Saturday, June 8, 2024
the "great becoming"..................
After wrestling with Crawford's distinction between autonomy and true individuality, Rob Firchau adds to the mix with this quote from Frank Loyd Wright:
Liberty may be granted but freedom cannot be conferred. Freedom is from within.
cotton candy.......................
I was sitting at my desk drinking my third cup of coffee of the morning. I was doing this guilt-free, having read that two to five cups a day not only prevented a long list of diseases, but also helped you live a longer, if more caffeinated, life. But then you can always find somewhere on the Internet that tells you what you want to hear, about almost anything.
-Mike Lupica's opening paragraph
One can only handle so many philosophical-type readings before the brain rebels and wants something lighter and easier. I've read all of Robert B. Parker's books—my very definition of lighter and easier. Parker's estate has been using pinch-writers for quite a while now. Apparently, the character of Spenser (and his sidekicks) is too good to let go. Anyway, Lupica is roughly my age. I almost always have enjoyed reading his sports writing. Good pick by the Estate of Robert B. Parker. Consider this one recommended.
Wednesday, June 5, 2024
Highly recommended................
Have to admit that it was work finishing this book. Also believe it was worth the effort. His argument is subtle, but my takeaway is that Crawford is saying that in our haste to be autonomous, self-sufficient individuals - to be liberated from authority - we have lost connection our heritage, our traditions, our past. This "isolation" creates a feeling of discomfort or anxiety. To ease that tension, we take a poll - see what others are thinking. Helped by the latest in technology (social media) to see what others are thinking, us "rugged individualists" become part of the herd, and in turn that herd gets manipulated by the latest in technology. Ironically, Crawford seems to be saying that the path to true individuality is to be willing to be "in conflict with the world" and in collaboration with others - past and present - and the world. Not accepting abstractions or representations but taking the world as it is - warts and all. "Arguably, what it takes to be an individual is to develop a considered evaluative take on the world, and stand behind it. Doing so exposes one to conflict, and in the conversations with others that follow you may revise your take on things. Such developments can't occur if you're not attached to anything to being with, or never put it forward to others as being choiceworthy."
Tuesday, June 4, 2024
Wedding................................
...................................sneakers?
'But casualization has penetrated so far up the chain of formality that it would almost be punk for him to wear leather shoes.'"
Based on activity....................
Overshooting...............................
.....................................longevity estimates:
The financial impact of overshooting longevity estimates isn’t insignificant, the report said. According to one startling calculation, a 65-year-old man who has met his income replacement ratio goal based on age 95, but is then projected to live only up to 86 because of his high cholesterol, may potentially be able to spend an additional $447,000 in retirement.
Seriously?
Emptiness.........................
America’s elites fear and mistrust the American voter. They have lost faith in democracy, a system that in 2016 delivered the power of the presidency to the monstrous Trump, and they dream of a rising class of Platonic guardians, people exactly like themselves, with the right pedigree, the right opinions, the right manners, who rule not because they have won an electoral lottery but in perpetuity, as a reward for their superior virtue.
-Martin Gurri, from here
Monday, June 3, 2024
unreliable..............................
The values assigned by the marketplace are an unreliable proxy for human excellence.
-Matthew B. Crawford, from here
Paradoxes..................
Fast is efficient; but sometimes slow is effective…
What is productivity for you anyway…
-Nicholas Bate, who always asks good questions
choices.................
That thing you want to accomplish is only going to happen if you are willing to stop doing the thing that isn’t going to help.
-Sean Carpenter, from here
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