Quintus Curtius

There are some who see themselves as twigs spinning endlessly in mighty rivers, or as tufts of grass being blown around by the winds. There are also some who see ambiguity in everything, and refuse to draw meaningful conclusions about events right in front of their noses. This view is not only crippling to morale, it is also destructive, because it leaves you open to suggestion and manipulation by hostile forces. Those who refuse to take charge of their own destinies, and who allow themselves to be crippled by resentments, inevitably allow their fates to be shaped by others.

This podcast is a reading of the short story "Silence: A Fable" by Edgar Allan Poe. Published in 1838, it is a very short, mysterious prose poem with evocative imagery and dark symbolism.

After the reading, we discuss a possible interpretation of the tale.

Some guys look upon knowledge with a purely utilitarian view. They think that if something is not helping them that very instant, then it has no value. This view is shortsighted and terribly wrong. You never know what life has in store for you, and if you're presented with an opportunity to learn, you take it and soak it up. We use a recent incident to discuss this point further.

Most people never realize that good fortune can be suddenly and brutally replaced by bad fortune. What once seemed like heaven can quickly be transformed into a hell. The reverse is also true: a man can find himself in terrible straits, but can extricate himself through great efforts, and reach a kind of "heaven."

This observation leads us to make five (5) important conclusions. We list and discuss them.

The military theorist Carl Von Clausewitz used the term "coup d'oeil" to describe a special, innate ability to grasp the military possibilities presented by a specific situation. We may broaden this idea to describe an instinctive talent in some field of endeavor. Each of us possesses a special skill that distinguishes us from others; too often, however, those talents languish, or remain undiscovered. It is our responsibility to try to discover where our own "coup d'oeil" lies.

In this podcast we discuss the importance of focusing on what matters, not on what does not matter. We illustrate this principle with a few anecdotes.

A young reader from Britain has a question about his relationship with his girlfriend. He wants something long-term, but has some nagging doubts as to whether his girlfriend is the right one. He's not certain how to proceed.

I read his email, and offer my thoughts.

In this podcast we discuss Alexandre Moratto's 2021 film "Seven Prisoners." The movie describes the experience of a young man named Matheus, who is basically sold into a modern form of industrial serfdom in Sao Paolo. He tries to rebel at first, but quickly learns the futility of resistance. And being ambitious, he gradually begins a series of accommodations with his oppressors that strip him of his honor. What is the price of one's soul? What is the price of one's humanity? The loss of one's moral base happens slowly, gradually, and almost imperceptibly.

A brilliant, morally profound film, and one that we should all reflect on.

When it comes to learning, were things better back in the 1980s and 1990s, or are they better now? How has the internet contributed to the "instant gratification" mentality? What are the parameters of the tension between the availability of resources, and the ease of gratifying our baser desires? We discuss.

Far too often, we base our opinions on what we absorb from others. But if you have done the homework, if you have done the heavy lifting, and if you know the material, you should have the confidence to form your own thoughts. People read your writings because they want to know what YOU think, not what some other nibbler thinks. A critical step in intellectual independence is having the courage to state your own opinion on some learned topic, once you have earned the rights to do so.