In Defense of Difficulty--From Metcalf to Messiaen

I’m listening to the music of John Metcalf as I write, and as I often do.  No matter the weather, no matter the difficulty or ease of the day, Metcalf’s music is a gift:  complementing a day that goes well or providing respite on a day that requires it.

In Defense of Difficulty -- the Music Edition

I was hoping to say that I’m relieved to be done with my thoughts about difficulty—and I am, kinda. But my notes about difficulty, like my thoughts about literary influence, boil down to the way(s) we process stimuli, or in some cases the way we don’t or refuse to process those stimuli. And since I’ve long had a lay interest in neuroscience, stumbling across this paper by researchers at the University of London has me threading a new strand of information into my thinking.