Week 11 (2022)
fatherhood cancer & darkness, Dostoevsky’s hope & stories bigger than ourselves, Ukrainian women's vulnerability & tangible items, goods for both genders & parental support
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reading: books
That Hideous Strength, C.S. Lewis — audio — This was my second time through in a few years. This was one helpful analysis.
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management For Mortals, Oliver Burkeman — audio — Another wonderful book which also feels like a culmination of other related books. Here’s a thoughtful summary and review.
reading: essays, articles, newsletters
Does My Son Know You? — Jonathan Tjarks, The Ringer — “People talk a lot about medical insurance and life insurance when you get sick. But relational insurance is far more important. I didn’t need my dad’s money, but I could have used some of his friends…
I have already told some of my friends: When I see you in heaven, there’s only one thing I’m going to ask—Were you good to my son and my wife? Were you there for them? Does my son know you?”
How Ukrainian Women Will Suffer — Julie Bindel, Unherd — In many ways, the experiences of women in Ukraine echo the plight of women in wars throughout history: we face reduced protections from violence and often an increase of domestic abuse. The situation is exacerbated, though, by the fact that Ukraine is being invaded by a country which effectively decriminalised domestic violence in 2017.”
Youthful Cynicism And Dostoevsky’s Case For Hope — Katerina Levinson, The Public Discourse — “We are faced with two choices: the choice to be cynical or the choice to believe in a world that is fundamentally good. The former leaves us with nothing; the latter offers us everything.”
Deep Night, Dark Night — Joe Plicka, Ekstasis — “We have achieved what our ancestors never even dreamed of, a perpetual day punctuated by brief periods of (planned, optional) semi-darkness.
We are not completely free from the night, naturally, which is still a time for more sleeping and less traveling, a better time for crime and unauthorized public art installations. But we don’t fear night anymore. Not really. Not compared to old times. We optimize it. We fly through it. We control it.”
The Fruit Of Obedience — Kirsten Sanders, To The Shire — “They do not intend to fight! They have no aspirations of replacing Mordor’s power with their own. They do not resist the domination of sheer power with activism or protest movements. They instead quietly move toward the darkness, seeking to destroy whatever pieces they hold of its dominion. They journey, with honor, to play a part they have not chosen in a history that is much larger than themselves… If you do not commit yourself to a bigger story, you will cast yourself as subject to your own desires.”
Sarah — Stephanie Ebert, Fathom — A beautiful poem.
Asking For Better Than Gender Parity — Leah Libresco Sargeant, Other Feminisms — The conversations that ensue with her prompts and questions are always so thoughtful. I found the highlights from this one intriguing.
Listening To Parents On Paid Family Leave — Patrick T. Brown, Newsweek (audio version available) — “A benefit to parents that doesn't carry the baggage of labor-force attachment and wage replacement could enjoy cleaner and more comprehensive implementation. The paid leave bill that was the model for Build Back Better, for example, would have left 30 percent of new parents—who disproportionately tend to be low-income and minorities—ineligible for benefits…
Especially if the Supreme Court opens the door to greater state regulation of abortion later this year, conservatives must be willing to stand up just as much against excessive individualism as against big government overreach. A modest, universal payment to all parents, with legal protection of their job should they return to the work force, would be a way to do just that.”
To Have And Have Not — Alan Jacobs, The Hedgehog Review — “There are larger senses in which, as Gilbert Meilaender wisely wrote many years ago, “I Want to Burden My Loved Ones”—but to burden them with thousands of pounds of books? That did not seem right.
But lately I have been rethinking that. It is true that a thin plastic device that displays pixels doesn’t make much of a mess, but then, it is also true that life is messy—and not always in a bad way.”
watching/listening
Scholar In Residence Lecture — Jessica Hooten Wilson — Every lecture or interview with her is illuminating, enriching, and makes you want to get reading. Here she is talking about what she does best: The stories in literature that form us. It reminded me of the thread in the essay linked above, when it comes to following those before in a bigger story, vs the weighty task of creating your own story and meaning. She just so happens to be speaking at my alma mater, and just so happens to include That Hideous Strength, which I finished this week. [Start at 9:55 to cut to her talk. Check out her newsletter here.]
The 7 Vices And Virtues — Tsh Oxenreider & Seth Haines, A Drink With A Friend — About a fourth of the way in, they review the definitions of the 7 vices and their opposite virtues. We don’t just aim to kill particular sins, we are made to actively cultivate virtues in their place.
using: product, tip, resource
Reader View — Often the only way I can read essays and articles online is with reader view. There are so many ads and flashing, moving, colorful things on a lot of websites and this takes it all away. The font size and colors are customizable. It simply makes for pleasant, focused online reading experiences.
Lemon Slices In Water — Self-explanatory.
remembering
A Year Ago:
Ezra on the cusp of 15 months and a 3 week old Lukas. Hangin with pals and getting fresh, Long Island air.
This Week:
A haircut and drink out by myself.
Playing catch with “dada’s discs.”
Slightly warmer air and more time to see the sunsets.
A new Diono carseat for Lukas.
Peach crisp (with oats, coconut oil, pecans and cinnamon!)
Been listening to this album by Silvana Estrada and quite a bit of Isla Vista Worship.
Realizing the more life we live, the more difficult and sad things we will experience — in our personal worlds and the worlds of those we know and love. Be gentle and generous with people. And receive such kindness from others.
You can now read Life Considered in the new Substack app for iPhone.
With the app, you’ll have a dedicated Inbox for my Substack and any others you subscribe to. New posts will never get lost in your email filters, or stuck in spam. Longer posts will never cut-off by your email app. Comments and rich media will all work seamlessly. Overall, it’s a big upgrade to the reading experience.
The Substack app is currently available for iOS. If you don’t have an Apple device, you can join the Android waitlist here.