Colin, it’s intriguing to me that you were composing this at the same time as I’ve been pondering the same concerns. In January, I began rereading Lewis' Space Trilogy, drawn to reading it for the third time in my lifetime. I need to remind myself that this allure of comfort and ceding to the banality of evil is embedded in humans. This past week, I've mostly withdrawn from media to ponder. I too have a cultural desire to nurture my mind. I listened to Ayaan Hirsi Ali at ARC, and also her most recent lengthy interview elsewhere. As we are both educators, there are no words to express my intense concern, nay, it's really despair, over cognitive decline, but, even more so, the apathy about it. Mark Studdock in Lewis’ novel is the archetype of most people, he isn’t villain nor hero, just apathetic. Our society is filled with Marks. But, it makes sense, for there is pain in being awake to the deeper reality. Evil, if we may call it that, is more insidious when it comes in the form of comfort. I lay awake at night, pondering the reality of today, often meditating at 3am, and considering what this means to me, my actions going forward. My absence from Substack was to re-claim my inner calm, and to gather my courage for what lies ahead. To answer your questions embedded in your opening paragraph, I’m certain the direction of your work and writing will become clear to you, and whatever you write, I’m certain those of us who deeply resonate with your words will always be reading and engaging. For after all, those of us who deeply care and ponder the multi-faceted issues you raise know we must encourage one another to stay deeply involved - For if not us, then who? I'm Grateful for your writings Colin, thank you.
He was such a gifted writer. The ability to keep the reader mesmerized by the quaint and the mundane. A wonderful gift.
Great observation, our society is indeed filled with Marks... and the choices we make may indeed seem the lesser evil.
It is good that you had time to reflect and 'withdraw'. I think that we all need that from time to time. Maybe more often than not these days. I hope that it gave you inner peace and the calm needed. Meditating early in the day can be a good start to help. The blissful solitude and quiet time is essential.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali has led a fascinating and indeed courageous life. Her book Infidel still provides pain when I think about it. Yet, she stands firm in her convictions despite the madness around her and the serious threats to her life.
Thank YOU so much for your words and support, some days we need to find that voice of friendship that pushes us on - like Frodo in the Lord of the Rings and his friend Sam (Maybe like Tolkein and Lewis) - everyone needs a little encouragement, a nudge - which helps a reset on the bigger task - in our case raising awareness of cognitive decline and the joy of learning. Stay peaceful.
Thank you again, Colin. I read Lewis's trilogy way back as a teenager, along with Asimov, Heinlein, Bradbury, Herbert, Wyndam. Time for a re-read, I'm sure; I'd get more out of it now.
On a different note, (referring back to your opening comment) you have put out a lot of great work out on Substack in the last three months; maybe time for a break -- also part of the work (and not copping out). I see that from Wendy's comment too.
I laugh intensely at Out of the Silent Planet. His writing is sublime in terms of observations on human nature. Well worth a re-read. I need to revisit Asimov and Wyndam - good reminder.
Thank you about the comment on time out. I am more thinking about work - when to retire :-) Writing is a joy that fulfils me. Sometimes work can be more disruptive. I think academia needs to change significantly to meet the business and students needs, not the professors, but I feel like pulling teeth in the institute:-) But this too will pass - Thank YOU
For sure, time to reread all those authors. Sadly, my hard copies are gone. They are hard to replace. I read many of them again when my sons and I read them together. I do own battered copies of The Cystalids, Brave New World, and 1984. All of those authors were read by teens/young adults in the late 1960s and 1970s, most often for school. This is not the case now in Canada. They have been replaced with uninspired books, all minus rich language or moral context. No wonder they don't read. It is meaningless fluff . I agree with you that breaks are part of the work; breaks are necessary, hence mine own this past week. I also know that this time is critical as the pivot point is upon us. My values and my concerns demand my engagement. I will stay peaceful in spirit but know i must engage with intensity; there is an urgency that cannot be denied. But, I will remember to take care of my inner spirit along the way, for without that, one can do little.
One of the concerns I have been struggling with is the texts people read and especially young people, as you say these "uninspired books, all minus rich language or moral context," of "meaningless fluff" it is very much against society that we do this. Thankfully at university I have a large degree of freedom to share wider content but I see the challenges for students.
You are right we must be engaged, and maintain the core of our values always. Recently, I started meditating every morning, reading deeply spiritual fragments and keeping that message in my heart throughout the day. I have found it soothing and peaceful, irrespective of what comes, our engagement is strengthened through our values. Engaging with intensity is important at these pivotal times, I guess that is what I was thinking at the start of this article - to do that is important or we become passive observers and suddenly it is too late.
Good that you will always nurture your inner spirit. This can never be sacrificed.
Since selling the farm/quinta 4 months ago, I've found myself in one of those 'in-between-jobs' phases, coupled with a sense of Winter hibernation. Now with Spring along the way, bird-song has shifted to be more sparky, blossom is out, and Nature is gearing up again. Went and bought a pile of wood today to initiate my next sculpting installation, and last week spent hours doing the maths for the next geodesic dome(s). I think 'going with the seasons' taps into some kind of 'natural productivity' with bursts of energy, and then times of rest in between.
At some point, probably when moving to Portugal, I gave away all my old sci-fi books to a charity-shop along with much else, but when clearing out my mother's house some years later picked up ancient copies of Lewis's Screwtape Letters, and Surprised by Joy, next to Bonhoeffer's Life Together.
I like you statement-intention: " I will stay peaceful in spirit but know i must engage with intensity". The 'engage with intensity' bit comes easy to me; not so much the 'stay peaceful'. In today's turbulent times, not so easy, ... or is it I have always viewed the world through my turbulent mind ("we see things as we are, not as they are")
Wonderful examination. I reread the Space Trilogy last year and this makes me want to crack it open yet again. Weirdly struggled with THS this time as a book (it was my favorite as an adolescent), but the parallels between Lewis imagined then and our very real now struck me between the eyes. Incredibly prescient.
That's almost certainly the case. However, I'm more worried about attempts (for profit sake) to offload human judgement onto AI. We're decades away from the kind of technology that can truly do that successfully.
"As for the loss of meaning that many find in work..."
The vast majority of people find no meaning in work beyond a paltry paycheck.
Provide people with the basic necessities of life, and most will find meaning for themselves.
"...In the EU War is on our border, the media is awash with US politics...There are so many questions that keep me awake at night!"
Here in the US, war is >within< our border. Sure, hot war hasn't broken out - yet - but we feel it coming, and like you, it's interfering with our sleep cycles.
"...a world where scientific ambition, unmoored from moral clarity, metastasizes into a grotesque parody of enlightenment."
AKA, Elon Musk.
"The modern world, like Lewis’ fictional one, is shaped not by brute force, but by invisible hands guiding thought and action under the guise of efficiency and progress."
Yes, and unlike N.I.C.E., it's being done by blatantly evil people for blatantly nefarious reasons.
"...the most dangerous form of evil is not always the deliberate malice of a villain, but the moral passivity of ordinary individuals who fail to recognize when they are being used by corrupt systems."
This sounds like Marco Rubio.
"Faith, in Lewis’ view, is not about blind obedience but about recognizing that morality cannot be dictated solely by human institutions or intellectualism; it must be grounded in something deeper."
Therein lies the rub. Faith too can be subverted. Witness the christofascism that's taken hold here in the US, especially in the south. When the pseudo-faithful seize power, the results are never genuinely moral. They inflict their pseudo-morality on the rest of us like a cudgel.
I agree that a bureaucracy out of control is stifling, but as we are now experiencing, the wanton destruction of bureaucracy can be so much worse.
The current bureaucracy grew out of the Administrative State of a hundred years ago, a movement to enlist experts to guide us through the increasingly complex technological age. That premise is the primary reason so many people drift today and defer to 'authority'. It's not only easier to let someone else make decisions, our default is socially expected.
When I find inconsistencies and contradictions in the news of the day, I'm reluctant to voice my concerns and be labeled a 'denier'. Who am I to question? Indeed, who am I at all? In the end, I find comfort in having set my own standard, a decision many about me neglect.
Colin, it’s intriguing to me that you were composing this at the same time as I’ve been pondering the same concerns. In January, I began rereading Lewis' Space Trilogy, drawn to reading it for the third time in my lifetime. I need to remind myself that this allure of comfort and ceding to the banality of evil is embedded in humans. This past week, I've mostly withdrawn from media to ponder. I too have a cultural desire to nurture my mind. I listened to Ayaan Hirsi Ali at ARC, and also her most recent lengthy interview elsewhere. As we are both educators, there are no words to express my intense concern, nay, it's really despair, over cognitive decline, but, even more so, the apathy about it. Mark Studdock in Lewis’ novel is the archetype of most people, he isn’t villain nor hero, just apathetic. Our society is filled with Marks. But, it makes sense, for there is pain in being awake to the deeper reality. Evil, if we may call it that, is more insidious when it comes in the form of comfort. I lay awake at night, pondering the reality of today, often meditating at 3am, and considering what this means to me, my actions going forward. My absence from Substack was to re-claim my inner calm, and to gather my courage for what lies ahead. To answer your questions embedded in your opening paragraph, I’m certain the direction of your work and writing will become clear to you, and whatever you write, I’m certain those of us who deeply resonate with your words will always be reading and engaging. For after all, those of us who deeply care and ponder the multi-faceted issues you raise know we must encourage one another to stay deeply involved - For if not us, then who? I'm Grateful for your writings Colin, thank you.
He was such a gifted writer. The ability to keep the reader mesmerized by the quaint and the mundane. A wonderful gift.
Great observation, our society is indeed filled with Marks... and the choices we make may indeed seem the lesser evil.
It is good that you had time to reflect and 'withdraw'. I think that we all need that from time to time. Maybe more often than not these days. I hope that it gave you inner peace and the calm needed. Meditating early in the day can be a good start to help. The blissful solitude and quiet time is essential.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali has led a fascinating and indeed courageous life. Her book Infidel still provides pain when I think about it. Yet, she stands firm in her convictions despite the madness around her and the serious threats to her life.
Thank YOU so much for your words and support, some days we need to find that voice of friendship that pushes us on - like Frodo in the Lord of the Rings and his friend Sam (Maybe like Tolkein and Lewis) - everyone needs a little encouragement, a nudge - which helps a reset on the bigger task - in our case raising awareness of cognitive decline and the joy of learning. Stay peaceful.
Thank you again, Colin. I read Lewis's trilogy way back as a teenager, along with Asimov, Heinlein, Bradbury, Herbert, Wyndam. Time for a re-read, I'm sure; I'd get more out of it now.
On a different note, (referring back to your opening comment) you have put out a lot of great work out on Substack in the last three months; maybe time for a break -- also part of the work (and not copping out). I see that from Wendy's comment too.
I laugh intensely at Out of the Silent Planet. His writing is sublime in terms of observations on human nature. Well worth a re-read. I need to revisit Asimov and Wyndam - good reminder.
Thank you about the comment on time out. I am more thinking about work - when to retire :-) Writing is a joy that fulfils me. Sometimes work can be more disruptive. I think academia needs to change significantly to meet the business and students needs, not the professors, but I feel like pulling teeth in the institute:-) But this too will pass - Thank YOU
For sure, time to reread all those authors. Sadly, my hard copies are gone. They are hard to replace. I read many of them again when my sons and I read them together. I do own battered copies of The Cystalids, Brave New World, and 1984. All of those authors were read by teens/young adults in the late 1960s and 1970s, most often for school. This is not the case now in Canada. They have been replaced with uninspired books, all minus rich language or moral context. No wonder they don't read. It is meaningless fluff . I agree with you that breaks are part of the work; breaks are necessary, hence mine own this past week. I also know that this time is critical as the pivot point is upon us. My values and my concerns demand my engagement. I will stay peaceful in spirit but know i must engage with intensity; there is an urgency that cannot be denied. But, I will remember to take care of my inner spirit along the way, for without that, one can do little.
One of the concerns I have been struggling with is the texts people read and especially young people, as you say these "uninspired books, all minus rich language or moral context," of "meaningless fluff" it is very much against society that we do this. Thankfully at university I have a large degree of freedom to share wider content but I see the challenges for students.
You are right we must be engaged, and maintain the core of our values always. Recently, I started meditating every morning, reading deeply spiritual fragments and keeping that message in my heart throughout the day. I have found it soothing and peaceful, irrespective of what comes, our engagement is strengthened through our values. Engaging with intensity is important at these pivotal times, I guess that is what I was thinking at the start of this article - to do that is important or we become passive observers and suddenly it is too late.
Good that you will always nurture your inner spirit. This can never be sacrificed.
Since selling the farm/quinta 4 months ago, I've found myself in one of those 'in-between-jobs' phases, coupled with a sense of Winter hibernation. Now with Spring along the way, bird-song has shifted to be more sparky, blossom is out, and Nature is gearing up again. Went and bought a pile of wood today to initiate my next sculpting installation, and last week spent hours doing the maths for the next geodesic dome(s). I think 'going with the seasons' taps into some kind of 'natural productivity' with bursts of energy, and then times of rest in between.
At some point, probably when moving to Portugal, I gave away all my old sci-fi books to a charity-shop along with much else, but when clearing out my mother's house some years later picked up ancient copies of Lewis's Screwtape Letters, and Surprised by Joy, next to Bonhoeffer's Life Together.
I like you statement-intention: " I will stay peaceful in spirit but know i must engage with intensity". The 'engage with intensity' bit comes easy to me; not so much the 'stay peaceful'. In today's turbulent times, not so easy, ... or is it I have always viewed the world through my turbulent mind ("we see things as we are, not as they are")
That is a shame about the books, all wonderful reads. Bonhoeffer's Life Together is so insightful.
You are right, it is not easy to keep our inner peace, but we must find a way!
Wonderful examination. I reread the Space Trilogy last year and this makes me want to crack it open yet again. Weirdly struggled with THS this time as a book (it was my favorite as an adolescent), but the parallels between Lewis imagined then and our very real now struck me between the eyes. Incredibly prescient.
Thank you. It is always a good time to crack open the Space Trilogy. Yes, eerie prescience with THS. Hope you 'struggle' less this time.
"...AI will diminish critical thinking..."
That's almost certainly the case. However, I'm more worried about attempts (for profit sake) to offload human judgement onto AI. We're decades away from the kind of technology that can truly do that successfully.
"As for the loss of meaning that many find in work..."
The vast majority of people find no meaning in work beyond a paltry paycheck.
Provide people with the basic necessities of life, and most will find meaning for themselves.
"...In the EU War is on our border, the media is awash with US politics...There are so many questions that keep me awake at night!"
Here in the US, war is >within< our border. Sure, hot war hasn't broken out - yet - but we feel it coming, and like you, it's interfering with our sleep cycles.
"...a world where scientific ambition, unmoored from moral clarity, metastasizes into a grotesque parody of enlightenment."
AKA, Elon Musk.
"The modern world, like Lewis’ fictional one, is shaped not by brute force, but by invisible hands guiding thought and action under the guise of efficiency and progress."
Yes, and unlike N.I.C.E., it's being done by blatantly evil people for blatantly nefarious reasons.
"...the most dangerous form of evil is not always the deliberate malice of a villain, but the moral passivity of ordinary individuals who fail to recognize when they are being used by corrupt systems."
This sounds like Marco Rubio.
"Faith, in Lewis’ view, is not about blind obedience but about recognizing that morality cannot be dictated solely by human institutions or intellectualism; it must be grounded in something deeper."
Therein lies the rub. Faith too can be subverted. Witness the christofascism that's taken hold here in the US, especially in the south. When the pseudo-faithful seize power, the results are never genuinely moral. They inflict their pseudo-morality on the rest of us like a cudgel.
I agree that a bureaucracy out of control is stifling, but as we are now experiencing, the wanton destruction of bureaucracy can be so much worse.
The current bureaucracy grew out of the Administrative State of a hundred years ago, a movement to enlist experts to guide us through the increasingly complex technological age. That premise is the primary reason so many people drift today and defer to 'authority'. It's not only easier to let someone else make decisions, our default is socially expected.
When I find inconsistencies and contradictions in the news of the day, I'm reluctant to voice my concerns and be labeled a 'denier'. Who am I to question? Indeed, who am I at all? In the end, I find comfort in having set my own standard, a decision many about me neglect.