The Craft of Living

19/03/2023

Here Oliver and I are tackling an important aspect that concerns the "In Media Res" podcast, namely, our frequent recourse to philosophical themes, concepts, thinkers, and works to illuminate faith and life. As it turns out, it is impossible for us to answer the question "Why Philosophy?" without going autobiographical, way back to those formative periods when we started to explore the meaning of religion during our teenage years and beyond. And I really love that aspect of our discussion, because listening to Oliver share his life nuggets is certainly one of the most enjoyable aspects of doing IMR with him.

Again, thanks to all of you who have given us gracious feedback so far. That means a lot to us!

10/02/2023

The question in the podcast title was prompted by an article in the Guardian that addresses that very question. Here I briefly touch upon it by offering a couple of points of agreement before suggesting a particular practice that might be helpful to us without running afoul of the criticism the piece lays out.

Here is the article link: https://bit.ly/3IcCa0e

The question in the podcast title was prompted by an article in the Guardian that addresses that very question. Here I briefly touch upon it by offering a couple of points of agreement before suggesting a particular practice that might be helpful ...

07/02/2023

A lot of people are lined up here: Moses, Aristotle, Jesus, Augustine, Kierkegaard, Schlegel, Sartre, Camus, and Adorno, among others. In other words, the article moves in all kinds of interesting directions, not all of which I would sign off to. However, the key point is spot on: "Genuine authenticity... requires, first of all, resistance to self-absorption and fantasy and, secondly, acknowledgement of our dependency on others and of the historical contingency that inhabits every corner of our lives."

From monks to existentialists and hipsters, the search for a true self has been a centuries-long project. Should we give it up?

05/02/2023

In our episode, Oliver Glanz and I reference the Sternstunde Philosophie interview with Amos Oz. It is worth giving it a listen.

70 years ago, on 14 May 1948, the State of Israel was founded. Yves Bossart speaks to Amos Oz, Israel’s most important author, about the conflict between Isr...

05/02/2023

A new episode of In Media Res is out. In it, we explore the place of spirituality in a secular context, the nature and shape of personal identity, the problem of moral luck, dimensions of "throwness" in the world, biblical perspectives on identity and will, and the possibilities of becoming a new self.

In this episode, we explore spirituality in a secular context, the nature and shape of personal identity, the problem of moral luck, dimensions of "throwness" in the world, biblical perspectives on identity and will, and the possibilities of becom...

03/02/2023

After a period of hiatus, CL is gearing up in new directions. For one, I have recently started a new podcast with my friend and colleague Oliver Glanz. As we state in our show description, in the "podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations on life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. And as the title of the show points to, we approach these things 'in the middle of things,' that is, by grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally."

We hope that you might find it meaningful!

https://inmediares.buzzsprout.com

‎Society & Culture · 2023

31/05/2022

In this episode, I continue discussing some key insights from Günter Figal's lecture series "Heidegger in Modernity" given at the University of Freiburg. Again, the themes of reduction, the simple, and the essential are stressed, including Heidegger's conception of philosophy as a type of wakefulness.
https://www.youtube.com/watchv=rJQv2dVI6kg&ab_channel=TheCraftofLiving%3AByAnteJeroncic

31/05/2022

Trying to wrap up writing a book chapter on violence, I reread a 2014 NYRB article on Maoist China and the methods employed aimed at the "liquidation of self." Ian Buruma writes:

It was never enough to engage in self-criticism, in writing or in public meetings; the cadres had to be convinced that the criticism was “sincere.” You could say you were the most poisonous of weeds, but this would not save you from further torments if your interrogators were unconvinced that you really meant it.
In most accounts, the distress caused by endless indoctrination, public denunciation, and self-criticism was worse than physical torture. Physical pain still allows the victim to retreat into himself. After days, months, years of mental torture there is no longer a self to retreat into. Besides self-abasement, victims were made to show their sincerity by persecuting others, sometimes friends or relatives. In many cases, su***de was the only way out. But ideally, if a person had finally reached the stage when his confessions were totally convincing, there was no longer any gap between acting and natural behavior, between faked and true thoughts. The process ended, in the phrase of a Chinese former victim, with “the physical and mental liquidation of oneself by oneself.” The theater had become real.
____________
Isn't this one of the worst aspects of violence and trauma in general? The erasure of identity, the inability to weave an intelligible narrative about who you are and what you are about? Just to think of the number of people such tragedies have befallen in the course of history is to invite paralyzing despair.

23/05/2022

As part of my evening shutdown ritual--wrapping things up, scheduling, journaling, reviewing craft of living matters, etc.--I spend some time in serendipitous review of past observations, quotations, readings, insights, etc. Today, I stumbled upon a 2016 entry (Evernote) from the "Walden":

“Men esteem truth remote, in the outskirts of the system, behind the farthest star, before Adam and after the last man. In eternity there is indeed something true and sublime. But all these times and places and occasions are now and here. God himself culminates in the present moment, and will never be more divine in the lapse of all the ages. And we are enabled to apprehend at all what is sublime and noble only by the perpetual instilling stilling and drenching of the reality which surrounds us. The universe constantly and obediently answers to our conceptions; whether we travel fast or slow, the track is laid for us. Let us spend our lives in conceiving then. The poet or the artist never yet had so fair and noble a design but some of his posterity at least could accomplish it."

As good as any thought to sign off.... Peace!

20/04/2022

We all have these people in our lives who push the "one thing" that supposedly presents a panacea for all existential ills. I have been peddling in those over the years myself, of course, deliberate cold exposure being one of them (with the usual medical disclaimers in place). In an effort to give some panache to my proselytizing efforts, I want to share an episode from Andrew Huberman's podcast where he discusses the mental, metabolic, and other health benefits of such a practice. All the good stuff about epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, brown fat, etc. is in there, including various protocols one could explore. Huberman is a neuroscientist and professor of neurobiology at Stanford. (You can also check out the episode on iTunes, Spotify, etc.)

I describe mechanisms by which deliberate cold exposure can enhance mental health, physical health, and performance. I detail specific protocols to safely en...

17/04/2022

My first take on a central theme in Martin Heidegger. I hope to expand on it in the coming episodes.

A couple of years, I came across Günter Figal's lecture series "Heidegger in Modernity" given at the University of Freiburg. In this episode, I begin some of...

06/04/2022

"The best route to happiness and life satisfaction is through transcending your egoistic insecurities, becoming the best version of yourself, and making a positive contribution to the world around you.” (275)

04/04/2022

After some CL updates and insights (cold exposure and a morning ritual practice concerning values implementation), I share and discuss some ideas from Fromm's "The Art of Loving." A classic that is as relevant as ever.

In this episode, I briefly engage some key insights from Erich From on the art of loving. On a more technical note, I want to apologize for the relatively ba...

24/03/2022

A new CL YouTube episode is out, as is the podcast version in iTunes and Spotify.

It's good to be back after a year! As I explain in the episode, a lot of things happened on my end that led me to set aside recordings for a while. In any ca...

24/03/2022

In this post, I briefly reflect on the following words by S. Kierkegaard: "What I really lack is to be clear in my mind what I am to do, not what I am to know, except in so far as a certain understanding must precede every action. The thing is to understand myself, to see what God really wishes me to do…. What good would it do me if the truth stood before me, cold and naked, not caring whether I recognized her or not, and producing in me a shudder of fear rather than a trusting devotion? Must not the truth be taken up into my life? That is what I now recognize as the most important thing."

What I really lack is to be clear in my mind what I am to do, not what I am to know, except in so far as a certain understanding must precede every action. The thing is to understand myself, to see what God really wishes me to do…. What good would it do me if the truth stood before me, cold and na...

24/03/2022

There are a number of reasons why Heidegger's thought matters to me, but perhaps the central reason is his following key insight: our presence enables the manifestation of the world. In other words, he stresses that "not only are we in direct contact with the people and things of this world, but also that our presence matters for how they are made manifest — how they come into presence — in the full potential that is associated with the sort of beings that they are..."

There are a number of reasons why Heidegger's thought matters to me, but perhaps the central reason is his following key insight: our presence enables the manifestation of the world. In other words, he stresses that not only are we in direct contact with the people and things of this world, but als

21/12/2021

... I want to utilize this simile of inventio as a symbolic shortcut for a particular existential style, a way of thinking about God, culture, and self through a cluster of interrelated metaphors: elaboration, incompleteness, discipline, practice, thematic unity, and performance...

As an example of contrapuntal improvisation, inventio is the quintessential form of musical exercises. In J. S. Bach’s work, inventions (or Aufrichtige Anleitugen ) usually entail a short exposition, a longer development, and, sometimes, a short recapitulation (Invention # 5, for example). In co

19/12/2021

"To see oneself in a state which nature did not intend, with one’s features all distorted, contributes in no small degree toward discrediting that passion."—Plutarch

I don’t know how it came about, but somehow, for some reason, Debbie, my wife, surreptitiously took a video of me getting worked up about something. That happened some time ago now, during an overseas trip. When I stumbled upon it a couple of years later, I was taken aback. The facial contortions, the unpleasant wining, the huffing and puffing over some inconsequential thing—what a spectacle to behold! I am still ashamed to think of it. Mortified, actually. And then the thought: “How often have I looked like that in my life, oblivious to the imprint I was leaving on the world around me?”

That experience primed me to read Plutarch’s “On the Control of Anger” (Moralia VI) with keen interest....

To see oneself in a state which nature did not intend, with one’s features all distorted, contributes in no small degree toward discrediting that passion.— Plutarch I don’t know how it came about, but somehow, for some reason, Debbie, my wife, took a video surreptitiously of me getting worked ...

19/12/2021

For many people in my circle of care and friendship, COVID has brought a profound sense of loss, a sense of fragility. I feel that too, quite acutely. But perhaps, right there, is an opportunity for reorienting. Perhaps such a seeping sense of impermanence reasserts an existential truism common to many wisdom traditions—the centrality of attention and mindfulness to a good life.

As Bakewell’s splendid biography highlights, Montaigne's essays repeatedly point us to that theme, so much so that the philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty describes him as someone who put "a consciousness astonished at itself at the core of human existence" (60)....
https://bit.ly/30DDINQ

28/02/2021

After I posted my last video on mental fortitude, Oliver Glanz, a friend and colleague of mine, raised some important questions in the comments section. He gave me some pause for thought, and so I decided to address his contention that acquiring grit is a result of life experiences - an osmosis model of self-formation, as it were - rather than some "methodology." In addition, in the LIFE UPDATES, the first part of the episode, I discuss Wim Hof, cold exposure, the concept of post-truth, and conspiracy theories.

After I posted my last video on mental fortitude, Oliver Glanz, a friend and colleague of mine, raised some important questions in the comments section. He g...

28/02/2021

Saying goodbye to a season by reflecting on some life lessons learned from cross-country skiing.

Saying goodbye to a season by reflecting on some life lessons. And, the date is February 27, not 28. Got lost in time there a bit.

16/02/2021

The craft of living always concerns matters such as truth, questioning, ignorance, suspension of judgment, and enlightened skepticism. With that in mind, I was intrigued to read Simon Blakckburn's distinction between ancient and (some of) contemporary relativism:

"Relativism in the ancient world typically issued in skepticism, whose main result was to be the suspension of all judgment. The skeptic, having recognized all that is to be said on both sides of any question, found that they balanced evenly, and therefore suspended belief, resigning himself to a state of epoche or lack of opinion. So doing, he stopped bothering, and enjoyed all the benefits of tranquillity of mind, ataraxia. Today this is not the way it goes. Today’s relativists, persuading themselves that all opinions enjoy the same standing in the light of reason, take it as a green light to believe what they like with as much conviction and force as they like. So while ancient skepticism was the sworn opponent of dogmatism, today dogmatisms feed and flourish on the desecrated co**se of reason."

-Blackburn, Truth, xiv

16/02/2021

Last month, Jonna Jinton, an artist from Grundtjärn, a tiny village in northern Sweden just below the arctic circle, released this wonderful video. An inspiring meditation on light and darkness, the seasons of life, connection with nature, gentle self-care, and the beauty of existence. While southwest Michigan where I live in is a different world, I felt that her visual story-telling speaking to some of my important values and aspirations.

Dark winters with no sunlight for many weeks, and bright summers with sunlight 24 hours/day. How is it to live with the extreme light conditions that countri...

14/02/2021

In my previous video, I broached the topic of mental fortitude, stressing its importance and manifoldness. Mental fortitude, in other words, is not just one thing but is something that is comprised of different elements. Here I advance the discussion by offering some important qualifications.

In my previous video, I broached the topic of mental fortitude, stressing its importance and manifoldness. Mental fortitude, in other words, is not just one ...

13/02/2021

This post provides some basic terms of reference for the Craft of Living, drafty as it might be at this point in time. In it, I state some of my fundamental convictions that animate my life.

This post amounts to a manifesto statement and will thus function as a living document. As with the “ Principles of Life-Change ” reflection, I will continue to revise and fine-tune it as time goes on. What is the Craft of Living? In the context of Western theology and philosophy, “the

12/02/2021

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Written in 1962, Ellul's words ring true today more than ever: “Those who read the press of their group and listen to the radio of their group are constantly reinforced in their allegiance. They learn more and more that their group is right, that its actions are justified; thus their beliefs are strengthened. At the same time, such propaganda contains elements of criticism and refutation of other groups, which will never be read or heard by a member of another group...Thus we see before our eyes how a world of closed minds establishes itself, a world in which everybody talks to himself, everybody constantly views his own certainty about himself and the wrongs done him by the Others - a world in which nobody listens to anybody else.”
― Jacques Ellul, Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes

01/02/2021

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"Shams and delusions are esteemed for soundest truths, while reality is fabulous. If men would steadily observe realities only, and not allow themselves to be deluded, life, to compare it with such things as we know, would be like a fairy tale and the Arabian Nights' Entertainments.... When we are unhurried and wise, we perceive that only great and worthy things have any permanent and absolute existence - that petty fears and petty pleasures are but the shadow of the reality. This is always exhilarating and sublime."

-H. D. Thoreau, Walden

31/01/2021

INTERESTING READS
Adam Grant just came out with an interesting article, the title of which piqued my interest. I usually listen carefully when Grant speaks, as is the case with his concluding thought: "I no longer believe it’s my place to change anyone’s mind. All I can do is try to understand their thinking and ask if they’re open to some rethinking. The rest is up to them."

Don’t try to change someone else’s mind. Instead, help them find their own motivation to change.

31/01/2021

In this episode, I discuss some additional aspects of Stoicism and its practical significance via Ross Edgley's "The Art of Resilience." I begin by sharing a couple of updates about things happening on my end (insights, readings, lessons learned, etc.).

In this episode, I discuss some additional aspects of Stoicism and its practical significance via Ross Edgley's "The Art of Resilience." I begin by sharing a...