Jeff Worthy 
There is a profound difference between using AI as a tool to save yourself a little time and using it to do all the thinking for you. I will stand in defense of genuine, independent, tech-free critical thinking.
Part memoir, part meditation on ancestry and belonging, this essay explores how grief, memory, and rediscovered heritage can reshape our sense of home. Through a deeply personal journey to Sweden—the land of the author’s maternal ancestors—it reflects on the enduring pull of place, the stories families carry or conceal, and the ways identity can be reawakened across generations.
Fandom, like all human passion, reflects the mindset we bring to it—capable of inspiring connection and growth or devolving into ego and hostility. By understanding the dual forces of B.I.R.G.ing and S.I.R.G.ing, we can learn to celebrate our attachments in ways that uplift both ourselves and those around us.
