2,026 words
The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius are a remarkable spiritual diary and, in general, a sure way for the modern reader to imbue himself with the practical wisdom of our ancient forefathers. That said, I do not believe we should uncritically defer to anything, and on two points in particular, I believe comment and criticism are warranted.
Firstly, a pervasive theme of Marcus’ is his struggle to control his judgment and emotions, in particular anger, and thus be as detached and “philosophical” as possible. Read more …
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The Worst Week Yet:
October 11–17, 2020
Phil Eiger Newmann, Fortunate Son, 2020
1,409 words
As the sickly, suicide-grey rays of a frosty autumn Sunday mornin’ in Georgia wriggle through my imitation-wood Venetian blinds, I pause to reflect how much the Hunter Biden saga reminds me of Robert Redford’s Oscar-winning 1980 dysfunctional-family drama Ordinary People, which was based on a novel by Judith Guest, whom I’m going to assume is Jewish without even bothering to check. Read more …