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daimonclub · 1 year

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100 magnificent quotes

100 Magnificent quotes 100 magnificent quotes, great aphorisms, ideas, maxims and quotations by various famous authors selected for the World of English by Carl William Brown, the literary avenger. Oh, love isn't there to make us happy. I believe it exists to show us how much we can endure. Hermann Hesse Madness is something rare in individuals - but in groups, parties, peoples, and ages, it is the rule. Friedrich Nietzsche Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge. Plato The mirror is my best friend because when I cry it never laughs. Charlie Chaplin Aphorisms are the true form of the Universal Philosophy and containe the greatest quantity of thought in the smallest space. Friedrich von Schlegel Educate the children and it won’t be necessary to punish the men. Pythagoras If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them. Isaac Asimov Without goals, the very concept of intelligence is meaningless. Steven Pinker I suppose that in no educational institution can one become an educated person. Mikhail Bulgakov No one's fate is of any interest to you except your own. Mikhail Bulgakov Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment. Sun Tzu The reason I talk to myself is because I’m the only one whose answers I accept. George Carlin A fool contributes nothing worth hearing and takes offence at everything. Aristotle By now humanity has become so imbecile that we often tend to mortify intelligence, in order not to offend stupidity. Carl William Brown Show respect to people who don't even deserve it; not as a reflection of their character, but as a reflection of yours. Dave Willis Life is nothing but a competition to be the criminal rather than the victim. Bertrand Russell It is far better to be silent than merely to increase the number of bad books. Voltaire The more real you get, the more unreal the world gets. John Lennon The more intelligence you have, the more you will suffer. Arthur Schopenhauer

Voltaire quote Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most. Abraham Lincoln The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn. Bertrand Russell Love on one side is not enough, love is a dialogue, not a monologue. Oriana Fallaci Interacting with people that don't like you it's a fundamental process to study human stupidity. Carl William Brown The measure of a man is what he does with power. Plato No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, show up, and never give up. Regina Brett The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. Socrates Fashions have done more harm than revolutions. Victor Hugo A man who fears suffering is already suffering from what he fears. Montaigne From each according to their abilities, to each according to their needs. Karl Marx There is nothing in the world so much admired as a man who knows how to bear unhappiness with courage. Seneca The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom. Isaac Asimov A man's manners are a mirror in which he shows his portrait. Goethe I was ashamed of myself when I realized life was a costume party and I attended with my real face. Franz Kafka Without love living is easy; but it's meaningless. Leo Tolstoy Nobody is going to pour truth into your brain. It's something you have to find out for yourself. Noam Chomsky Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds! Bob Marley Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind. Plato Those who look for the bad in people will surely find it. Lincoln It is not the man who has too little, but ht eman who craves more, that is poor. Seneca

Nietzsche quote You can’t get much done in life if you only work on days when you feel good. Jerry West The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog. Mark Twain In our society logics is intertwingled with nonsense, good things with evils ones, and most of the time you can't tell which is which, therefore there is nothing more truly realistic than stupidity. Carl William Brown Avoid doing what you would blame others for doing. Thales To destroy war, destroy patriotism. Leo Tolstoy I don’t trust anyone who’s nice to me, but rude to a waiter because they would treat me the same if I were in that position. Muhammad Ali Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist. Pablo Picasso A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials. Seneca Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal. Alber Camus Non serve a niente essere vivi, se bisogna lavorare. André Breton All cruelty spring from weakness. Seneca Be careful what you tolerate, you are teaching people how to treat you. Dr. Phil McGraw Better to die fighting for freedom then be a prisoner all the days of your life. Bob Marley For the Putrid President of Russia, remember Sun Tzu wise words, that is to say, the greatest victory is that which requires no battle. Carl William Brown Get busy with life's purpose, toss aside empty hopes, get active in your own rescue. Marcus Aurelius All media exist to invest our lives with artificial perceptions and arbitrary values. Marshall McLuhan Life is such a great a teacher that when we don't learn a lesson, it will repeat it. Anonymous Fishes live in the sea, as men do on land: the great ones eat up the small one. Pericles A bad system will beat a good person every time. W. Edwards Deming Our life is what our thoughts make it, used to say Marcus Aurelius, but I would add that sometimes it is even worse! Carl William Brown

Chomsky quote You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche Simplicity is not a mere idea. To be simple demnds a great deal of intelligence and sensitivity. Jiddu Krishnamurti People are not disturbed by things, but by the view they take of them. Epictetus Disturbance comes only from within, from our own perceptions. Marcus Aurelius All higher humor begins with ceasing to take oneself seriously. Herman Hesse The longer I live, the more convinced I am that this planet is being used by other planets as a madhouse of the universe. George Bernard Shaw The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts. C.S. Lewis Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil. C.S. Lewis A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer. Bruce Lee We have freedom of thought, now we need thought. Carl Kraus I may not have been sure about what really did interest me, but I was absolutely sure about what didn't. Albert Camus No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another. Charles Dickens Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large group. Geroge Carlin The opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them knows anything about the subject. Marcus Aurelius Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall. William Shakespeare Never depend on the admiration of others. There is no strength in it. Personal merit cannot be derived from an external source. Epictetus The old world is dying, the new world is slow to appear and in this chiaroscuro the monsters arise. Antonio Gramsci In most men, intelligence is a field which remains uncultivated for most of life. Eugène Delacroix Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is. Albert Camus Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. Helen Keller

Karl Marx Wise men speak when they have something to say, fools speak because they have to say something. Aristotle What moves those of genius, what inspires their work is not new ideas, but their obsession with the idea that what has already been said is still not enough. Eugene Delacroix Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. Helen Keller An honest man is always a child. Socrates Open your mind before your mouth. Aristophanes Neither Christ nor Buddha nor Socrates wrote a book, for to do so is to exchange life for a logical process. William B. Yeats Why should we feel anger at the world? As if the world would notice. Marcus Aurelius Love is the state in which man sees things most decidedly as they are not. Friedrich Nietzsche Only during hard times do people come to understand how difficult it is to be master of their feelings and thoughts. Anton Chekhov Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility. Sigmund Freud I no longer know if I wish to drown myself in love, wodka or the sea. Franz Kafka The first thing that reading teaches us is how to be alone. Jonathan Franzen There is no greatness where simplicity, goodness and truth are absent. Leo Tolstoy Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways. Sigmund Freud The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man. Charles Darwin Experience is the hardest kind of teacher. It gives you the test first and the lesson afterward. Oscar Wilde The most common form of despair is not being who you are. Soren Kierkegaard Each of us assumes everyone else knows what he is doing. They all assume we know what we are doing. We don’t. Philip K Dick Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late. Benjamin Franklin Nothing shows a man's character more than what he laughs at. Goethe

100 magnificent quotes to read He who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions. Confucius Gentleness is stronger than severity, water is stronger than rock, love is stronger than force. Herman Hesse Better to die fighting for freedom then be a prisoner all the days of your life. Bob Marley Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known. I am inclined to say that it is the only real mode of individualism that the world has known. Oscar Wilde Everyday is like a fashion show and the whole world is the runway. Elegance is when the inside is as beautiful as the outside. Coco Chanel There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness. Friedrich Nietzsche Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat. Harry Emerson Fosdick If you wish another to keep your secret, first keep it to yourself. Seneca the Younger When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them. Confucius It takes a minute to have a crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone... but it takes a lifetime to forget someone. Kahlil Gibran He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at. Epictetus L'amore è l'arte che non si impara mai e che si sa sempre. Benito Pérez Galdós The more we value things outside our control, the less control we have. Marcus Aurelius The more I think about it, the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others. Vincent Van Gogh The greatest victory is that which requires no battle. Sun Tzu Facts or opinions which are to pass through the hands of so many, to be misconceived by folly in one, and ignorance in another, can hardly have much truth left. Jane Austen Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for. Epicurus People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall. Thomas Merton For we are all divorced from life, we are all cripples, every one of us, more or less. We are so divorced from it that we feel at once a sort of loathing for real life, and so cannot bear to be reminded of it. Fyodor Dostoevsky Don’t miss these other similar posts: 100 best quotes and aphorisms 100 magnificent quotes and aphorisms 100 brilliant quotes and aphorisms 100 famous quotes and aphorisms 100 memorable quotes and aphorisms 100 top great quotes and aphorisms 100 excellent quotes and aphorisms 100 great quotes and aphorisms on Love Great and famous philosophy quotes Quotes by authors Quotes by arguments Thoughts and reflections Read the full article

#100 #aphorisms #Brown #Lennon #Lincoln #magnificent #maxims #onehundred #quotes #Russell #voltaire

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persephonediary · 2 years

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What are your favorite books and movies? <3

OMG my 1st Ask, thank you Anon, it made my day 🥹💗

So… I’ll try to make it as short as possible (I’m very talkative sorry 🥲)

Favourite Films:

•Dead Poets Society • A Royal Affair

•Phantom of the Opera • Atonement

• The Wind That Shakes The Barley

• Anna Karenina( The BBC was the best but loved the film with Keira Knightley too 💕)

•The Schindler’s List •The Edge of Love

•Lost In Translation • Marie Antoinette

•La Piscine • Les Demoiselles de Rochefort

• Les Parapluies de Cherbourg 💗

I love french cinema, la Nouvelle Vague 🤌 Period Dramas, Historical Romance 💕

Favourite Books :

•Dracula, Bram Stoker 💗

•Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy 💗

•Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert

•The Picture of Dorian Grey, Oscar Wilde (love of my life)💗

•The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoyevsky

•Candide, Voltaire •Le Père Goriot, Balzac

• The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller

•If We Were Villains, M.L Rio

•The Bookshop, Penelope Fitzgerald

• Faust, J.W. von Goethe (also the love of my life 💗)

• Anything & everything written by Jane Austen & Charles Dickens

•Perpetually obsessing over the diaries of Franz Kafka & of Sylvia Plath 💗😭

•Baudelaire, Verlaine, Victor Hugo 💗

•The Women Destroyed, Simone de Beauvoir (all of her work is a brilliant)

• I Love Love Love love letters:

-Nabokov’s letters to Véra

-Vita Sackville West & Virginia Woolf’s love letters

-Lettre à Anne, François Mitterrand (if you can get pass the cheating bit haha their incredibly beautiful 🥹)

Same themes when it comes to books, my heart belongs to classic literature (Russian, French, German, English, Irish being my favourites), I also love mythology and philosophy. Anything romantic really haha, angst, drama, passion I love it all 💗

I tried to make it as short as possible, but I’m always open to literature and film related asks or DMs. I breathe and live for art, literature and cinema (thus this wee bit dramatic statement haha)

#about me #personal #anon ask #send anons #asks and replies #asks open

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balbharati01 · 1 month

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ANNUAL CLASS PRESENTATION

The annual class presentation by the students of Class VII B of Bal Bharati Public School,Manesar was held on 4th November, 2023 at.

The occasion was graced by Mr. L.V. Sehgal, Joint Secretary (Child Education Society) along with her wife Mrs. Neelam Sehgal. The principal, Mr. Harsh Kumar welcomed the esteemed guests and presented planters to them as a token of gratitude.

At Bal Bharati Public School,Manesar we always try to instil the values in our children and because of which we always start every occasion with the lamp lighting ceremony and recitation of Vishnu Stotra by the choir group. These values makes Bal Bharati Public School,Manesar the best private and cbse school in Manesar.

Following the lamp lighting, the beautiful nightingales of Bal Bharati Public School,Manesar presented a soulful song, captivating the audience with their melodious voices. The principal of Bal Bharati Public School. Manesar which is one of the best Private school addressed the audience and set the stage for the main highlight of the evening, the play "The Three Questions," adapted from the famous short story by Leo Tolstoy. The annual class presentation of the stipulating actors of Bal Bharati Public School,Manesar was inspired by Leo Tolstoy's timeless story "

The Three Questions," proved to be a thought-provoking and engaging event for both students and teachers of Bal Bharati Public School, Manesar.

The class presentation skilfully drew parallels between Tolstoy's narrative and real-life situations.As we always focus on the holistic development of our students which only makes Bal Bharati Public School, Manesar as the best private school we conducted a discussion wherein various individuals grapple with similar questions and students gained a deeper understanding of the universal applicability of the story's themes.

To enhance engagement, the presentation incorporated interactive activities too. Students of Bal Bharati Public School,Manesar participated in discussions, role-playing scenarios inspired by the story, and shared personal experiences related to the three question which helped in enhancing the knowledge of the students of Bal Bharati Public School, Manesar.

The students of Bal Bharati Public School,Manesar used Visual aids, including slides featuring key quotes, illustrations, and relevant images to enrich the presentation. Multimedia elements, such as audio excerpts of the story and video clips used by the students of Bal Bharati Public School, Manesar, captivated the audience's attention and facilitated a multi- sensory learning experience. A crucial aspect of the presentation involved discussing how the lessons from "The Three Questions" could be applied in the lives of the students of Bal Bharati Public School, Manesar which will help making it the best private school. To encourage self-reflection, the presentation of Bal Bharati Public School,Manesar included guided exercises prompting students to contemplate their own interpretations of the three questions. Journals were provided for students to jot down personal insights, creating a valuable record of their introspective journey. To promote collaboration, the class was divided into groups for mini-projects exploring different aspects of the story, such as its

historical context, cultural relevance, and moral implications. This collaborative approach not only diversified perspectives but also honed teamwork and research skills and being the part of Bal Bharati Public School, Manesar we proudly organised this presentation.

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crackspinewornpages · 5 months

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War and Peace 80/198 -Leo Tolstoy

Following Andrei’s example, Boris danced with Natasha and others joined, Natasha didn’t notice anything else at the ball, when the Sovereign spoke to a French ambassador and left the ball became livelier. Before supper, Andrei reminded Natasha of their first meeting in Otradnoye and how he couldn't sleep that night overhearing her, embarrassed she tried to excuse herself. Andrei, like most men in high society, liked to meet anyone without the imprint of high life and that was Natasha, Andrei watches her and thinks within a month she’ll be engaged or married. Her father asked and she said it was the loveliest time of her life. Pierre realized he was in a humiliating position because of his wife and Natasha was struck by his unhappy face and wanted to help him. “In Natasha’s eyes, all who were at the ball were alike good, sweet, lovely men, full of affection toward one another; hatred was out of the question, and therefore all ought to be happy.”p.265 (oh my sweet summer child)

Over several days Andrei called several houses required by politeness but he also went to the Rostof’s to see Natasha, the Rstof’s received him as a friend and the family he criticized. No one seemed charming, he entered this strange world of theirs awaiting new delights. After dinner Natasha sang bringing him to tears, he felt happy and sad but why, mostly for the infinite inside him and the limited world they belonged, she asked how he liked her voice, he liked it like everything else about her. Again, that night he couldn’t sleep full of joy, it didn't occur to him he was in love with her he, didn't think of her just imagined her. Now he made cheerful plans for the future take over the education of his son travel abroad. “Let the dead bury their dead; but, while we are alive, let us live.”p.267 (do you know how to live Andrei you and Pierre are like the poster boys for high society depression)

One morning Colonel Adolph Berg came to see Pierre since his wife couldn't grant his request after he was settled, he wants to have a reception of their friends. Helene considered Berg and his society beneath her but Pierre couldn't think of refusing and actually arrived unusually early. Berg was explaining to Vera why it’s important to have friends of high society, “saying to himself that his wife, lovely as she was, was nevertheless a feeble woman, unable to appreciate the full significance of the dignity of being a man. Vera at the same time smiled with a similar consciousness of her superiority over her good, worthy spouse, who nevertheless, like the rest of his sex, was quite mistaken,”p.268 Vera judged all men by her husband’s example considering no one but themselves wise, with no real understanding and were haughty and egotistical. (they are both awful and deserve each other good that both agreed to wait to have kids) They entertained their guests by conversations, with Berg changing Vera’s subject of the French embassy to the War of Austria. More people arrived and broke into groups exactly the same as all other receptions.

Pierre noticed Natasha looked different than at the ball more resigned and wondered what was wrong until Andrei came into the room and started talking to her. Pierre also noticed Andrei looked more youthful and he kept watching them. Something serious was between them and feeling joy and sadness forgot his own grief. After the card game Pierre joins them and Vera asked Andrei what he thinks of Natasha, would she love a man and be faithful, he doesn't know her well enough, but he’s noticed the less attractive the more content the woman is. (you wanna explain that and choose your words carefully) Vera agrees their days like they are, the only ones to appreciate their time and human nature changes with years, that young girls are wooed so often and so much freedom it siffles their feelings and Natasha is susceptible. (even the sister that doesn’t like her is even hey Natasha is young and fickle)

Andrei scowled and was about to leave when Vera says she’s been courted but not until recently has anyone pleased her, not even Boris. Sometimes intimacy between cousins leads to love, (or the Hapsburgs) but it is risky, Andrei agrees. Now excited, Andrei warned Pierre to be on guard with his intimacy with his fifty-year-old cousins. He then takes Pierre privately, he needs the gloves of the Masonic order to give to the lady of his love. He wanted to sit by Natasha and Pierre saw her blush before Berg had him come discuss politics. Berg never stopped smiling, the reception was a success like the others, what was lacking was a loud conversation among the men about something monumentous, now the general had started one.

Andrei spent the whole next evening at the Rostof’s and they had an inkling why, since he tried to always be in Natasha’s company. When he left the Countess went to Natasha but she didn't know yet but later that night told her mother everything they talked about but she’s afraid of him, what does it mean, is she in love. (if you’re afraid just being near a guy don’t marry him) She was terrified at the unexpected happiness she felt and persuaded herself he was her future husband and thought he felt the same to her. It was fate to move here to Petersburg and meet at the ball, there shouldn't be any shame since he’s a widower.

At the same time Andrei was telling Pierre of his love for Natasha at Helene’s reception, a French ambassador, a frequent visitor to Helene was there. Since the ambassador was Helene’s admirer Pierre was appointed one of the Alexander’s chamberlains and so he felt burdened and loathed society. “and his former gloomy, pessimistic thoughts, about the falsity of all things human, began to come back to him more and more frequently.”p.274 Now accented by the feelings between Andrei and Natasha and the contrast of his friend's position and he questioned to what end they were. He dove into Masonic labors to banish his thoughts when Andrei visited him to tell him he’s in love he can't live without her, but can she love him. (forgetting all the rest you two barely know each other) Pierre tells him to marry her and be happy he knows she loves him, to Pierre his friend’s fate seemed brighter in contrast to his gloomy one.

Andrei went to his father for sanction for marriage, Count Bolkonsky being so old couldn't understand how he could make such a drastic change to their life,can'tt they wait until he’s dead to live their own lives. (foreshadowing) The bride’s side wasn't good match (remember this) and she is very young compared to Andrei and he’s in poor health and it would be a shame to make one that young a stepmother. (Andrei is like pushing thirty Natasha is sixteen) He wants Andrei to wait a year, go abroad, find a German tutor for little Nikolai, then if he feels the same marry her. Andrei knows his sentiments or the Rostof’s wouldn't wait a year or since he’s so old he might die in the meantime, (you’re like thirty) but obeyed his father's wishes and after three weeks returned to Petersburg.

The day after he talked to her mother Natasha waited for Andrei but he didn't come, or the days after that and she didn't know why. After three weeks she was depressed and felt everyone was laughing at and pitying her. She cried and when her mother tried to comfort her she cried, (girl) she doesn't understand why he stopped coming, she has no desire to be married, she's afraid of him but she's content now. (girl) The next day she went on in her life before the ball, she’s a girl she needs no one. (you’re not strong you’re not independent and you’re not a woman yet girl stop being dramatic) But even left in peace she wasn't calm and when she heard Andrei’s voice ran to her mother asking what to do.

Andrei kissed her hand and explained he visited his father for something important and now would like to talk to the Countess. Her mother sends her out of the room and Andrei proposes a marriage offer, the Countess says it is pleasing to them they accept, but its up to Natasha, she gives permission to ask. He says his father already consented but the wedding will have to wait a year, she warns Natasha is young and a year is long, but she’ll send in Natasha. She hesitates at the drawing room, if he is all hers, he’s dearer to her than the world. When he asks, she asks why when he already knows, she loves him and kisses him. Then Andrei’s heart changes and he feels none of the former love for her but pity. “The present feelings, though it was not so bright and poetical as the former, was more deep and powerful.”p.279 (dude what was it just the ideal you were in love with not the person)

He asks if she knows they have to wait a year and Natasha wonders if this is the little child of a girl they say of her and from now on she’ll be a wife, that’s she’s now grown up responsible for everything, missing what he asked her she says no. He says she is too young and he’s experianced life, she doesn't know herself, Natasha didn't understand his meaning. He says it will be a hard year for him, but she should make sure of her own heart, after a year he’ll ask her again, their betrothal will be a secret and she’ll be free if she doesn't love him. (remember this) She says she’s loved him since they met in Otradnoye, (you didn’t even know him) in a year she’ll learn, now it dawned on her it’s terrible, she’ll die if she waits a year, but she’ll wait. (Natasha you are the definition of young dumb and in love) Andrei then visited the Rostof’s as Natasha’s accepted husband.

There was no formal betrothal and it wasn't made public, Andrei was insistent since he was the cause of the postponement he should bare the burden. He was bound but Natasha had freedom and the right to break the engagement (remember this) and when visiting addressed Natasha only formally. After that day their relationship was simpler and the family felt awkward to Andrei but Natasha assured them Andrei was only indifferent in appearance, (you sure) he’s just like them, they don’t need to be afraid of him. (girl) Rarely they spoke of the future, Natasha read him and felt his dread. When asked of his son Andrei said he won't live with them, (you’re almost as bad as Rochester) but she could love him, but she understands wanting to avoid misunderstandings between them. When they spoke Natasha would listen to him with pride but noticed when he listened to her with tension and wondered what he’s looking for in her and if he didn't find it. (this relationship ain’t off to a great start)

Whenever he laughed she felt she felt he grew nearer to him, she would be happy if the thought of his parting did not fill her with alarm. The night before he left he brought Pierre to the Rostof’s. Andrei told him of their engagement, he’s going away, God knows what will happen and stops himself from saying he’ll cease to love her. But he warns that if there’s any misfortunes for Sonya to go to Pierre, (the most level headed and responsible in this book for sure) he’s absurd but his heart is gold. No one could forsee Andrei’s departure from Natasha would have an affect, (really the girl is already obsessed about him) she wouldn't cry but stayed in her room for days, but after two weeks snapped out of it.

In the middle of summer Maria got a letter from Andrei from Switzerland, he confided to her his engagement to Natasha, only how did he feel love and understand the meaning of life. But their father is making him wait a year, it’s already been six months and he's determined and the doctors are detaining him three more. He doesn't need anything from their father, he's independent but he won't incur his anger when he has so little time with them but give him this letter and see if he’ll shorten the time by three months. The old Count’s response is to wait until he’s dead to be free, (foreshadowing) he yells for him to marry and live by himself if she can join him and he’ll marry Mlle. Bourinne then Andri will have a stepmother too. Maria noticed her father tried to be around Mlle. Bourinne as much as possible, she wrote to Andrei how their father received it but their may be hope. (you sure about that)

PART SEVENTH

1810-1811, Napoleon is at the height of his power he married Marie Louise of Austria and allied himself to the Hapsburgs (they didn’t inbreed themselves to extinction yet) got many brothers and brothers in law on thrones but peace isn't complete as Britain rules the seas preventing trade in Europe. 1811, Russia is at peace with France, but is at war with Turkey to expand the empire but compared to Napoleons wars it is a little one and has little effect on the lives of Russian nobles.

Rostof continued to serve in the Pavlograd regiment, now commander of a squadron Denisof was deprived of. (he’s alive) Rostof grew into a rough kind fellow who was loved and respected to his comrades and superiors and was satisfied. Letters from home, his mother complained their affairs were getting worse, he should come home. He felt sooner or later he’ll be dragged into a life of wasteful expenditure and rearrangement of affairs with quarrels, intrigues and obligations of society and an explanation to Sonya, he replied to his letters without setting a time to come home. 1810, they informed him of Natasha’s and Andrei’s engagement, paining and disgusting Rostof, he would hate to lose Natasha and how he wasn't there to explain to Andrei that the alliance wasn't a great honor, he should have married her against Count Bolkonsky’s wishes. He thought of going to see Natasha but then remembered his predicament with Sonya and postponed it. (dude you can’t avoid this forever just rip the band aide off and get it over with)

In the spring his mother wrote to him and it prompted hm to go, if he didn't assume management of their affairs everything would be sold at auction. He’d either have to take leave or retire but he obtained a leave of absence and was going home, he told his comrades. It was hard for him to leave army life, the only thing that interested him without knowing if he earned the Order of St George. He sold three horses for two thousand rubles miss the ball the hussars were giving to Pani Pscazdecska to pique the Uhlans who gave a ball to Pani Borzjozowska. He would have to go from his pleasant existence to all this trouble.

Before he left, they threw him a farewell dinner, fifteen rubles a head and a band and escorted him to the first station. Halfway he forgot about his military regrets, anxious at what he would find at Otradnoye. After they greeted him, he thought everything was fine, but he noticed his parents were older and there was a restless coldness between them he attributed to the condition of their affairs.

Sonya was now twenty and her faithful love for him had an effect and Natasha showed him a letter from Andrei, he’s glad for her is she in love with him. It isn't the same as all her other crushes there's no better man, Rostof says he's unhappy with the postponement, but Natasha says she wouldn't force herself in the family. Rostof saw she didn't act like a girl separated from her love, he was unsure of the engagement but he hadn't seen Andrei with her but something wasn't as it should be. (she’s a fickle teenage girl engaged to a thirty year old) Talking to his mother she also didn't feel any confident in it, she showed him no letter where he can't return until December, don’t tell Natasha his health is delicate. (foreshadowing) Let her be happy in her last days of girl hood, it’s in God’s hands, Andrei is a splendid man.

Days after Rostof returned he was depressed, having to investigate the household economy and demanded accounts of everything, but threw out the manager of the estate, Mitenka, who hid in the shrubbery. The Countess heard of this and was glad for the direction their affairs would take but disquieted how her son handled it. His father spoke to him the next day and Rostof calls Mitenka a scoundrel and a thief, his father knew it was really his fault but didn't know how to set things right. Rostof was trying to make sense of the accounts when his mother asked what to do with the two thousand rubles Anna Mikhailovna sent him. He doesn't like Anna Mikhailovna or Boris but they are poor and their friends, he ripped the check and his mother sobbed in delight. After that Rostof foreswore interfering in business matters and occupied himself by hunting with the hounds. (even Rostof grew tired of trying to sort out his spendthrift family's finances and went fuck it all)

Count Rostof resigned his position of marshal of district nobility because it was too expensive but their finances didn't improve. The parents spoke in private and rumors of selling off the ancestral estate and the one near Moscow. Now relieved of office he didn't have to entertain and life at Otradnoye was quiet, but the mansion was still full with twenty at the dinner table of those considered family and lived at the Count’s expense. (well there’s your problem stop housing all these freeloading parasites) The scale of living was the same as they couldn't adapt to any other way of life (well if you’re penniless you won’t have a choice) and Rostof increased the hunting establishment. The Countess was conscious they were going into ruin but she couldn't blame her husband, the only way to save them was for their son to marry a rich woman, if he didn't there would be no hope. (so this is the opposite of Mrs. Bennet’s problem all her daughter’s will be taken care of it’s her son that need a rich spouse)

The Countess wrote to Madame Karagina proposing marriage of her daughter Julie who just inherited a fortune, (a single woman in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a husband) Madame Karagina wrote it depended on Julie. (I’m surprised how progressive this book is) The Countess cried that since her daughters were secured, she wanted to see him married and she happened to know a girl and advised Rostof to go to Moscow, he knew what she was scheming and got her to reveal her plan. What if he loved a poor girl, she just wanted his happiness the Countess lied and cried. Rostof broke and said he’ll sacrifice everything to make her happy but what if he loves a penniless girl, is there any reason he shouldn't return Sonya’s love, (you’re cousins) he’ll sacrifice his love for his parents but not his feelings.

Rostof didn't go to Moscow and his mother didn't bring it up again and saw the growing intimacy between her son and Sonya. She couldn't help but find faults in her and became more formal with her, what annoyed her most was that it was impossible to really blame her for anything. A letter from Andrei in Rome. he would return but the warm climate caused a wound to reopen, (what is wrong with him I’m serious old scar tissue just doesn’t reopen because of warmer weather) he’ll return next year. After four months Natasha suffered melancholy, she was sick of herself, grieved of time slipping away. While she was ready for love and to be loved, life at the Rostof’s was far from cheerful.

#books #book summaries #war and peace #leo tolstoy #historical fiction #romance #philosophical fiction

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breekelly · 5 months

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"War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy: A Timeless Epic of Human Existence

Introduction:

Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace" stands as one of the most monumental and enduring works of literature. Published in serialized form between 1865 and 1869, this epic novel weaves together the lives of aristocrats and commoners against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, offering profound insights into the human condition. In this summary, we will delve into the key themes, characters, and Tolstoy's philosophical musings that make "War and Peace" a timeless masterpiece.

Plot Overview:

At its core, "War and Peace" revolves around the intertwining lives of four central characters: Pierre Bezukhov, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, Natasha Rostova, and their friend-turned-foe, Prince Anatole Kuragin. Set against the canvas of historical events, including the Battle of Borodino and Napoleon's invasion of Russia, the novel captures the grandeur of war and the intricate tapestry of peace.

The narrative unfolds in four parts, each exploring different aspects of life and society. Tolstoy seamlessly blends history, philosophy, and fiction to create a multi-layered narrative that transcends time and place.

Themes:

1. War and its Impact: Tolstoy, a veteran of the Crimean War, offers a stark portrayal of the horrors and futility of war. The Battle of Borodino, depicted in vivid detail, serves as a microcosm of the broader human tragedy that war represents.

2. Philosophy of History: Tolstoy challenges conventional historical narratives, arguing that historical events are shaped by a multitude of factors beyond the control of individuals, making it impossible to attribute success or failure solely to the actions of leaders.

3. The Search for Meaning: Through the characters' personal journeys, Tolstoy explores the quest for purpose and meaning in life. Pierre's spiritual awakening and Andrei's existential contemplations reflect Tolstoy's own philosophical inquiries.

4. Love and Relationships: Natasha and Pierre's love story, alongside the complexities of other relationships in the novel, underscores the importance of human connections in navigating the tumultuous journey of life.

5. Social Critique: Tolstoy critiques the aristocratic society of his time, questioning its values, norms, and the inevitability of social hierarchy. He offers a nuanced exploration of class distinctions and the impact of historical events on different strata of society.

Conclusion:

war and peace by leo tolstoy summary stands as a literary giant, not just for its sheer scope and complexity but for its profound exploration of the human experience. Tolstoy's timeless insights into the nature of war, the complexities of human relationships, and the search for meaning continue to resonate with readers across generations. As we delve into the lives of Pierre, Andrei, Natasha, and others, we are invited to reflect on our own existence, making "War and Peace" an enduring masterpiece that transcends the boundaries of time and culture.

#war and peace by leo tolstoy summary

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thiagosrussianlitblog · 5 months

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Week 10 Blog

This week, I read pages 271-310 of the book "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy.

The most important sentence of the week can be found on page 300: “‘They don’t know how for eight years he has crushed my life, crushed everything that was alive in me, that he has never once thought I was a live woman who was in need of love.’” Here’s why: Up to this point, we were (or at least I was) unsure whether Anna was pursuing Vronsky out of intense lust and attraction, falling out of love with Karenin, finally finding someone who loves her, or something else. But this sentence confirms her motivation for leaving Karenin: he has never once loved her in their marriage – he only married her for reputation and his position in society.

While Oblonsky left to fulfill some civil service at the Ministry, Dolly and her kids left to the country for a few days with Levin, where Dolly realized her kids may not be as good as she believed and Levin found out Kitty’s coming back from her spa treatment and is coming over soon. Meanwhile, soon after Anna confessed about Vronsky to him, Karenin wrote her a letter about staying together, saying “ life must go on as before.” Because he believes only she is the guilty one, he wanted them to stay together partly because of his position and partly because he wanted to punish her, believing that “[he is] not guilty and therefore [he] cannot be unhappy.” The day after, Anna had realized that Vronsky no longer loves her and finds her as a burden. This and her entire situation with Karenin and her reputation made her decide to run away to Moscow with her son and maid.

It took a bit of time to get back into the flow of reading again, especially since the first two days of reading were boring. But reading Anna’s breakdown as she realizes that every option – including running away to Moscow – was going to ruin her socially was captivating to read, although the last chapter was slightly confusing, introducing new characters and older characters that have only been mentioned a few times.

Word count: 362

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battleofself-ferino · 6 months

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Thoughts to Ponder #4

Ending Wars

Do others find beauty in the art of destruction? Generally, answers would tell you that they don’t. No one finds beauty in the scars marred by impunity, violence, and loss of life. But why does it still continue? Across the pages of history, from the scrolls down to the elusive statements of the worldly nations, we find ourselves embroiled in seemingly endless battles for freedom, against oppression, and for peace. The contentious debate over the inevitability of wars remained as a staggering reminder of whether peace is just an altruistic and utopian aspiration of our ideal reality. And unless we are able to crack the code behind the wars waged over the course of time, peace is just an unattainable dream—even to those that are not dreamers.

Are wars inevitable? Is also asking an important question that may or may not solve a particular unseen problem within the webs of humanity: is it an indisputable facet of human experience or is it an intrinsic element that shapes human existence? These questions alone are thrown back to my face—to all the major actors that play in the centerpiece of this world. When freedom is disputed, there arose the need to liberate themselves and free from the unperturbed colonial and oppressive shackles. Leo Tolstoy in War and Peace (1867) described humans as aggressive human beings, driven by the fuels of their ego and it is in this aggressiveness that war will continue to purge so if humans try to impose this hardened ego over themselves and their environment. In the Russia-Ukraine occupation, great world leaders cannot provide a sufficient and reasonable justification for instigating a war, nor could they provide justification to the inhuman suffering of the people—the civilians embroiled. But others digress, and I too, in the political psychological study of the inevitability of war, there seems to be a keen focus on the mitigation of violent conflicts—often it happens, most of the time. To negate this “inevitable war”, there must be a shift in the perspective: that this boxed kind of thinking can go beyond not only by understanding the origin and nature of conflict but also by pursuing a nonviolent resolution to solve conflicts.

It begs the next inquiry, the question of its intrinsic value to human existence and experience. Are wars important for survivability? Does one need to go forth to battle to survive in the cruel nature of this world? In most cases, wars were waged to free themselves from the grueling colonial as it determines human survivability. But to explicitly say, by general principle, that wars are significant for survivability is to say that humans can never live in peace without war. Humans may generally kill and fight, but the persisting and emerging cultures and conditions of war is not an intricate facet that dictates human experience. As Margaret Mead argued in her essay, “Warfare Is Only an Invention- Not a Biological Necessity” (1940), she posed that warfare is an invention of mankind when their sociological need for resources arises.

As states emerge and the society progresses over time, we are provided with a leeway to minimize and pursue a nonviolent, peaceful resolution—to veer away from the barbaric and conventional warfare that we know of. Across time, ideas suggesting conflict prevention have been a pursuit of studies across academic and policy scholars. The presence of international organizations and certain interventions were able to steer clear from the hostilities, prevent and halt an outbreak of wars. Proactively engaging with state leaders, developing and sustaining pragmatic voices, and developing workable solutions. can rationalize the prevention of war and steer clear from inhuman suffering. Reinforcing and integration of universal policies and treaties between states sensitizes responsibility and accountability not only to individuals but also to the higher authorities in the global field.

The most noble endeavor to progress humanity is to actively pursue peace. Collective responsibility and accountability is the duty of mankind to liberate all humans from the inhumane sufferings that was once the fate of our histories.

Lyubomir, Berov G. "Are wars inevitable?." Japan Journal of Research 4, no. 2 (2023): 1-2.

Rubin, Julia Lynn. “Are War and Violence Inevitable? Political Psychologists Argue For the Importance of Peace Research.” American Psychologist. (2013).

Tadevosyan, Margarita. "Prevented Wars: The Role of International Organizational Intervention in Successful Prevention." (2020).

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nandaaja2 · 7 months

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Remembering historical events through literary writing

Introduction Historical events have formed the course of human civilization of all time. From the war that changed the map of the world to the revolution that overthrown government, these events have a deep impact on our lives today. Literary writing has become one of the most effective ways to capture and remember these historical events. Through beautiful and imaginative words, literature allows us to feel important historical moments, explore emotions related to the event, and expand our understanding of the past. In this article, we will explore the importance of remembering historical events through literary writing and how literature can act as windows into the past. I. Literature as a historical reminder Literary writing has extraordinary power to influence readers and remind them of important historical events. When we read a novel or short story about the past, we can feel emotionally what people experienced at that time. For example, when reading “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy, we can feel life in Russia in the 19th century and experience directly conflicts between opposite social classes. Literature allows us to see historical events from different perspectives, exploring perspectives that we may not realize before. II. Through beautiful words One of the beauty of literary writing is its ability to describe historical events with beautiful and imaginative words. Literature can create a picture that lives in the mind of the reader, bringing them to the past in a way that is not possible by rigid nonfiction writing. For example, in the poem “The Waste Land” by T.S. Eliot, the reader can feel the destruction and despair felt by the generation after World War I. Through the use of strong images and metaphors, Eliot succeeded in describing this historical event with amazing power. III. Expanding understanding of the past Literary writing not only remembers historical events, but also expands our understanding of the past. Literature can provide deeper insight about culture, politics, and daily life at a certain time. Historical novela like “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy can give us a deep understanding of the Napoleon War and its impact on Russian society. In addition, literature can help us see how historical events affect individual life, exploring emotions and experiences related to these historic moments. Conclusion Literary writing has extraordinary power to commemorate historical events and expand our understanding of the past. Through beautiful and imaginative words, literature brings us into a world that has passed and allows us to feel emotionally what people experienced at that time. Literature also provides deeper insight about culture, politics, and daily life at a certain time. Thus, remembering historical events through literary writing is an effective way to connect with the past and enrich our understanding of human history.

Check more: remembering historical events through literary writing

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prnlive · 1 year

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Gary Null’s Newsletter Issue 066

In this week’s Gary Null’s Newsletter:

Beware the Agents of Chaos

Recipe for Vegetable Stock

Beware the Agents of Chaos

By Richard Gale and Gary Null, PhD

“It is possible to live only as long as life intoxicates us; once we are sober we cannot help seeing that it is all a delusion, a stupid delusion." Leo Tolstoy

Not a day passes without Americans witnessing another debacle in the nation’s domestic and foreign policies that further grind down the last remaining threads of a sustainable, coherent and functioning nation. Instead of actual progress, we hear competing incantations of nonsense to “make America great again” and to “build back better.” Both mantras represent opposite sides of the aisle’s affirmation that the nation is in serious disarray and degenerating rapidly. For Democrats it means throwing more money at the problems that too much money already spent has created. “Seize the opportunity,” declares Biden, “meet this moment in history and build the future we need.” Or, “we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” according to Elizabeth Warren, “to build back better and create a more equitable, inclusive and prosperous future for all Americans.” And then there are the other voices in the echo chamber to make America great again. There are Mitch McConnell’s sobs to “rebuild our military” and Ted Cruz’s “promoting American exceptionalism” around the globe. This is all lunacy because there are no longer any adults or wise elders in the room to turn this political voodoo into a functioning reality.

The German-American philosopher Hannah Arendt saw totalitarian leaders as agents of chaos who intentionally undermine the stability of society to destroy the foundations of democracy by creating fear and uncertainty. What is notably disturbing is the current administration’s obsession with deceiving themselves as a benevolent force for progress. Yet any sane person can glance at the decline in authentic, sustainable progress made in American culture for at least the past three decades and realize the nation has one foot in hospice.

So, the question is: how has all this rubbing of the Build Back Better and Make America Great Again genie lamps worked for you? Are you feeling these mantras’ magic? Has the descent of optimism and hope alighting upon the crown of your head yet? Or maybe you have that high of genuine happiness and authentic well being oozing forth from your pores? How does your bank account look? Have your savings built back better so it is great again? Are you feeling Nancy Pelosi’s fuzzy warm assurance that “as Democrats… every American has the opportunity to succeed, that every voice is heard and that our country remains a beacon of hope and progress for generations to come”? Or, was that a misquote from Republican neocon Nikki Haley to assure us that “America remains a shining beacon of freedom and democracy.” Platitudes, blue and red, all sound the same because such clichés have been repeated incessantly for decades. And putting aside the so-called progress made in easier access to anti-anxiety and depression medications, and better suicide hotlines, how is the mental health of American youth fairing? Therefore, where has any genuine progress been achieved to improve the quality of human life?

Surely paying heed to Tolstoy’s above words are long overdue. We need to wake up and realize that to continue this imbecilic ritual of rubbing counterfeit lamps of feel-good propaganda is only making the public more delusional and stupid. It is high time we realize there are no longer any adults in the Oval Office and boardrooms of Washington, Wall Street and Silicon Valley. The agents of chaos govern us. Our culture of absolutism breeds the very conditions for violence and conflict that air nightly on the news. The detractors of absolutism’s tyrannies are perceived as enemies. The firm belief in absolutes is a condition leading people to justify egregious actions in the name of a greater good without considering the consequences. Does this not accurately describe today’s cancel culture and the most militant wings of the LBGTQ community, critical theory racists, institutionalized atheist Skepticism and medical determinism? Whether it is blind faith in the absolutism of Fauci’s “science”, Marjorie Taylor Green’s messianic return of Trump, Biden’s proclamation that “Transgender Americans shape our Nation’s soul,” Janice Yellin’s incoherent gibberish before a Congressional committee to account for the country’s economic malaise, or the neocons’ hysterical obsession in the State Department and Pentagon to throw away hundreds of billions of dollars and weapons into the ever-devouring black hole of Zelensky’s Ukraine, there are no signs of a return to stability. And this list of misadventures, inept decision-making and reckless blundering can be multiplied a hundred-fold. Together, all roads now lead towards a dire picture of America’s inevitable collapse. The US continues to sink in the murky, toxic waters in the middle of the Rubicon. Sadly, America has forgotten how to swim and is no longer capable of swimming back to shore.

The hard, cold facts are that American exceptionalism only exists in the dream-like hallucinations of our politicians. The US’s global hegemonic military strength wanes daily. Reaching diversity quotas trumps talent and professional expertise. Colleges and universities have degenerated to Napoleonic era lunatic asylums that reward self-centered, hedonic individualism and manic rebellion. Remarkably, the mobs in the street are little more than bland reflections, a Jungian shadow, of the instability and disorder created by the agents of chaos who sit in the seats of power. “Just as the individual has a shadow,” wrote Jung, “so does society at large. And just as the individual must come to terms with his shadow so too must society if it is to be healthy and whole.” The rising confusion among our youth over their self-identity, gender, moral alienation and a lack of existential purpose in this technological driven materialistic society has reduced our youth to sentient robots screaming for self-expression. This is one cause for today’s groupthink of social and political unrest and its destructive outcomes. Nobel laureate Bertrand Russell warned that “collective passions” have a penchant to inflame “hatred and rivalry directed towards other groups.” He was also acutely aware that “science is no substitute for virtue; the heart is as necessary for the good life as the head.”

Most Americans have now become so desensitized, so disconnected from perceiving reality, that they are incapable of realizing how the government adversely impacts every nick and cranny in their lives. Instead of running away from crises, we do everything to the contrary to magnify the problems. So if the environmental and social crises continue to spiral out of control, understand it is because America is only exceptionally pathetic. The nation has quenched its illusions and stupor far too long on Aldous Huxley's soma. Now its intoxicating effects are giving rise to an explosion of hatred, rage and self-serving narcissism in the streets, classrooms, corporate boardrooms, and the sitcoms staged in Congressional chambers.

Unfortunately, unless we identify the defining characteristics of American culture at this historical moment and its causes, the pathway to widespread social collapse will accelerate.

Since the time of the Italian philosopher and jurist Giambattista Vico in the early 18th century, anthropologists, historians and philosophers have made efforts to discover patterns whereby nations and cultures undergo cycles of growth, decay and rebirth. Vico called these cyclic patterns in human history “ricorso” or stages of “recurrence” that are observed in histories of individual cultures and civilizations. Other important individuals who have attempted to map these historical and generational cycles and to identify their characteristics and causes include the Swiss anthropologist Johan Bachofen (d. 1887), Oswald Spenger (d. 1936), the historian Arnold Toynbee (d. 1975), Carroll Quigley (d. 1977), Strauss and Howe, Peter Turchin among others. However, perhaps most notable and long forgotten are the cyclic patterns leading to a cultural collapse articulated by Pitirim Sorokin.

Sorokin was a Russian-American intellectual and social visionary who co-founded Harvard University’s Sociology Department in 1931. Born and educated in Russia, Sorokin was arrested by the Soviet authorities for holding critical views of the Communist regime, but was released and fled to the US. Years later in 1929, he was kidnapped by Soviet agents in Paris. He was sentenced to a gulag labor camp but was again released and forced into permanent exile. Sorokin’s 1937 magnum opus Social and Cultural Dynamics was the culmination of twenty years research to identify the cycles nations and cultures undergo that eventually lead to critical crises and their ultimate collapse.

By today’s college standards, Sorokin would never land a professorship at an American college or university. His theories have been almost categorically ignored by academia and criticized for being pessimistic. He upheld values that many today would call conservative and traditional, especially on his emphasizing higher moral and spiritual values. Consequently, Sorokin is out of step with today’s neoliberal intelligentsia and Critical Theory’s wokeism. Oddly his modern admirers happen to be the left-leaning transpersonal psychologist Richard Tarnas, ecologist Wendell Berry and political philosopher Charles Taylor. What they all share in common is a deep appreciation for the pivotal importance of higher moral and spiritual values in order to sustain a functioning and life-affirming culture wherein citizens can thrive.

If we take a panoramic view of America in 2023, Sorokin’s warnings of Western societies’ inevitable collapse are in plain sight. “The current crisis,” Sorokin wrote in his The Crisis of Our Age, “has been created by a false concept of progress, which identifies material growth with true progress and overlooks the fact that there is no real progress without spiritual and moral development.” While we may pride ourselves in our culture’s technological ingenuity in artificial intelligence, virtual reality, robotics and pending transhumanism, for Sorokin, a society that only develops technologically is a “half-society” because humans are then simply reduced to “cogs in a vast machine, whose only purpose is to produce and consume goods.” For those throwing curses back and forth across the ideological political divide, both sides blindly serve more powerful interests who are eager to exploit them as a means to an end. Those who get caught up in this American charade reduce themselves to halfwits unwillingly creating a technocratic society based upon conformity and uniformity. True diversity and authentic individuality, which are motivated by higher principles, are technocratic tyranny’s obstacles that must be overcome and destroyed.

According to Sorokin, who died in 1968, the US had reached its “sensate” stage of its social cycle. Clearly we have now reached the hyper-sensate level immediately before a rapid dissolution. In The Crisis of Our Age, all the signs in the nation for what he termed the “cataclysm of the sensate culture” were rapidly being assembled to culminate in the not too distant future: rampant consumerism and materialism, domination of individualism, self-gratification and indulgence, hedonism, moral weakness, the decay of traditional social bonds, and a collective social emptiness. The sensate stage’s climax is chaos, the breakdown of social order and national institutions. Sorokin’s chaotic stage is characterized by disorder, confusion, mental disorientation, a rise in crime and social unrest, and political instability. Redeeming moral values reach rock bottom. Only after this chaotic phase reaches its nadir does a new cultural synthesis emerge as people seek new ways to reestablish order and meaning in both their personal lives and collectively within the society.

But Sorokin had another poignant insight. A predominant sensate culture is vulnerable to external threats, especially economic crises, conflicts and wars and even natural disasters. This so well describes today’s America now that its global economic and military hegemony is a growl with no bite. American foreign diplomacy is deplorable as we watch nation after nation turning their backs on the US-led West for more amicable and neighborly partners such as China, Russia and India. The reason for America’s fragility is that the nation has appallingly betrayed its moral and spiritual resources and therefore is unable to cope with adversity—internal and external—to meet and overcome its challenges. Neither is America internally resilient nor therefore it is unfit to adapt to the necessary changes underway to preserve its survival. When all the causes and conditions for a final collapse are assembled, a nation’s fate is no longer negotiable. Only the time gap can be slowed or accelerated.

Despite the original values of American liberalism, which were brought forth during the Age of Reason and the Renaissance’s flame of non-dogmatic rational inquiry, today’s liberals have perverted its own legacy and become unthinking adolescents that are every bit as intolerant and wrong-headed as the most zealous religious fundamentalist on the Right. Across woke culture – old and young – there is a plague of childish behavior to censor and ban any speech or thought that is contrary to their false illusions about themselves and their fragile self-identity. This “exclusivist humanism,” as the prominent cultural philosopher Charles Taylor has termed it, is a faux universalism. With myopic obeisance relies on the secular power structure in government that in turn acts on their behalf to marginalize and at times demonize alternative belief systems that do not embrace a secular universalism. Hence the new radical left, and even federal agencies, no longer tolerate diversity of traditional beliefs and worldviews. The FBI’s illegal surveillance activities on Twitter and the agency’s harassment of peaceful anti-abortion Catholics are just minor examples. More alarming is the murder of three children and three school staff in Nashville by mentally disturbed person with gender dysphoria who is being eulogized without a woke tear wept for the victims. Rather than read the works of history’s intellectual and literary giants, it is better to wipe away or rewrite the past altogether in order to please the neuroses of the most vocal and belligerent masses. However, Taylor offers an alternative --- “open humanism” – a more inclusive, pluralistic, values-driven dialogue and mutual respect towards the wide scope of human experiences. The debate is whether or not American society has already passed the tipping point of a fateful demise. As events worsen America’s delirium escalates, we fear it has.

And still the majority of the American citizenry willingly participates in and contributes to this Mummers’ charade in the halls of power. Our defining culture has succumbed to irrational hostility, collective emotional hysteria, or what Sorokin called “cultural schizophrenia,” which is when individuals in a grossly materialistic society cling desperately to a false sense of individuality that is completely divorced from any deeper purpose in life. The result is social fragmentation, conflict and widespread confusion. At this moment, we witness both sides of the left-right political divide screaming about their victimhood while actively participating in society’s destruction. And yet there are no massive mobilized protests against the most destructive elements in our culture as if they are unimportant. Renewable energy, access to healthy foods, banning toxic chemicals in everyday household products that are otherwise forbidden in other countries, government-sanctioned censorship, an illegal surveillance state, a justice system that indentures the poor, fifty million Americans living in poverty and a thoroughly corrupt medical system -- none of these seem important enough to warrant millions to march on Washington. Even humanity's survival is inconsequential.

Today, American media is incapable of reporting on the true state of the country's domestic culture. The media can no longer create a believable story that reflects the actual economic and social conditions of average Americans because it has been unable to move beyond the harsh social divisions fuelled by animosity and distrust. Very earlier, Sorokin observed the media’s adverse trajectory. As early as 1941, he was warning about the consequences of the media’s sensationalism and entertainment, its focus on negative news that would breed social anxiety and fear. Sorokin also shared his deep concern about the media’s emphasis on materialism and consumerism and its impact on the social and mental development of young people. It is difficult to disagree with him now that both conservative and liberal media have neutered the intellects of their most loyal viewers. The right suffers from pre-rational superstition and anti-intellectualism. The left suffers from a highbrow intellect and moral impoverishment. Neither is capable of serving as a revolutionary force to relieve suffering and fight on behalf of individual freedoms, peace and human rights outside of cultic groupthink. Moreover, our corporate media has succeeded in turning the US into a laughing stock among the vast majority of other countries. Rather a functional media would be honestly responsible for a balanced and meaningful view of the world, one that focuses on the positive as well as the negative and at the same time emphasizes constructive moral values.

Unfortunately, American media is now beyond redemption. For those who have retained a thread of philosophical and spiritual inquiry and values, there can be no support for the psychobabble of those who would drown out the voices of reason and human decency. It is left to those of us who have been cancelled and excluded from the national dialogue about our country’s deterioration to continue to probe more deeply into our own lives and build community with like-minded people.

Finally we might take to heart the words of one of Tolstoy’s great admirers. "Nothing in all the world is more dangerous," wrote Martin Luther King, "than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." It is our deep ignorance about not knowing ourselves and appreciating our intrinsic interconnection with each other and the environment that perpetuates the suffering around us. Our true enemies are irrational, dogmatic beliefs and faux liberal values, which equally keep us enslaved to a system that only serves its own interests and dehumanizes us to collateral damage to the system’s failings. All imperial civilizations ultimately collapse. Despite the US’s rapid decline, it remains within each person’s means to not be a helpless victim when it sinks completely. After the inferno completes its course, cools and simmers, we will then be most needed to rise from its ashes to return sanity, decency and the values of equanimity and selfless compassion to the severely emotionally wounded who participated or contributed to the conflagration.

Recipe for Vegetable Stock

About Gary Null

An internationally renowned expert in the field of health and nutrition, Gary Null, Ph.D is the author of over 70 best-selling books on healthy living and the director of over 100 critically acclaimed full-feature documentary films on natural health, self-empowerment and the environment. He is the host of ‘The Progressive Commentary Hour” and “The Gary Null Show”, the country’s longest running nationally syndicated health radio talk show which can be heard daily on here on the Progressive Radio Network.

Throughout his career, Gary Null has made hundreds of radio and television broadcasts throughout the country as an environmentalist, consumer advocate, investigative reporter and nutrition educator. More than 28 different Gary Null television specials have appeared on PBS stations throughout the nation, inspiring and motivating millions of viewers. He originated and completed more than one hundred major investigations on health issues resulting in the use of material by 20/20 and 60 Minutes. Dr. Null started this network to provide his followers with a media outlet for health and advocacy. For more of Dr. Null’s Work visit the Gary Null’s Work Section or Blog.GaryNull.com In addition to the Progressive Radio Network, Dr. Null has a full line of all-natural home and healthcare products that can be purchased at his Online Store.

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