# Contributing to A Postmodern Sage

First... thank you. If you're reading this, you're considering sharing your own wrestling with meaning, purpose, or authenticity—and that matters.

This repository exists because wisdom is inherently collective. No single perspective captures the full complexity of living well in the 21st century. Your insights, experiences, and reflections can genuinely help others navigate their own paths.

## What We're Looking For

### Content Types

**Essays (1,000-3,000 words)**  
Philosophical explorations that engage a specific question or challenge. Think: "What does authenticity mean when your digital self is algorithmically curated?" or "Finding purpose after leaving religious certainty."

**Insights (100-500 words)**  
Brief reflections, observations, or frameworks. These are the "aha" moments—distilled wisdom that doesn't need 2,000 words to land.

**Practical Guides (500-1,500 words)**  
Actionable frameworks or tools. How-to content grounded in philosophical depth. Example: "A Decision-Making Framework for Complex Ethical Choices" or "Daily Practices for Cultivating Presence."

**Curated Resources**  
Books, essays, podcasts, or thinkers you've found genuinely helpful (with brief annotations explaining *why* they matter).

**Personal Narratives**  
First-person accounts of navigating existential challenges. Vulnerability is welcome here—it's often the most useful contribution.

### What Qualifies as "Wisdom"?

We're not gatekeeping... but we do have standards.

**Good contributions:**
- Engage honestly with complexity (no easy answers)
- Draw from lived experience or deep study (or both)
- Offer practical insight alongside theoretical depth
- Acknowledge what they don't know
- Speak to contemporary challenges
- Demonstrate intellectual humility
- **Draw from any authentic wisdom tradition** (Western, Eastern, ancient, modern—if it illuminates human flourishing, it belongs here)

**We especially welcome contributions drawing from:**
- Western virtue ethics (Aristotelian, Thomistic, neo-Aristotelian)
- Christian personalism and contemplative traditions
- Buddhist philosophy and mindfulness practices
- Confucian ethics and relational wisdom
- Stoic practical philosophy
- Islamic philosophy and Sufi wisdom
- Indigenous wisdom traditions
- Contemporary phenomenology and existentialism
- Secular humanism and pragmatism

**Cross-traditional dialogue is encouraged.** Some of the best insights emerge when different traditions are brought into conversation—for example, Buddhist mindfulness meeting Stoic discipline, or Confucian relational ethics enriching Christian personalism.

**What doesn't fit:**
- Dogmatic certainties ("The answer is obviously X")
- Self-promotion disguised as wisdom
- Content that's already widely accessible elsewhere (unless you're adding substantial new insight)
- Platitudes without depth ("Just be yourself!" without exploring *what that actually means*)
- Dismissive takes on philosophical traditions you haven't seriously engaged
- Proselytizing or sectarian advocacy (share wisdom from your tradition, but don't use this platform to convert others to it)

## How to Contribute

### 1. Choose Your Contribution Type

Decide whether you're submitting:
- An essay → goes in `/wisdom-library/[relevant-category]/essays/`
- An insight → goes in `/wisdom-library/[relevant-category]/insights/`
- A practical guide → goes in `/practical-guides/`
- A contemporary challenge exploration → goes in `/contemporary-challenges/`
- A resource recommendation → goes in `/recommended-resources/`

### 2. Fork the Repository

Click "Fork" in the top-right corner of this repository.

### 3. Create Your Content

**File Naming Convention:**  
Use kebab-case: `your-title-here.md`

**Markdown Format:**  
All contributions should be in Markdown (`.md` files).

**Template Structure:**

```markdown
# [Your Title]

## Context
*Brief setup: What question/challenge/observation prompted this reflection?*

## Core Content
*Your main exploration, argument, or framework*

## Practical Application
*How does this touch real life? What changes when you actually integrate this insight?*

## Further Reflection
*Questions for the reader, optional prompts for deeper engagement*

## About the Author
*Brief bio (50-100 words) — who are you, what gives you credibility to speak on this?*

---
*Tags: [relevant-themes]*  
*Date: [YYYY-MM-DD]*
```

### 4. Submit a Pull Request

Once your content is ready:
1. Commit your changes to your fork
2. Open a pull request to the main repository
3. In the PR description, briefly explain:
   - What you're contributing
   - Why you think it's valuable
   - What category it fits into

### 5. Review Process

A maintainer will review your submission within 7-14 days.

We're looking for:
- **Depth** — Does this engage meaningfully with its subject?
- **Clarity** — Is it accessible without being simplistic?
- **Relevance** — Does this address contemporary challenges?
- **Authenticity** — Does this come from genuine engagement (not performative wisdom)?

We may suggest edits or ask clarifying questions. That's normal. Good thinking often requires refinement.

## Style Guidelines

### Tone

**We prefer:**
- Conversational but substantive
- Honest about complexity
- Humble about limitations
- Direct without being harsh

**We avoid:**
- Corporate jargon or Silicon Valley speak
- Overly academic obscurity
- Forced enthusiasm or toxic positivity
- Condescension or dismissiveness

### Voice

Write like you're talking to someone you respect—someone intelligent enough to handle complexity but who doesn't have your specific expertise.

First-person ("I've found...") and second-person ("You might notice...") are both fine. Just be genuine.

### Citations

If you reference specific thinkers, books, or frameworks:
- Cite them properly (author, title, year)
- Link to sources when possible
- Provide enough context that readers can follow up

No formal academic citation style required—just clarity and honesty about where ideas come from.

### Writing from Your Tradition

If you're contributing from a specific philosophical or religious tradition:

**Do:**
- Identify your tradition clearly ("Drawing from Buddhist philosophy..." or "From a Christian personalist perspective...")
- Explain tradition-specific concepts for readers unfamiliar with them
- Show how insights from your tradition address contemporary challenges
- Acknowledge where your tradition has limitations or blind spots
- Write for readers who may not share your tradition's fundamental commitments

**Don't:**
- Assume readers share your tradition's assumptions
- Use insider language without explanation
- Proselytize or advocate for conversion
- Dismiss other traditions as inferior
- Present tradition-specific claims as universal truths

**Example of good cross-traditional writing:**  
"Buddhist philosophy offers a helpful framework for understanding the attention economy through the concept of *dukkha* (often translated as suffering, but more accurately: dissatisfaction or unsatisfactoriness). When we're constantly scrolling, we're seeking satisfaction that perpetually eludes us—a pattern the Buddha identified 2,500 years ago. This insight complements (rather than contradicts) Western virtue ethics' concern with habit formation..."

## Rights & Attribution

By contributing, you agree that:
1. Your contribution will be licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (same as the repository)
2. You have the right to share this content
3. You're comfortable being attributed as the author

We will always credit you by name (or pseudonym) unless you explicitly request otherwise.

## Types of Contributions Beyond Content

Not a writer? You can still contribute:

**Editorial Review**  
Help improve existing content. Found a typo? Unclear phrasing? Broken link? Submit a PR fixing it.

**Organizational Structure**  
Suggest better ways to categorize or navigate content. Open an issue with your proposal.

**Discussion & Questions**  
Use GitHub Issues to ask questions, propose topics, or engage in philosophical dialogue. Sometimes the best contributions are good questions.

**Translation**  
If you're multilingual, consider translating existing content. (Open an issue first to coordinate.)

## Questions?

Not sure if your contribution fits? Wondering about the best category for your essay? Confused about the process?

**Open an issue** with the label `question` and we'll help you figure it out.

---

## Community Standards Reminder

Before contributing, please review our [Code of Conduct](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md).

Brief summary: Be respectful. Be humble. Be honest. Critique ideas rigorously, but treat people generously.

---

Thank you for considering a contribution. The fact that you've read this far already suggests you're the kind of person whose wisdom matters here.

We're confronted, then, with the task of building something genuinely useful—not just another repository of content, but a living collection of hard-won insight. Your contribution helps make that real.

**Questions? Reach out by opening an issue.**

*Let's build something worth reading.*
---

[🏠 Return to Homepage]({{ site.baseurl }}/)
