Despite my silence for the last few of weeks, rest assured that I have not been asleep at the wheel…
Greetings
First off, Merry – or better yet, Happy – or better yet, Blessed – Christmas. I think of those as progressively deeper layers of Christmas spirit. Your vocabulary and mileage may vary.
Reflections at the change of the year
There seems to be quite a lot going on in the world, but I’m not convinced that the world is changing faster than ever. History is thick with times and places where things have changed utterly and irrevocably overnight (revolution, natural disaster or death up close will do that for anyone) in ways that make 21st century change pale in comparison.
Nevertheless, with Everything Going On it’s easy to find oneself feeling slightly adrift.
As we approach 2025, here are a few little antidotes that help me get – or keep – my bearings:
Do the next kind or useful action
Right now, in your moment of existential unease – what is the most immediate kind or useful action you can perform? Try tidying the place up a bit, sweeping the floor, helping a friend get a job done, making someone a cup of something, or sending a message to a long lost cousin. This is not strategic per se, but rather the kind of tactical breakfast that allows you to invite strategy for lunch in due course.
Take a long view
Read or listen to or visit some history: there’s nothing like historical nuance to dispel the fog of contemporary moral outrage and panic. The Rest is History podcast has become my go to in recent months, of which more in a future post. Take solace in – be spurred to greatness by! – the knowledge that people have often behaved much more terribly – and much more nobly! – than most of us do today. Let the contingency and absurdity of history take the pressure off today.
Read older books
Gain further perspective by reading the books the people you read read. Repeat same with the second layer of books. It’s the original low-latency internet. The classics are usually easier to digest than the commentators, and are invariably more beautiful.
Spend time with your people
… fully prepared for the fact that companionship can only be built on a foundation of time and things shared, including the prosaic, the irksome.
Embrace the offline-ephemeral
Doodle. Do jigsaw puzzles. Exercise out of doors. Make your own music. Grow plants. Raise pets or children. Build a civilisation.