I both empathise and sympathise over your entire 2nd paragraph, I feel your pain, frustration and dare I say sense of hypocrisy (judginess and Christianity don't work too well together, but we all do it to some degree!). I have all but kicked social media into touch and bar a bit of sport (and MASH, the best series ever made imho) the whole of TV.
I am also trying to live a much simpler life (not always easy with 2 teenage daughters) and have cut my alcohol consumption down by around three quarters.
This, along with earlier nights, spiritual reading, herbal tea, a mainly vegetarian diet, contemplatitive prayer and meditation, are all contributing to a healthier, more content life, that hasn't gone unnoticed by those around me.
The only dilemma now is when I let them in on the secret!
Jan 5, 2023·edited Jan 5, 2023Liked by Paul Kingsnorth
I have the same problem. I very much came from a very left wing background, bordering on utopian and puritanical in its thinking and like Paul was also involved in the environmentalist movement. In those circles it's so easy to be dogmatic and unyielding, and with that comes a degree of judgmentalism.
At the end of many years of activism though what was actually achieved? Bar one noteable victory on a local level, very little if truth be told. A whole heap of hot air and untold stress was emitted though!
Party politics is toxic and largely useless in the face of the machine, so it was wise to step away for my own health and the cohesion of our family.
Likewise no amount of pontificating on social media actually changes anything in 99.9% of cases, so I now find it best to concentrate on those things you can control and the things that make a positive difference to your life and those around you, and in your community.
I cannot disagree with any of that Matthew. The problem is that when you are on the inside of green politics everything seems very black and white, right and wrong. Any deviation from the proscribed thinking tends to be jumped on by the extremes within the group and before you know it the whispers start: you're a shill, an infiltrator, one of "them", in cahoots with the system. It didn't happen to me, but maybe that's because I dipped out early. Perhaps, without realising it at the time, I could see what lay ahead.
We're now at a point where the bulk of green policy seems to be about finding "sustainable" solutions to the continuation of the machine.
In simple terms I cannot support that. In more depth, well, just read Paul's writings from the last year or so!
Right there with you both as a recovering progressive environmentalist, now Orthodox Christian. I felt like I had several decades of conservative media to catch up on, so I delved in last year, big time. But I've had enough now. The right has its own crew of self-righteous, as does the left. I don't find the "us vs them" rhetoric helpful. It's divisive.
Reminds me of the Donald Rumsfeld quote...there are things we know, things we don't know, then there's the known unknowns and things we don't know that we don't know, or something like that...
I never understood why everyone jumped all over Rumsfeld for that statement. I understood exactly what he meant by the unknown unknowns. Now I think that everyone knew what he meant, and it was just required to bash him because he was on the "wrong side." On the other hand, I'll always be amused by the debut campaign speech of Ross Perot's VP pick in 1992. Admiral Stockdale opened with "Who am I? And why am I here?" It doesn't get any better than that.
Reminds me of when our family was riding home from church one Sunday and I asked my then 5 year old son what he learned in Bible class. His reply was memorable, "My teacher was telling about God and creation and eternity and it made my head hurt."
You remind me of Ivan Illich, when he praised Muslims for an absolute NO (in theory, at least) when it comes to drinking alcohol. I believe he said this in an interview with David Cayley.
I have a book recommendation, if that is appropriate?
For my Epiphany reading this year I enjoyed Kenogaia (A Gnostic Tale) by David Bentley Hart. I’m still ruminating, but I feel Hart has put out a kind of refinement on Orwell’s 1984. Its prose may be like 1984 - with full-on bleakness - but with a rollicking good story, and a happy ending. His opening aphorism is in French:
Thank you Paul! I've considered giving up alcohol for a length of time, and find it challenging. You have given me a "boost" in this effort. Tack så Mycket
Giving up for the month of January. Then decided to have a glass of red if i want on the weekends after that. For me it is one of my guilty pleasures. And a good glass of red can be enjoyed and sipped slowly and feel the essence of the grape, the land, the work involved, the sunshine, the rain..............
Any readers (or writer) familiar with the works of Epicurus? His belief that a happy and contented life can be attained by the presence of good friends and without excess might appeal to you. Following his philosophy on a good life has certainly helped me reach contentment.
"Nothing is sufficient for the person who finds sufficiency too little". Sound familiar? GK Chesterton echoed the same sentiment a couple thousand years later: "There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less."
Happy New Year to you, Paul, and to all fellow readers and commenters.
I gave up alcohol back in 2016, having become far too intimate with it, to a degree that bordered on putting my relationships (and possibly even my health) at risk. Barring a couple of slips along the way, I'm still sober and I don't regret it.
What I found particularly interesting after I stopped drinking was that the "social pull" of alcohol persisted much longer than its physical/biological attraction. I found myself feeling like I was somehow missing out if I was at a social gathering where others were drinking and I wasn't; I even remember times when I felt it simply wasn't fair that I couldn't enjoy a beer or a glass or three of wine like others. I had to work through this and come to a realisation that social ease and enjoyment is not in any real way dependent on ethanol-based lubrication. Took me a while, but I got there eventually.
I also began to notice just how deeply embedded alcohol is in society and, in particular, the extent to which so many people unconsciously view it as an unquestionable good, something that can safely be celebrated, extolled and enjoyed; as long as you don't become one of those alcoholics, it's all good. I continue to notice this, and to ponder about it.
Yes to all this! I gave up alcohol Jan. 3, 2022 until my birthday on Dec. 14. The social pull was definitely one of the most difficult aspects -- alcohol is in your face just about everywhere (including in a hotel elevator, I noticed). The other pull -- "Boy, today was really hard; I'd love a glass of _______" -- was a good opportunity to reflect and substitute-soothing. (Peppermint tea and really good dark chocolate are my go-to's.) I loved the reinforcements of sleeping well, waking up clear-headed, not feeling bloated, and being more even-tempered in general. Though I did drink a few times during the holidays, I'm back to being alcohol-free again. It's just not worth it.
It seems like there is, at least in the US, a proliferation of non-alcohol drinks - very good IPAs (really), spirits, premade mocktails. In the UK, Jukes makes very good "wine" mixers. It's just fun sometimes to raise a glass in company.
I drink non-alcoholic beers quite regularly: I simply enjoy the flavour and find beer much more refreshing than soft drinks. Thankfully, the range of non-alcoholic alternatives widely available in the UK has expanded dramatically in recent years.
I stopped drinking over 5 years ago now, after many years of being an ethanol glutton. I think that the stopping was the best thing that ever happened to me. It did, and still does, bring the experience of a 'cheerful kind of freedom'. I have never at all felt that I have been missing out but I do sometimes find myself amazed and a little dismayed at how much alcohol is embedded in our culture, as you say Grays - and I'm sure it contributes to our society's over-consumption of everything else, and then conveniently numbs us to that.
A brilliant thing about becoming straighter-edged was that much of my doomed repetitive thinking seemed to fall away, with the associated 'problems' seeming to disappear or become more trivial. It has certainly cleared my mind and I think made me sharper (though I still cannot claim to be the sharpest knife in the drawer by any means). It will be very interesting to know what abstinence might do to your thinking over the coming year, Paul! Hope you enjoy the ride!
As regards reading matter, in November I read a book that I'd picked up from a comment on one of your posts (I remember neither which post nor which commenter recommended it): Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban. My goodness, what a read: wonderfully and cleverly crafted and a profoundly sobering commentary on the fragility of human culture and society. I opted to follow it up in December with a book that had been on my reading list a few years but which I'd not yet got around to reading: A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr. Another "wow" from me: exploring much the same ground as Riddley Walker but from a different angle and in a different style and tone.
Now I'm reading Orwell's 1984 for the second time – the first was 30+ years ago and I find I'd forgotten most of it.
They're both great novels. Quite a lot of people compared my novel The Wake to Riddley Walker, just because of the strange language. I think that's the only comparison actually, but it was a pleasure to have it made anyway.
Not very related to the usual themes, but for something more lighthearted Robert Harris' new historical fiction, Act of Oblivion, is a fun read. No profound philosophical lessons to be gained, really, but you can immerse yourself in seventeenth-century England and New England, alternately sympathising with the hunted Puritan regicides and the bloodthirsty restorationists hunting them down. Quite a nuanced insight into the fierce religious and political battles of that period. History can be great escapism.
I'm glad to have your perspective on this, Tom. I'm a longtime fan of Harris's work but have found his recent books to be a bit hit and miss. I'll probably give Act of Oblivion a try.
Happy New Year to you and yours. I am on day 320 of my pledge last year to abstain from any alcohol. I restarted mid Feb. after a dry Jan. The restart was what I call the emergence of spontaneous sobriety. Maybe grace. Drinking was never a serious issue, but it was taking up more space in my life during the Covid years and I didn't like where that was going. With Irish heritage in my veins, some of my ancestral proteins do not know what to make of it all, but it feels like I have some veils lifted from my eyes and I am enjoying the clarity. So, this is a long winded way to say, all the best with your pledge of sobriety.
I have been working on giving up my 'need' for information. I am pulled in the direction of the computer to get my fix. I know that to keep up with the information I want to have I could read maybe every two weeks. I may have to make a two week break (or longer) to see what happens and to really know how this addiction is affecting me. So far I have been cutting down, deleting some sources of info, reading less of what comes to my inbox. I have been studying St. Augustine's 'Confessions' which is helpful as he always had a push/pull between outside stuff and inside stuff.
I can recommend a break of that kind. I do it far too seldom myself. But I've found that soimply turning the thing off for a week or two has a real impact on mind and body.
I have done the same. It's very helpful. our limited human minds, with a limited amount of energy every day, are not designed to take in this amount of information, visual or otherwise.
I find it helps to try and only consume that which I am paying for. I still need to cut out more of my options (distractions) which I do not pay for. I pay for this and am very glad that I decided to do so. I hate how many Americans, even rich ones, will go out and buy the cheapest crap they can find, be it food or clothing, and they don't understand the economic and social impact of doing that, of destroying the possibility of true artisans and local craftsman from having careers. So, I should place that same standard for myself with information and online content. I should pay for quality and consume less.
I think you are correct. Today I went quickly through my inbox deleting most things but the ones I paid for are always more important to me and I read those quickly.
I've been helped by a book named The Wisdom of the Enneagram by Risso and Hudson. I think I am mostly type 5. This personality type is most beset by the sin of avarice.... but not usually in the obvious way of acquiring worldly goods. We 5 types retreat into the mind for safety and hoard information, rare knowledge, and big ideas, often living quite simply regarding material things. I found that the insights according to personality from that book really laid bare before God some of my flaws and motives in a most helpful way. And yes. I can totally relate to what you describe as addiction to information. The enneagram helps me to understand other people too, especially when their besetting sins are not the same as mine.
Clara-You have probably seen the various states of development that goes with each type. This gives me some--some, mind you--hope that many of the faults of being a five can lead to something more positive, creative and useful. For example, the higher levels of fiveness are:
Level 1 (At Their Best): Become visionaries, broadly comprehending the world while penetrating it profoundly. Open-minded, take things in whole, in their true context. Make pioneering discoveries and find entirely new ways of doing and perceiving things.
Level 2: Observe everything with extraordinary perceptiveness and insight. Most mentally alert, curious, searching intelligence: nothing escapes their notice. Foresight and prediction. Able to concentrate: become engrossed in what has caught their attention.
Level 3: Attain skillful mastery of whatever interests them. Excited by knowledge: often become expert in some field. Innovative and inventive, producing extremely valuable, original works. Highly independent, idiosyncratic, and whimsical.
Hi Jack, my fellow 5w4 friend. I have little difficulty seeing the potential for high level greatness in myself, unfortunately. Seeing the potential pitfalls of my type helped me to be honest in my introspection. But it is good to remember that we have this lovely potential, thank you!
Clara- I do know what you mean. My experience of my own fiveness can often seem more like a tangled path leading I know not where. Yet, every now and again it opens up to what appears to be a broad view of things, even if it rarely lasts. It does keep me going.
The highest of the average attainment is pretty good:
Level 4: Begin conceptualizing and fine-tuning everything before acting—working things out in their minds: model building, preparing, practicing, and gathering more resources. Studious, acquiring technique. Become specialized, and often "intellectual," often challenging accepted ways of doing things.
Being a 5w4 can feel like a burden a lot of the time. But we have our place to contribute all the same. For me, this leopard's spots aren't apt to change at this point, so I might as well double down and see where it goes! As Blake had it, a fool who persists in his folly becomes wise. Or, I will add, merely a greater fool. It's a risk I have always been willing to take!
p.s. I will add, if I may be so bold, that having interacted with you (online, admittedly) over the past year or more, that I think you might be further along and up the five path than you seem to indicate. Just saying.
I’ve been doing the same and have recently picked back up “Confessions,” I’m finding Peter Kreeft’s accompanying commentary “I Burned for Your Peace” to be a helpful adjunct to Augustine’s text.
Not a physical book but an audio book I can heartily recommend, is Thomas Merton's Path to the Palace of Nowhere, by James Finlay.
For someone at the very beginning of their journey into Christianity like myself, I have found it full of "lightbulb moments", where things that made no sense at all now do, albeit some with greater clarity than others.
I'm also not ashamed to say it's reduced me to tears on more than one occasion (tears of joy and tears of great sadness).
James' narration is also a joy to behold. Although I would challenge anyone not to fall asleep listening to it at night.
Thomas Merton's Path to the Palace of Nowhere, by James Finlay––such an excellent book! Finlay hosts a podcast called "Turning to the Mystics," which is just wonderful, with Finlay's voice echoey, like that of a haunted house impresario, though comforting.
As for myself, I was sick twice between Thanksgiving and Christmas and decided I was done with drinking & cancelled a get together with a friend for cocktails, but then I felt better and am happily back to Irish whiskey in the evening. It would appear that both coffee and drink––everything in moderation, of course––can make a good contribution to a body's chance for longevity. A very Happy New Year to all of you, with thanks to you, Paul, for this very engaging substack space!
Claudia, thanks for the recommendation to James Finlay's podcast.
Only a trifling 86 episodes to immerse oneself in!
I would also like to echo your sentiments 're this space that Paul has brought us to. It's an absolute joy and a wonderful resource, as well as provoking some great discussions.
Indeed, a mere 86 episodes. I've managed to take in a goodly number on my morning walk to work & recommend a listen for ample moments of good insight, such as that Thomas Merton said things like: The imagination should be allowed a certain freedom to browse around... And some good time spent on Merton's powerfully articulated idea of the false self in chapter 5 of the book, New Seeds of Contemplation.
Thanks for this recommendation, Andrew. I used to read quite a bit of Merton--his Seven Storey Mountain, about his conversion--is terrific. I live not too far from Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky, where he lived, and I used to go quite frequently for weekend retreats. It's a special place, and if you're ever in the neighborhood (about an hour south of Louisville), I heartily recommend stopping in. They welcome visitors and you're free to attend their chanting of the divine office, walk in the surrounding woods, and generally explore the abbey.
I just checked my library's website and Path to the Palace of Nowhere was available, so I'm downloading it now. Looking forward to it!
Hi folks. Nice to see you both here, too. I should've said I'm "within easy driving distance" of Gethsemani. :) I actually live in Cincinnati these days but spent most of my life in southern Indiana and a few years in Nashville--so I've lived on the periphery of your lovely state all my life. :) Nathan, I hope you get the chance to visit the abbey and/or make a retreat there. It's a beautiful place.
Sadly I'm across the pond in England but one day? Who knows...
I've just started reading Seven Storey Mountain and I have little doubt I'll finish it (I'm terrible for starting books and not finishing them!).
I'm finding Merton (and Finlay on Merton) resonating deeply. Possibly as the only spiritual path of any description I'd been on before was Buddhist. So far as least I'm finding the Christian contemplative path rather more relatable.
Merton is a great thinker and a talented writer. The Catholicism he embraced in, I think it was the late 1930s, was a very traditional style of the faith. Over the arc of his life, he moved to and embraced a wider view of things, including an appreciation of many eastern modes of religious thinking, but he always had his finger on the essentials of spiritual and contemplative life--and the life of the literary artist, for that matter. If I recall correctly, his father was an artist, a painter, and they did a fair amount of globe-trotting in Merton's youth, and he was a sponge for experience and always had the eye of an artist. Now I want to re-read that book, too. It's been many years.
I started listening to the Finley audiobook last night, and you're right, it's captivating. I'm really enjoying it. Thanks again for the recommendation, and yes, who knows?, you may make it to Gethsemani one of these days. Our (my wife and I) one-and-only trip to Europe was to the UK, and it was the thrill of a lifetime. This was in 2008, and every pound was worth about two American dollars, so I spent the two weeks in a more or less continual state of "sticker shock," but MAN we had a wonderful time.
so glad to see Merton finally mentioned with enthusiasm here. I’ve regarded Merton highly ever since I read his Journals. You get a very intimate glimpse of this great soul in his Journals. For me, this is how I learn best, observing how a person thinks and acts in his daily life. What a pity that he died so unexpectedly so early. If you have been acquainted with Buddhism, you might want to read his Zen and the Birds of Appetite. It is one of the best exposition on Zen I’ve ever read, and coming from a heart deeply devoted to the Christian faith. He got on frightfully well with the Tibetan lamas in the Himalayas. There is a great photo of him and Chagdad Tulku in his Asian Journal , grinning like two errant farmhands. He is an inspiration to me. Though I’m very hesitant to visit Gethsemani, fearful to see how such great and deep faith can leave little trace in the present place and inhabitants. Perhaps I am too cynical but reading what is on the websites of various groups dedicated to his heritage has horrified me.
I've been considering doing the same this year, taking a break from any and all alcohol. I do not ever get drunk anymore (thank you Holy Orthodoxy) but still I find even a drink or two lead me into sloth, to the couch in front of the boob tube, or to other distractions or tiredness in the morning.
Also, your series on The Machine has inspired me, or confirmed my instincts, to not pursue yet another dead-end job for the sake of money, but to 'rewild my roots' so to speak and get some skills I've been wanting to obtain for a few years now. I'll be starting a market garden on my landlord's property and doing a blog to record my experiences. It feels like the perfectly correct decision, spiritually and otherwise. I feel energized and liberated. Thanks, your articles were a big help in making me see that these anti-Machine values we hold in our hearts are real, actionable, and not to be discarded merely for money. Being in touch with the other creatures of God's Creation is literally what makes us Human and we get distracted from that all too easily in the midst of The Machine and its, well, machinations.
A thousand thanks. I'm almost through the series, I think. Been binging on it the past few weeks, just finished "You are the Harvest" earlier today.
The comment about Keynes making the Devil's Bargain really hit home and clarified things. That's exactly what I've been doing through the years, subconsciously and otherwise, and now I see these ideals and values, which are historic and universal, which are of the Good, the Beautiful, and the True, should be my priority, and that I've always been trying to have it both ways, to follow and honor them but still somehow 'make it' in this system we're all stuck in.
The Devil's Bargain comment combined with a comment I heard recently from Metropolitan Jonah (ROCOR) in which he said that committing to Christ and the Mystical Path will "cost you everything, but it's worth it," along with another quote from Saint Theophan the Recluse echoing in my mind for a few days, and it all quickly became clear, in one or two days, what path I should take with my life this year. I can tell you, as a lifelong vagabond and overthinking nihilist, it's rare for me to have such clarity combined with a steady courage and firm commitment to see it through. It may be the first time in my entire adult life I've had such a combination.
So, again, many thanks. It was the catalyst I needed at just the right time. Glory to God.
About ten years ago at the beginning of my journey into Orthodoxy, I heard (then Metropolitan of the OCA) Jonah speak on the spiritual life. He said, "do not resent, do not react, seek inner stillness." Surround those directions with participation in the Divine Liturgy, the teachings of the Holy Fathers and Mothers, all centered on Christ - and you have a path worth everything. Glory forever.
Happy new year. I gave up drinking a little over a year ago, and it's been very positive. I hope it's the same for you. What I've noticed is that the hardest part is how other people feel. I don't mention it, but if I'm out and ask for a non-alcoholic beverage, it seems to make others uncomfortable. I switch the gears and volunteer to be the sober driver and then try to change the subject. More and more there are non-alcoholic drinks being offered, even wine. After you give it up, it all seems kind of boring to be thinking about!
On a different note, I'm wondering if you've been thinking about experimenting with or simply reading about ChatGPT. I'm pressured by my business partner to use it, and like so many other technology-oriented developments, it is fascinating but absolutely terrifying in terms of the potential for harm. It's making me feel rather hopeless about goodness in the future.
ChatGPT: Optimizing Language Models for Dialogue - OpenAIhttps://openai.com
As regards ChatGPT Frank Herbert in his sci-fi book Dune had a character say this about a past experience of artificial intelligence (outlawed in the Dune far future fictional universe after negative results) “Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.” This was written by Herbert nearly 60 years ago.
AI is driven by the needs and desires of large corporations and the various world militaries.
Hi there I wish you all the best in your new sobriety. I write because I decided this was the year to drink better wines... the good Nuit st Georges AxelCortons etc the truly beautiful Bougogne wines.Since budget is limited I will be drinking less but more appreciably. If you have ever had the experience of looking into the eyes of a good french vinter will they are talking about the 'slop' they rest their wine bottles or any other aspect of its making the word alcohol won't come to mind but possible 'art'.
I agree with the 'no no no' stance resisting a lot of what our culture is dishing up is freeing and enjoying the simple things, gifts of family and friends, doing good and celebrating the mysterious ways in people and nature that the machine can't really measure ! Im reading 'orthodoxy ' by GK Chesterton.( the title even he says doesn't describe it so well!) He is so creative in describing his journey and reasons to believe. The chapter 'The politics of Elfland' sent me reeling with appreciation of my Maker and the gift of life and wonder of it ( despite all the corruption) . He talks about how we tell fairy tales with 'magic golden apples 'and the like because they are a reminder of the initial wonder of the magic of discovering a normal green apple !
My recent reading (all of which I recommend) includes "The Door on Half-Bald Hill" by Helena Sorensen, a story of a society in collapse set in the twilight of Druidical times in a land that sounds much like Ireland; "Rembrandt Is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art through the Eyes of Faith" by Russ Ramsey (subtitle is a good summary); "English Literature in the Sixteenth Century (Except Drama)" by C.S. Lewis, originally published in 1954; and "The Saddest Words: William Faulkner's Civil War" by Michael Gorra.
Thank you for recommending these books. I bought "The Door on Half-Bald Hill" and Gorra's books just now.
If I have any particular indulgence which I should consider putting a damper on in the new year, it might be the buying of books. But I'll get no help in that direction by reading on this site :-)
There might be a glimmer of help in an earlier comment about addiction to information. I think you are not alone! It isn't everyone's problem but a high percentage of the readers here likely relate.
I both empathise and sympathise over your entire 2nd paragraph, I feel your pain, frustration and dare I say sense of hypocrisy (judginess and Christianity don't work too well together, but we all do it to some degree!). I have all but kicked social media into touch and bar a bit of sport (and MASH, the best series ever made imho) the whole of TV.
I am also trying to live a much simpler life (not always easy with 2 teenage daughters) and have cut my alcohol consumption down by around three quarters.
This, along with earlier nights, spiritual reading, herbal tea, a mainly vegetarian diet, contemplatitive prayer and meditation, are all contributing to a healthier, more content life, that hasn't gone unnoticed by those around me.
The only dilemma now is when I let them in on the secret!
I have the same problem. I very much came from a very left wing background, bordering on utopian and puritanical in its thinking and like Paul was also involved in the environmentalist movement. In those circles it's so easy to be dogmatic and unyielding, and with that comes a degree of judgmentalism.
At the end of many years of activism though what was actually achieved? Bar one noteable victory on a local level, very little if truth be told. A whole heap of hot air and untold stress was emitted though!
Party politics is toxic and largely useless in the face of the machine, so it was wise to step away for my own health and the cohesion of our family.
Likewise no amount of pontificating on social media actually changes anything in 99.9% of cases, so I now find it best to concentrate on those things you can control and the things that make a positive difference to your life and those around you, and in your community.
As you said, time to stop talking and get doing.
Or not doing, as the case may be!
I cannot disagree with any of that Matthew. The problem is that when you are on the inside of green politics everything seems very black and white, right and wrong. Any deviation from the proscribed thinking tends to be jumped on by the extremes within the group and before you know it the whispers start: you're a shill, an infiltrator, one of "them", in cahoots with the system. It didn't happen to me, but maybe that's because I dipped out early. Perhaps, without realising it at the time, I could see what lay ahead.
We're now at a point where the bulk of green policy seems to be about finding "sustainable" solutions to the continuation of the machine.
In simple terms I cannot support that. In more depth, well, just read Paul's writings from the last year or so!
I wish you well Matthew. We've a lot to discover!
Right there with you both as a recovering progressive environmentalist, now Orthodox Christian. I felt like I had several decades of conservative media to catch up on, so I delved in last year, big time. But I've had enough now. The right has its own crew of self-righteous, as does the left. I don't find the "us vs them" rhetoric helpful. It's divisive.
'For God is not only beyond knowledge, He is even beyond unknowing.'
Woah… that just blew a hole in my mind… wonderful!
Reminds me of the Donald Rumsfeld quote...there are things we know, things we don't know, then there's the known unknowns and things we don't know that we don't know, or something like that...
Now that’s just spoiled the moment…! ;) (joking)
Donald Rumsfeld: the unappreciated St John Chrysostom of the early 21st century.
I never understood why everyone jumped all over Rumsfeld for that statement. I understood exactly what he meant by the unknown unknowns. Now I think that everyone knew what he meant, and it was just required to bash him because he was on the "wrong side." On the other hand, I'll always be amused by the debut campaign speech of Ross Perot's VP pick in 1992. Admiral Stockdale opened with "Who am I? And why am I here?" It doesn't get any better than that.
Reminds me of when our family was riding home from church one Sunday and I asked my then 5 year old son what he learned in Bible class. His reply was memorable, "My teacher was telling about God and creation and eternity and it made my head hurt."
Giving up engaging in the culture war sounds like a terrific new years' resolution!
Next time someone ask me if I was in the war, I'm going to reply that I was in the Culture War but went AWOL.
You remind me of Ivan Illich, when he praised Muslims for an absolute NO (in theory, at least) when it comes to drinking alcohol. I believe he said this in an interview with David Cayley.
I have a book recommendation, if that is appropriate?
For my Epiphany reading this year I enjoyed Kenogaia (A Gnostic Tale) by David Bentley Hart. I’m still ruminating, but I feel Hart has put out a kind of refinement on Orwell’s 1984. Its prose may be like 1984 - with full-on bleakness - but with a rollicking good story, and a happy ending. His opening aphorism is in French:
C’est nous qui fabriquons la machine,
et nous qui creons son Dieu.
It is we who make the machine,
and we who create its God
Highly recommended ✌️
Thank you Paul! I've considered giving up alcohol for a length of time, and find it challenging. You have given me a "boost" in this effort. Tack så Mycket
Me too! My 2023 goal! I feel the boost too!
Giving up for the month of January. Then decided to have a glass of red if i want on the weekends after that. For me it is one of my guilty pleasures. And a good glass of red can be enjoyed and sipped slowly and feel the essence of the grape, the land, the work involved, the sunshine, the rain..............
Any readers (or writer) familiar with the works of Epicurus? His belief that a happy and contented life can be attained by the presence of good friends and without excess might appeal to you. Following his philosophy on a good life has certainly helped me reach contentment.
"Nothing is sufficient for the person who finds sufficiency too little". Sound familiar? GK Chesterton echoed the same sentiment a couple thousand years later: "There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less."
Happy New Year to you, Paul, and to all fellow readers and commenters.
I gave up alcohol back in 2016, having become far too intimate with it, to a degree that bordered on putting my relationships (and possibly even my health) at risk. Barring a couple of slips along the way, I'm still sober and I don't regret it.
What I found particularly interesting after I stopped drinking was that the "social pull" of alcohol persisted much longer than its physical/biological attraction. I found myself feeling like I was somehow missing out if I was at a social gathering where others were drinking and I wasn't; I even remember times when I felt it simply wasn't fair that I couldn't enjoy a beer or a glass or three of wine like others. I had to work through this and come to a realisation that social ease and enjoyment is not in any real way dependent on ethanol-based lubrication. Took me a while, but I got there eventually.
I also began to notice just how deeply embedded alcohol is in society and, in particular, the extent to which so many people unconsciously view it as an unquestionable good, something that can safely be celebrated, extolled and enjoyed; as long as you don't become one of those alcoholics, it's all good. I continue to notice this, and to ponder about it.
Yes to all this! I gave up alcohol Jan. 3, 2022 until my birthday on Dec. 14. The social pull was definitely one of the most difficult aspects -- alcohol is in your face just about everywhere (including in a hotel elevator, I noticed). The other pull -- "Boy, today was really hard; I'd love a glass of _______" -- was a good opportunity to reflect and substitute-soothing. (Peppermint tea and really good dark chocolate are my go-to's.) I loved the reinforcements of sleeping well, waking up clear-headed, not feeling bloated, and being more even-tempered in general. Though I did drink a few times during the holidays, I'm back to being alcohol-free again. It's just not worth it.
It seems like there is, at least in the US, a proliferation of non-alcohol drinks - very good IPAs (really), spirits, premade mocktails. In the UK, Jukes makes very good "wine" mixers. It's just fun sometimes to raise a glass in company.
I drink non-alcoholic beers quite regularly: I simply enjoy the flavour and find beer much more refreshing than soft drinks. Thankfully, the range of non-alcoholic alternatives widely available in the UK has expanded dramatically in recent years.
Another favorite: Hop Water and Hop Tea. Both are bitter and hoppy and refreshing.
I stopped drinking over 5 years ago now, after many years of being an ethanol glutton. I think that the stopping was the best thing that ever happened to me. It did, and still does, bring the experience of a 'cheerful kind of freedom'. I have never at all felt that I have been missing out but I do sometimes find myself amazed and a little dismayed at how much alcohol is embedded in our culture, as you say Grays - and I'm sure it contributes to our society's over-consumption of everything else, and then conveniently numbs us to that.
A brilliant thing about becoming straighter-edged was that much of my doomed repetitive thinking seemed to fall away, with the associated 'problems' seeming to disappear or become more trivial. It has certainly cleared my mind and I think made me sharper (though I still cannot claim to be the sharpest knife in the drawer by any means). It will be very interesting to know what abstinence might do to your thinking over the coming year, Paul! Hope you enjoy the ride!
As regards reading matter, in November I read a book that I'd picked up from a comment on one of your posts (I remember neither which post nor which commenter recommended it): Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban. My goodness, what a read: wonderfully and cleverly crafted and a profoundly sobering commentary on the fragility of human culture and society. I opted to follow it up in December with a book that had been on my reading list a few years but which I'd not yet got around to reading: A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr. Another "wow" from me: exploring much the same ground as Riddley Walker but from a different angle and in a different style and tone.
Now I'm reading Orwell's 1984 for the second time – the first was 30+ years ago and I find I'd forgotten most of it.
They're both great novels. Quite a lot of people compared my novel The Wake to Riddley Walker, just because of the strange language. I think that's the only comparison actually, but it was a pleasure to have it made anyway.
Not very related to the usual themes, but for something more lighthearted Robert Harris' new historical fiction, Act of Oblivion, is a fun read. No profound philosophical lessons to be gained, really, but you can immerse yourself in seventeenth-century England and New England, alternately sympathising with the hunted Puritan regicides and the bloodthirsty restorationists hunting them down. Quite a nuanced insight into the fierce religious and political battles of that period. History can be great escapism.
At least with history, no matter how bad the situation got, we know how it ended.
That's why it's such good escapism, because we don't know where the future will take us.
I'm glad to have your perspective on this, Tom. I'm a longtime fan of Harris's work but have found his recent books to be a bit hit and miss. I'll probably give Act of Oblivion a try.
I really enjoyed the Second Sleep, if you haven't read it, it dove tails nicely with a lot of the themes explored on this stack.
Thanks for the tip 🙂
Happy New Year to you and yours. I am on day 320 of my pledge last year to abstain from any alcohol. I restarted mid Feb. after a dry Jan. The restart was what I call the emergence of spontaneous sobriety. Maybe grace. Drinking was never a serious issue, but it was taking up more space in my life during the Covid years and I didn't like where that was going. With Irish heritage in my veins, some of my ancestral proteins do not know what to make of it all, but it feels like I have some veils lifted from my eyes and I am enjoying the clarity. So, this is a long winded way to say, all the best with your pledge of sobriety.
I have been working on giving up my 'need' for information. I am pulled in the direction of the computer to get my fix. I know that to keep up with the information I want to have I could read maybe every two weeks. I may have to make a two week break (or longer) to see what happens and to really know how this addiction is affecting me. So far I have been cutting down, deleting some sources of info, reading less of what comes to my inbox. I have been studying St. Augustine's 'Confessions' which is helpful as he always had a push/pull between outside stuff and inside stuff.
I can recommend a break of that kind. I do it far too seldom myself. But I've found that soimply turning the thing off for a week or two has a real impact on mind and body.
I have done the same. It's very helpful. our limited human minds, with a limited amount of energy every day, are not designed to take in this amount of information, visual or otherwise.
I find it helps to try and only consume that which I am paying for. I still need to cut out more of my options (distractions) which I do not pay for. I pay for this and am very glad that I decided to do so. I hate how many Americans, even rich ones, will go out and buy the cheapest crap they can find, be it food or clothing, and they don't understand the economic and social impact of doing that, of destroying the possibility of true artisans and local craftsman from having careers. So, I should place that same standard for myself with information and online content. I should pay for quality and consume less.
I think you are correct. Today I went quickly through my inbox deleting most things but the ones I paid for are always more important to me and I read those quickly.
I've been helped by a book named The Wisdom of the Enneagram by Risso and Hudson. I think I am mostly type 5. This personality type is most beset by the sin of avarice.... but not usually in the obvious way of acquiring worldly goods. We 5 types retreat into the mind for safety and hoard information, rare knowledge, and big ideas, often living quite simply regarding material things. I found that the insights according to personality from that book really laid bare before God some of my flaws and motives in a most helpful way. And yes. I can totally relate to what you describe as addiction to information. The enneagram helps me to understand other people too, especially when their besetting sins are not the same as mine.
Clara
Thanks for the book recommendation.
Clara-You have probably seen the various states of development that goes with each type. This gives me some--some, mind you--hope that many of the faults of being a five can lead to something more positive, creative and useful. For example, the higher levels of fiveness are:
Level 1 (At Their Best): Become visionaries, broadly comprehending the world while penetrating it profoundly. Open-minded, take things in whole, in their true context. Make pioneering discoveries and find entirely new ways of doing and perceiving things.
Level 2: Observe everything with extraordinary perceptiveness and insight. Most mentally alert, curious, searching intelligence: nothing escapes their notice. Foresight and prediction. Able to concentrate: become engrossed in what has caught their attention.
Level 3: Attain skillful mastery of whatever interests them. Excited by knowledge: often become expert in some field. Innovative and inventive, producing extremely valuable, original works. Highly independent, idiosyncratic, and whimsical.
https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-5
Something to aspire to, anyway. I hope you are well. -Jack
Hi Jack, my fellow 5w4 friend. I have little difficulty seeing the potential for high level greatness in myself, unfortunately. Seeing the potential pitfalls of my type helped me to be honest in my introspection. But it is good to remember that we have this lovely potential, thank you!
Clara- I do know what you mean. My experience of my own fiveness can often seem more like a tangled path leading I know not where. Yet, every now and again it opens up to what appears to be a broad view of things, even if it rarely lasts. It does keep me going.
The highest of the average attainment is pretty good:
Level 4: Begin conceptualizing and fine-tuning everything before acting—working things out in their minds: model building, preparing, practicing, and gathering more resources. Studious, acquiring technique. Become specialized, and often "intellectual," often challenging accepted ways of doing things.
Being a 5w4 can feel like a burden a lot of the time. But we have our place to contribute all the same. For me, this leopard's spots aren't apt to change at this point, so I might as well double down and see where it goes! As Blake had it, a fool who persists in his folly becomes wise. Or, I will add, merely a greater fool. It's a risk I have always been willing to take!
God help me...
-Jack
p.s. I will add, if I may be so bold, that having interacted with you (online, admittedly) over the past year or more, that I think you might be further along and up the five path than you seem to indicate. Just saying.
I’ve been doing the same and have recently picked back up “Confessions,” I’m finding Peter Kreeft’s accompanying commentary “I Burned for Your Peace” to be a helpful adjunct to Augustine’s text.
We have one of the 'Great Courses' about St Augustine which I find good. I will look for Kreeft's as well.
I love the Great Courses take on Confessions! I find it provides a great historical context, while Kreeft provides more spiritual insight.
Not a physical book but an audio book I can heartily recommend, is Thomas Merton's Path to the Palace of Nowhere, by James Finlay.
For someone at the very beginning of their journey into Christianity like myself, I have found it full of "lightbulb moments", where things that made no sense at all now do, albeit some with greater clarity than others.
I'm also not ashamed to say it's reduced me to tears on more than one occasion (tears of joy and tears of great sadness).
James' narration is also a joy to behold. Although I would challenge anyone not to fall asleep listening to it at night.
Thomas Merton's Path to the Palace of Nowhere, by James Finlay––such an excellent book! Finlay hosts a podcast called "Turning to the Mystics," which is just wonderful, with Finlay's voice echoey, like that of a haunted house impresario, though comforting.
As for myself, I was sick twice between Thanksgiving and Christmas and decided I was done with drinking & cancelled a get together with a friend for cocktails, but then I felt better and am happily back to Irish whiskey in the evening. It would appear that both coffee and drink––everything in moderation, of course––can make a good contribution to a body's chance for longevity. A very Happy New Year to all of you, with thanks to you, Paul, for this very engaging substack space!
Claudia, thanks for the recommendation to James Finlay's podcast.
Only a trifling 86 episodes to immerse oneself in!
I would also like to echo your sentiments 're this space that Paul has brought us to. It's an absolute joy and a wonderful resource, as well as provoking some great discussions.
Indeed, a mere 86 episodes. I've managed to take in a goodly number on my morning walk to work & recommend a listen for ample moments of good insight, such as that Thomas Merton said things like: The imagination should be allowed a certain freedom to browse around... And some good time spent on Merton's powerfully articulated idea of the false self in chapter 5 of the book, New Seeds of Contemplation.
Thanks for this recommendation, Andrew. I used to read quite a bit of Merton--his Seven Storey Mountain, about his conversion--is terrific. I live not too far from Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky, where he lived, and I used to go quite frequently for weekend retreats. It's a special place, and if you're ever in the neighborhood (about an hour south of Louisville), I heartily recommend stopping in. They welcome visitors and you're free to attend their chanting of the divine office, walk in the surrounding woods, and generally explore the abbey.
I just checked my library's website and Path to the Palace of Nowhere was available, so I'm downloading it now. Looking forward to it!
Hi Dutch g,
I live in Louisville. Nice to “see” a fellow Kentuckian here!
I've been wanting to take a retreat in Gethsemani for awhile now! I'm in the Louisville area, too!
Hi folks. Nice to see you both here, too. I should've said I'm "within easy driving distance" of Gethsemani. :) I actually live in Cincinnati these days but spent most of my life in southern Indiana and a few years in Nashville--so I've lived on the periphery of your lovely state all my life. :) Nathan, I hope you get the chance to visit the abbey and/or make a retreat there. It's a beautiful place.
Hi Dutch G
Sadly I'm across the pond in England but one day? Who knows...
I've just started reading Seven Storey Mountain and I have little doubt I'll finish it (I'm terrible for starting books and not finishing them!).
I'm finding Merton (and Finlay on Merton) resonating deeply. Possibly as the only spiritual path of any description I'd been on before was Buddhist. So far as least I'm finding the Christian contemplative path rather more relatable.
Every day is a school day now 😃
Merton is a great thinker and a talented writer. The Catholicism he embraced in, I think it was the late 1930s, was a very traditional style of the faith. Over the arc of his life, he moved to and embraced a wider view of things, including an appreciation of many eastern modes of religious thinking, but he always had his finger on the essentials of spiritual and contemplative life--and the life of the literary artist, for that matter. If I recall correctly, his father was an artist, a painter, and they did a fair amount of globe-trotting in Merton's youth, and he was a sponge for experience and always had the eye of an artist. Now I want to re-read that book, too. It's been many years.
I started listening to the Finley audiobook last night, and you're right, it's captivating. I'm really enjoying it. Thanks again for the recommendation, and yes, who knows?, you may make it to Gethsemani one of these days. Our (my wife and I) one-and-only trip to Europe was to the UK, and it was the thrill of a lifetime. This was in 2008, and every pound was worth about two American dollars, so I spent the two weeks in a more or less continual state of "sticker shock," but MAN we had a wonderful time.
Take care, and best wishes on your journey.
so glad to see Merton finally mentioned with enthusiasm here. I’ve regarded Merton highly ever since I read his Journals. You get a very intimate glimpse of this great soul in his Journals. For me, this is how I learn best, observing how a person thinks and acts in his daily life. What a pity that he died so unexpectedly so early. If you have been acquainted with Buddhism, you might want to read his Zen and the Birds of Appetite. It is one of the best exposition on Zen I’ve ever read, and coming from a heart deeply devoted to the Christian faith. He got on frightfully well with the Tibetan lamas in the Himalayas. There is a great photo of him and Chagdad Tulku in his Asian Journal , grinning like two errant farmhands. He is an inspiration to me. Though I’m very hesitant to visit Gethsemani, fearful to see how such great and deep faith can leave little trace in the present place and inhabitants. Perhaps I am too cynical but reading what is on the websites of various groups dedicated to his heritage has horrified me.
I'm from Paducah! Not in Kentucky currently, but this is a fun coincidence!
I made a few visits to Gethsemane Abbey years ago and always loved it. VERY other worldly imo.
I've been considering doing the same this year, taking a break from any and all alcohol. I do not ever get drunk anymore (thank you Holy Orthodoxy) but still I find even a drink or two lead me into sloth, to the couch in front of the boob tube, or to other distractions or tiredness in the morning.
Also, your series on The Machine has inspired me, or confirmed my instincts, to not pursue yet another dead-end job for the sake of money, but to 'rewild my roots' so to speak and get some skills I've been wanting to obtain for a few years now. I'll be starting a market garden on my landlord's property and doing a blog to record my experiences. It feels like the perfectly correct decision, spiritually and otherwise. I feel energized and liberated. Thanks, your articles were a big help in making me see that these anti-Machine values we hold in our hearts are real, actionable, and not to be discarded merely for money. Being in touch with the other creatures of God's Creation is literally what makes us Human and we get distracted from that all too easily in the midst of The Machine and its, well, machinations.
God be with you this year.
I'm very happy to hear this. Makes the writing feel worthwhile. Happy new year!
A thousand thanks. I'm almost through the series, I think. Been binging on it the past few weeks, just finished "You are the Harvest" earlier today.
The comment about Keynes making the Devil's Bargain really hit home and clarified things. That's exactly what I've been doing through the years, subconsciously and otherwise, and now I see these ideals and values, which are historic and universal, which are of the Good, the Beautiful, and the True, should be my priority, and that I've always been trying to have it both ways, to follow and honor them but still somehow 'make it' in this system we're all stuck in.
The Devil's Bargain comment combined with a comment I heard recently from Metropolitan Jonah (ROCOR) in which he said that committing to Christ and the Mystical Path will "cost you everything, but it's worth it," along with another quote from Saint Theophan the Recluse echoing in my mind for a few days, and it all quickly became clear, in one or two days, what path I should take with my life this year. I can tell you, as a lifelong vagabond and overthinking nihilist, it's rare for me to have such clarity combined with a steady courage and firm commitment to see it through. It may be the first time in my entire adult life I've had such a combination.
So, again, many thanks. It was the catalyst I needed at just the right time. Glory to God.
About ten years ago at the beginning of my journey into Orthodoxy, I heard (then Metropolitan of the OCA) Jonah speak on the spiritual life. He said, "do not resent, do not react, seek inner stillness." Surround those directions with participation in the Divine Liturgy, the teachings of the Holy Fathers and Mothers, all centered on Christ - and you have a path worth everything. Glory forever.
Happy new year. I gave up drinking a little over a year ago, and it's been very positive. I hope it's the same for you. What I've noticed is that the hardest part is how other people feel. I don't mention it, but if I'm out and ask for a non-alcoholic beverage, it seems to make others uncomfortable. I switch the gears and volunteer to be the sober driver and then try to change the subject. More and more there are non-alcoholic drinks being offered, even wine. After you give it up, it all seems kind of boring to be thinking about!
On a different note, I'm wondering if you've been thinking about experimenting with or simply reading about ChatGPT. I'm pressured by my business partner to use it, and like so many other technology-oriented developments, it is fascinating but absolutely terrifying in terms of the potential for harm. It's making me feel rather hopeless about goodness in the future.
ChatGPT: Optimizing Language Models for Dialogue - OpenAIhttps://openai.com
As regards ChatGPT Frank Herbert in his sci-fi book Dune had a character say this about a past experience of artificial intelligence (outlawed in the Dune far future fictional universe after negative results) “Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.” This was written by Herbert nearly 60 years ago.
AI is driven by the needs and desires of large corporations and the various world militaries.
Hi there I wish you all the best in your new sobriety. I write because I decided this was the year to drink better wines... the good Nuit st Georges AxelCortons etc the truly beautiful Bougogne wines.Since budget is limited I will be drinking less but more appreciably. If you have ever had the experience of looking into the eyes of a good french vinter will they are talking about the 'slop' they rest their wine bottles or any other aspect of its making the word alcohol won't come to mind but possible 'art'.
I agree with the 'no no no' stance resisting a lot of what our culture is dishing up is freeing and enjoying the simple things, gifts of family and friends, doing good and celebrating the mysterious ways in people and nature that the machine can't really measure ! Im reading 'orthodoxy ' by GK Chesterton.( the title even he says doesn't describe it so well!) He is so creative in describing his journey and reasons to believe. The chapter 'The politics of Elfland' sent me reeling with appreciation of my Maker and the gift of life and wonder of it ( despite all the corruption) . He talks about how we tell fairy tales with 'magic golden apples 'and the like because they are a reminder of the initial wonder of the magic of discovering a normal green apple !
My recent reading (all of which I recommend) includes "The Door on Half-Bald Hill" by Helena Sorensen, a story of a society in collapse set in the twilight of Druidical times in a land that sounds much like Ireland; "Rembrandt Is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art through the Eyes of Faith" by Russ Ramsey (subtitle is a good summary); "English Literature in the Sixteenth Century (Except Drama)" by C.S. Lewis, originally published in 1954; and "The Saddest Words: William Faulkner's Civil War" by Michael Gorra.
"The Saddest Words: William Faulkner's Civil War" by Michael Gorra.
Absolutely superb.
Thank you for recommending these books. I bought "The Door on Half-Bald Hill" and Gorra's books just now.
If I have any particular indulgence which I should consider putting a damper on in the new year, it might be the buying of books. But I'll get no help in that direction by reading on this site :-)
There might be a glimmer of help in an earlier comment about addiction to information. I think you are not alone! It isn't everyone's problem but a high percentage of the readers here likely relate.
Just picked up "The Door on Half-Bald Hill" - thank you!
She plunges you right into the story.