A commitment to continual learning.
Back from my disconnect from society, I’ve discovered a strange truth, but it’s not like Ezio did when he proclaimed he was merely a conduit for a message that eluded his understanding. No, it’s that the internet has made us less connected, not more, as originally thought. Loneliness is at an all-time high, people are feeling more cut off and separate from others and indeed the world. The need to build genuine communities couldn’t be greater otherwise people will keep being prone to fall prey to opportunists, manipulation, deceit and extremism – see “The Derangement of the Modern Human” for more.
So much for improving my hope and optimism this year, I haven’t even made it past the first paragraph and I’ve already reverted to type haha, but would you have me any other way? If anything, I feel I need to be a bit more unapologetically myself and a little less concerned with “do you think I am a good person?” Perhaps I’ll be a little less selfless and little more disagreeable this year. It’s all about giving the people what they want and if I get it wrong the internet will surely tell me!
“The quality of the world that comes to your attention depends on the quality of your attention that you bring to it.” – Dr Iain McGilchrist
Getting people to think more for themselves – how do you sell that in 2025?!
It’s why, over this entire writing venture, I don’t tell people what to think – I teach people how to think, I try to guide people in a better direction, perhaps get them to think in a way which was previously unknown to them or provide an insight. Awareness, perception, knowledge…these are all crucial, particular of the self. Like you, I’m not immune from the constant bombardment we face, it wears everyone down. However, we must endeavour to remain steadfast and calm in the face of adversity, to not lose our composure when the world is seemingly falling down. Realising our own idiocy goes a long way in keeping our humility.
“There is a time for feelings, but feeling all the time wipes us out.”
So, how do we reconcile love and reason? Just a small question there, easy…haha. I have this pencilled for greater exploration in another article, but briefly here, we haven’t solved it nor is the solution obvious by any stretch of the imagination. I like to admire (and criticise) the pros and cons of each. Some say that love is there for when reason fails. I’m more inclined to use reason in the service of love. There needs to be a healthy synergy between the two – the absence or overbearing of one is not going to net good results.
We should ask first can we reconcile love and reason or is it a bridge too far? Akin to the discussions around reconciling science and religion, reason and faith, Athens and Jerusalem, or more along the lines of what I’ve been doing of the years, academia and the layman. Ah, the eternal struggle or man…taking on the burdens of mankind so you don’t have to. It’s a largely thankless task – as a general rule, no one goes around thanking you for doing so – but as I said in my final article of 2024, I do believe I’ll be rewarded for my efforts. It’s also a bit of a privilege to do so in a strange sense.
"‘Tis a lesson you should heed
Try, try, try again;
If at first you don’t succeed,
Try, try, try again."
– William Hickson
Read, re-read…watch, re-watch…learn, re-learn…you don’t just do something once and you’ve nailed it. You don’t read Plato or Dostoevsky once and glean everything. You’re not fluent in Italian after one lesson. You don’t say I love you to a person once and never have to say it again, or worse, separate your actions from your love. Practice. Repetition. Continual learning and application.
Life seems to be demanding more from us year by year, and this year is no different. Endure what you must because I believe you can. Enjoy what you can because I believe you must.
Here’s to you, fellow traveller. May our paths cross again.
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With age comes wisdom, sometimes mould as well.