. I directed my answers more to cycle science (see the next chapter) during the interview, a subject I wanted to get out there.

However, this newsletter will be semi autobiographical (in bits and pieces) as it will provide me with the opportunity to piece some of my life journey together and to also elaborate on the questions initiated by LEAFBOX. 

How regular will the newsletter be?
Undecided, but it will be in-between essays and travel posts, so probably once every 2 to 3 months (the frequency will vary), but there will be no fixed schedule.

Piecing present and past lives together

Life reflections: Over time I’ve had many different positions, roles and identities in life. If you change places and relocate as often as I have (decade after decade), and if the changes or transitions are sometimes extreme or severe in terms of the adaption or re-adaption processes, some parts of your “past lives” (within the same lifetime) become “archived” in memory as they are replaced by more immediate, present life priorities and considerations. If this continuous long enough (because having regular transitions had become addictive at some early stage), some memories are “lost in hibernation” and have to be retrieved with effort.

Once every 5 or 10 years after returning from a major traveling cycle, the return poses a challenge in itself – a more comprehensive recollection of life events is needed to find new balance and have a sense of being grounded once again, which can be difficult if you are almost always (often literally) on the road between places. Deep reflection to retrieve parts of your memory that’s gone in hibernation is then required (while those parts may not be relevant when on the road …) which might take time. 

I’ve journeyed through a variety of philosophies, schools of thought and spiritual systems, as well as political views, and all of it had a lot to do with my insatiable desire to learn, to know and to understand how things, people and systems work. However, life events and challenges as well as catalyzing life crises prompted me into deeper quests. Personal growth through experiences became the ultimate indefinite journey.  

Going further back: When I was young I was often told I “think too much”, which to me was a strange thing to hear as I could not understand how any person could “think too much” (that made no sense to me). To my mind it was just impossible. I couldn’t stop it anyway, so I decided to just develop my thinking the best I could and put it to good use. Channeling it into journaling was the first and most natural route, which I expanded later into blogging.

All of this, to be concise, has paid off over time, I think, and retrospectively I’m just glad I didn’t actually stop thinking! Thinking is free and can be done anywhere and in any situation (and it has gotten me out of some tight spots too) – it keeps you busy and can provide solutions, options and answers. It is my ultimate hobby. Without “thinking too much” I would not be who I am. I think to live, and I live to think. 

Essay and Picture News

I have a (slightly delayed) follow up chapter in the works for Mimetic Rivalry in the Tower of Babel, which should be ready by the end of January, or thereabouts.

There are some unpublished photos of some of my temple tours in S.E.A. last year (Oct 2024). I will at some point add them to some of the posts already written about that region (… so much to publish, so little time …).

The cover photo of this edition features a pub in Dublin which I photographed in 2012. It is the visual inspiration for the name of this newsletter and I especially like the number 8 (infinity sign) which compliments the name and enhances its play on words.

Today is also the day of 8 Offering in the Maya Tzolkin calendar. On this day gratitude is important. Thank you to everyone who have read my essays and/or who have taken the time to comment during 2025. 

Well, friends, we certainly live in interesting times. Streams of thought welcome in the comment section 🙂

Hereby I close the first edition of The Times We Are In – thank you for reading and wishing everyone a blessed Christmas and New Year. 

Until next year – yours in travel,
Jean-Jacques (J.J. Montagnier)
—
In the next edition:
* My commitment to my readers
* On the subject of A.I.

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