Happy Friday,
It is officially my favorite time of year, with clear skies and chilly temperatures. We are enjoying autumnal rhythms here; embracing the shorter days wearing thick socks; ending the day on the couch with books, wrapped in blankets, sipping piping mugs of tea.
Here is what I’d like to share this week:
How did poetry go from the honored central place of high culture to a nearly extinct writing form in the space of a century? Tanner Greer puts forth a theory explaining this modern decline.
Ed West presents the rational case for monarchy; “It’s not that some systems of government or institutions are superior; rather that they have evolved to fit the culture, just like different styles of vernacular architecture come to make best of the local climate.”
On the curious behavior of writers.
A proposal to look at lifelong education as a strategy for colleges and universities, which would emphasize learning new skills (not new or graduate degrees) as the economy demands them.
I enjoyed this short blog post from Cal Newport, illustrating how building your schedule with time to work is a necessary part of being productive, and that making sure you have dedicated hours to work is not selfish, but prudent.
Currently reading: The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie (It’s still Banned Book Week – what are you reading?)
Have a great weekend.
Image: “Schmuggler unter einer alten Eiche bei Mondaufgang”(1897) by Eduard Leonhardi
