What Severance Teaches Us About Brevity

Spoiler alert: This issue reveals that TV can show us how to say less; also: capturing the essence of The Lexington Club; and Larry is a Modern Elder (and wants you to be one, too)

Severance: Be Brief, Mr. Milchick

As in many parts of life and art, in Apple TV’s Severance, power dynamics often hinge on carefully chosen words. So whether you’re a fan, foe, or simply opting out of Severance’s dystopian take on work/life balance, one scene in the most recent season is a masterclass in brevity and clear communication that’s valuable for everyone.

I’ll set the stage as, well, briefly as possible. We’re in season 2, episode 5 when Mr. Milchick, a mid-level manager at the mysterious corporation Lumon, receives feedback from his superior that he "uses too many big words." Ironically, he responds with unnecessarily complex language: "Well, perchance I may colloquially employ a..."

Later, while scolding a 14-year-old employee, Milchick finds himself still using similarly overwrought language: "You must eradicate from your essence childish folly." Realizing his brain is not getting the signal to simply say what he means, Milchick looks in a mirror and slowly — and helped by dramatic lighting and a soundtrack we could all use in our lives — practices simplifying this message:

“You must eradicate from your essence childish folly.”
“You must eradicate from yourself childish folly.”
“You must abandon childish things.”
“You must grow up.”
“Grow up.”
“Grow.”

In storytelling, leadership, parenting, and maybe even your dating profile, fewer words can pack the most powerful punch. With that last single word, Mr. Milchick reminds us that saying less can mean more.

Tell Me More: Crafting Your Story at Midlife

Here I am in Santa Fe — and hope you will be, too.

I’ve been buzzing since returning from New Mexico where I took a course at the Modern Elder Academy’s (MEA) stunning retreat center outside Santa Fe, both to experience MEA as a student and to prepare for leading a workshop of my own. MEA workshops explore the idea that midlife is a chrysalis not a crisis. Above all, MEA offers space to take a pause and ask what we need from life now and in the future.

This July 7-12, I’ll be leading Tell Me More: Crafting Your Story at Midlife, a five-day workshop designed to help you explore the stories that have shaped you so far and unlock the stories you want to live going forward. My co-facilitator and I will guide you through a deep dive into personal storytelling and the power of presence, culminating in a storytelling event with your fellow compadres (as MEA calls its students). You’ll leave with a new lens on your own life and storytelling skills that will serve you in life’s many moments.

Six Words on the Legendary Lexington Club

“Small bar, a big queer revolution” —Susie Smith, director of We Belong

I love how the six-word format fits into so many spaces. One day I’m in a conference room helping C-suite executives refine their company’s mission; the next I’m in a classroom guiding kids to unlock their sense of agency. Last week, I was in my friend Jolene’s living room, where seventeen queer friends gathered for a kickoff meeting to support We Belong, a documentary about San Francisco’s iconic Lexington Club. The Lexington is a landmark space for LGBTQ+ culture, especially for lesbians, dykes, and trans folk. Ten years after its closing, this film will tell the story of The Lex and the fifteen years of a Queer rebellion that changed San Francisco and the world.

So why was I there? Joyfully leading “Six Words on the Lex,” a simple, powerful way to bring everyone into the conversation and connect with filmmaker Susie Smith’s vision for the film. Zoom into the photos above for lots of Lex stories, and visit the projects’s website or Instagram to read more stories and even share your own.

Classroom of the Month: Reflecting on “A Long Walk to Water”

Kileen Gilroy, a 7th-grade English Language Arts teacher at Lincoln Middle School in Rhode Island, first discovered the Six-Word Memoir format at the very start of her teaching career eleven years ago. One of the most powerful moments she’s experienced with Six-Word Memoirs came while teaching in Hawaii where students used the format to describe their island, weaving their personal and cultural experiences into their writing. “This six-word format really requires students to think critically, choose their words wisely, and often proves that in writing, less is more,” Gilroy says.

More recently, she incorporated Six-Word Memoirs as a reflection tool in a unit on the Lost Children of Sudan. After reading A Long Walk to Water and meeting a real-life “lost boy,” Angelo Maker, students crafted Six-Word Memoirs that captured themes of survival, resilience, and empathy.

Read more about Gilroy’s classroom and how hundreds of other educators have integrated Six-Word Memoirs into their lesson plans on the Six in Schools blog.