November 15. I analyze my irritation with the Asian students in the building. First of all, they are barely twenty and, in accordance with my own age, I feel the usual annoyance at their carelessness. I discover the word brat. J and I regularly joke about the frontal lobes, the executive function which is not yet fully developed at this age. What’s more, their carelessness materializes in their use of their smartphones. Almost all of them almost always hold the display close to their face, are immersed in chats and feeds and let just enough of their surroundings into their peripheral vision to avoid running into walls and door frames. There’s also no denying that this overabundance – there are almost exclusively Asian students in the building – triggers group instincts. Why are there so many of them? Why do they all look different from us? I don’t give anything about those instincts. I always rather wanted to be among strangers than among similars. But I think you have to take that quiet gnawing into account. Its strength differs in different people. It’s one of the forces you have to deal with if you want to bring humanity together.