Welcome to the weekend,
Today is George Orwell’s birthday, and I’d like to recommend one of my favorite of his essays, “Shooting an Elephant.”
It is the end of June, which means summer has officially begun. This week I’ve been reacquainted with with why running in Texas is so difficult (hint: it’s the heat). Regardless of the sweatiness of summer days, I’m keeping up with my daily habit of getting outside in the sunshine every day, since it’s so good for you.
I hope you’re able to find some quiet time for yourself this weekend.
Here is what I’d like to share this week:
Adam Garfinkle’s essay framing the lack of deep literacy as a critical aspect of democracy and civic engagement. More specifically, Garfinkle underscores the importance of being able to study and think deeply about a story or problem, then being able to imagine a solution. This is all but impossible in a population of non-readers. Without creative breakthroughs, our society is destined to only recycle what has been, rather than build new ways forward.
This guide of twenty-two tips for storytelling from Pixar. My favorite on the list- “You won’t see what the story is actually about until you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.”
A side of the college education debate we don’t normally hear: Chinese college students have revolted against the CCP’s plan to roll vocational schools into private universities.
“The Cultural Evolution of Pants” is a rather cheeky look at the real reasons men today wear pants, rather than a toga or kilt (Scotland being the obvious exception). It certainly isn’t for the comfort. Turchin argues that pants were more efficient for horse-riding cavalries, and over the centuries have evolved to simply signal social competence and professionalism.
Early modern age criticisms decrying the commonplace book and even alphabetical indexing as “not reading,” and a pedestrian hobby for pretenders. We humans were criticizing others’ reading habits even in the 1500s. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Currently reading: The House of the Dead by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Enjoy your weekend.
