Extremely thoughtful essay. Chesterton is one of those guys I’ve always been on the fence about. I’m normally not big on religious epiphanies, but I think his late in life conversion to Catholicism gave him a perspective that was both unique and engaging. I should probably re-visit him.
Well, if nobody minds a white boy having a white boy moment, lemme say I needed (to read) this. The cortisol spikes have been non stop lately, and they were all about death, decay, war and the future. It's good to be a man that worries about his land and people, but we all have a life to live. Thanks Russell
Being a PTA member and naive about global politics didn’t stop the '50s housewife from megadosing diazepam. This + the family article, offer clever rationalisations for domestic life, but you’re essentially reverse-engineering Ned Flanders’ conservatism.
Bad take. It has nothing to do with changing your political opinions. It has to do with burning out for nothing, the very real and pervasive influence of media and the way it gets under your skin.
Talking about Trotsky, he relates somewhere in his writings that Russian revolutionaries went days without sleeping and barely eating to do as much as they physically could for the Soviets, in the big hours of the Revolution. That's the passion and exhaustion that is acceptable, depending on the political cause you're defending of course. The rest is useless malding and seething and overthinking which is what Russel talks about here.
Also let's grow up a little bit about the leftist' meme of "everything was actually hell in the 50's" please.
Benedict Option-ing by making a 1:1 replica of Travis Bickle’s apartment and filling it with Hitler biographies isn’t “burning out”, actually.
And yes, on balance, our world is infinitely better than the 1950s. Conservatives like you have done nothing more than replace a liberal shibboleth with a stupid one of your own.
Well, thanks for being crystal clear on how useless it is to talk to you, saves everyone's time. Talk about projecting lmfao, after all I said is that "everything was bad in the 50's" is a shit take with no nuance (which objectively it is) now I'm a mainstream "conservative".
"Our world is infinitely better than-" yeah, opinion automatically discarded. I'll take Russell's advice and turn the telescope off. Godspeed
This resonates so much, especially the learned helplessness part. I've noticed that weeks where I'm doom-scrolling through Gaza updates or whatever global crisis are the weeks I get absolutley nothing done in my own neighorhood or with my actual friends. Really needed this reminder to zoom out by zooming in, if that makes sense.
I was just telling someone the other day, "i think the reason I'm following the Iran protests so closely is because it's a lot more interesting than my daily life right now" lol
While being terminally online can sometimes act as a superpower through the kaleidoscopic frame of references it opens up, all too often it ends up just limiting and paralysing us. Another good article, one I needed to hear today!
This is, excuse me, a damn fine cup of Coffee. I wholeheartedly agree. Just log off. Go analog, as the Kids say. Not full unabomber, Just take it easy. One thing i would like to add, is this hyper online politics things seems to make People cynical. And these days i thing it is really bad to be cynical, for the world but also for you. I've started going to church a few months ago and one, really good message that's repeted there and in the évangiles is, open your heart. Or, reject cynicism. Which is, i think, very linked to egotism and learned helplness / depression. Get out there, open your heart, kick the telescope out.
Banger. I've been a telescopist and a microscopist at different points in my life, and the microscope is by far the better option. You still hear about the important things, but you avoid the inevitable blackpilling that comes with daily exposure to horror and tragedy.
Generally good advice, but... being telescopic about COVID and the mRNA vaccines certainly helped me at the microscopic level too. Going with the telescope metaphor, maybe the best negotiation is to keep a "parallax" view, and remember that what's closer in your view could actually hit you, but maybe, put what it's doing in the distant context? I dunno.
I'll start using “le microscope de Chesterton” in dîners mondains! (*puts monocle on*)
Immediately thought of Peterson's "fix what you can fix in your immediate vicinity" advice, which was incredibly potent for extremely good reasons. I still believe his religious retelling of the hero's journey is the endgame of all sorts of "self-help" talk. Like he solved the conundrum.
I almost never argue on formerly Twitter, and I'm amazed at the people who do. Why would anyone in his right mind get mad at people that he'll never see?
Voltaire was a phggt but "cultiver son jardin" was a prescient advice, to which I'd add "nosce te ipsum" and "memento mori" for good measure.
Great advice, well written.
How do begin microscoping? Take a pen and paper. Draw a small circle. Inside that, list everything you can personally influence.
That’s all you should focus on. Everything outside your circle of influence will likely drive you crazy.
You know it’s over when the Hitlerians (correct me if I am wrong) say “just go outside bro” 💔
I am not a Hitlerian!
So good. Nailed it.
I literally just published something today saying the same thing, but from another angle (and funnily enough actually tagged your status article).
I hope Chesterton’s Microscope does find its way into more than just Wikipedia
I’ll read and restack.
Much appreciated.
Extremely thoughtful essay. Chesterton is one of those guys I’ve always been on the fence about. I’m normally not big on religious epiphanies, but I think his late in life conversion to Catholicism gave him a perspective that was both unique and engaging. I should probably re-visit him.
Well, if nobody minds a white boy having a white boy moment, lemme say I needed (to read) this. The cortisol spikes have been non stop lately, and they were all about death, decay, war and the future. It's good to be a man that worries about his land and people, but we all have a life to live. Thanks Russell
Being a PTA member and naive about global politics didn’t stop the '50s housewife from megadosing diazepam. This + the family article, offer clever rationalisations for domestic life, but you’re essentially reverse-engineering Ned Flanders’ conservatism.
Maybe I need to write an article titled "Reverse-Engineering Ned Flanders' Conservatism."
The magnum opus of the Russell Walter Goy Trilogy
This article was not written for people in danger of becoming "Ned Flanders conservatives". The author clearly understands his chudience.
Bad take. It has nothing to do with changing your political opinions. It has to do with burning out for nothing, the very real and pervasive influence of media and the way it gets under your skin.
Talking about Trotsky, he relates somewhere in his writings that Russian revolutionaries went days without sleeping and barely eating to do as much as they physically could for the Soviets, in the big hours of the Revolution. That's the passion and exhaustion that is acceptable, depending on the political cause you're defending of course. The rest is useless malding and seething and overthinking which is what Russel talks about here.
Also let's grow up a little bit about the leftist' meme of "everything was actually hell in the 50's" please.
Benedict Option-ing by making a 1:1 replica of Travis Bickle’s apartment and filling it with Hitler biographies isn’t “burning out”, actually.
And yes, on balance, our world is infinitely better than the 1950s. Conservatives like you have done nothing more than replace a liberal shibboleth with a stupid one of your own.
Well, thanks for being crystal clear on how useless it is to talk to you, saves everyone's time. Talk about projecting lmfao, after all I said is that "everything was bad in the 50's" is a shit take with no nuance (which objectively it is) now I'm a mainstream "conservative".
"Our world is infinitely better than-" yeah, opinion automatically discarded. I'll take Russell's advice and turn the telescope off. Godspeed
very interesting article my friend thanks Tony Z
This resonates so much, especially the learned helplessness part. I've noticed that weeks where I'm doom-scrolling through Gaza updates or whatever global crisis are the weeks I get absolutley nothing done in my own neighorhood or with my actual friends. Really needed this reminder to zoom out by zooming in, if that makes sense.
I was just telling someone the other day, "i think the reason I'm following the Iran protests so closely is because it's a lot more interesting than my daily life right now" lol
While being terminally online can sometimes act as a superpower through the kaleidoscopic frame of references it opens up, all too often it ends up just limiting and paralysing us. Another good article, one I needed to hear today!
This is, excuse me, a damn fine cup of Coffee. I wholeheartedly agree. Just log off. Go analog, as the Kids say. Not full unabomber, Just take it easy. One thing i would like to add, is this hyper online politics things seems to make People cynical. And these days i thing it is really bad to be cynical, for the world but also for you. I've started going to church a few months ago and one, really good message that's repeted there and in the évangiles is, open your heart. Or, reject cynicism. Which is, i think, very linked to egotism and learned helplness / depression. Get out there, open your heart, kick the telescope out.
Masterpiece.
Banger. I've been a telescopist and a microscopist at different points in my life, and the microscope is by far the better option. You still hear about the important things, but you avoid the inevitable blackpilling that comes with daily exposure to horror and tragedy.
Generally good advice, but... being telescopic about COVID and the mRNA vaccines certainly helped me at the microscopic level too. Going with the telescope metaphor, maybe the best negotiation is to keep a "parallax" view, and remember that what's closer in your view could actually hit you, but maybe, put what it's doing in the distant context? I dunno.
wonderful article, great clear thinking. very applicable stuff for conversations with people
Added to my sidebar.
I'll start using “le microscope de Chesterton” in dîners mondains! (*puts monocle on*)
Immediately thought of Peterson's "fix what you can fix in your immediate vicinity" advice, which was incredibly potent for extremely good reasons. I still believe his religious retelling of the hero's journey is the endgame of all sorts of "self-help" talk. Like he solved the conundrum.
I almost never argue on formerly Twitter, and I'm amazed at the people who do. Why would anyone in his right mind get mad at people that he'll never see?
Voltaire was a phggt but "cultiver son jardin" was a prescient advice, to which I'd add "nosce te ipsum" and "memento mori" for good measure.