When Steering Isn’t Control
Dear Stranger,
The others didn’t make it. And I can’t shake the thought that maybe we didn’t either, not really. Yes, we’re still alive, and I’m grateful for that. But gratitude doesn’t cancel grief. What we lost that day wasn’t only lives, but the illusion that we were ever really in control.
Here’s the thing: we think we’re steering, but the devices are steering us. The accident didn’t just cripple us physically. I learned it’s been rewiring us emotionally. I remember watching a story unfold, and what struck me most was this: poised against the storm, the girl was groping to save her phone, like that was more important than saving her own life. One screen too many, one glance too long, and everything changed.
That’s why I’m writing this note. Letters still have a way of holding what machines can’t: a pulse, a pause, a human weight on the page. At least, for now. Although I can’t help but wonder: when you read words like these, are they truly mine, or are they the echo of some program, pre-written to mimic what it thinks I’d say? That’s not a joke. That’s the part that chills me. Because like all freedoms, these may be fleeting.
I’ll stop here before I say too much. But let me leave you with this: when life or the devices you trust are ready to shake things up, fasten your seatbelt.
Noah Cassidy-Shaw
This letter was inspired by the book Culpability by Bruce Holsinger. Some lines slipped directly from its pages:
“…Poised against the storm, the girl was groping to save her phone”
“Like all freedoms, these may be fleeting.”
The Cup We’d Share
Consider this a moment to sit down with Noah over a steaming cup of tea. The Authenticitea Barista (a character from my upcoming book, A Cup of Authenticitea) would pour something to match his spirit: a blend to linger with, a mood to steep in, and a question to carry forward.
A Sip of Control
Tea Blend: Smoky Lapsang + Bergamot
Mood Pairing: For moments when you feel in charge but sense something else is pulling the strings.
Flavor Note: Smoky and sharp, like fire meeting citrus — unsettling at first, then lingering with a question you can’t quite shake.
Reflection: Where in your life are you steering, and where are you being steered?
Why This Letter?
Noah’s story from Culpability caught my attention because it isn’t just about survival after an accident — it’s about what it means to parent, love, and hold a family together in an age where devices so often shape the rhythm of our lives. Technology promises control, but as Noah’s words reveal, it can just as easily steal it away. His grief felt layered: not only for who was lost that day, but for the illusion of safety and connection that shattered with them.
It’s why I let this letter slip from the pages; to share his voice with you, and to remind us to look more closely at the ways we hand over trust to machines, sometimes without noticing.
So tell me: have you ever caught yourself trusting a device more than your own instincts? Or felt like the tech around you was steering more than you were?
~ ☕ ~
That’s the sip I’ll leave with you today. Thanks for reading — until the next page.
