30 Comments

Having read Mary Webb's novel, "Precious Bane", in my early twenties, I particularly appreciate your use of the word "bane" as I have always resisted the continued degradation and diminishment of the English language.

https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=bane

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I very much understand this. The corruption of our language has been depressing for me as well, thus I do my best to write in a manner which would make our literate forefathers and mothers proud. Or, at least not embarrass them LOL

And I too love the word 'bane;' far too underused, in my opinion.

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Another word I particularly like is "behoove" as it implies a moral or ethical consideration.

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That's a great word, one even I utilize far too infrequently.

I have also conjured up the old-English word 'integrious' for modern usage, which means "person with great integrity." Wildly obscure even in its own time, I think it is vital now, especially since genuine integrity is as rare as the word these days. Indeed, if one can be called integrious in today's world, it would be - in my opinion - a very high compliment.

I DO love the words...

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In effect, a wordsmith.

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I look forward to your book.

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Frankly I was predisposed to liking this essay because Gwyneth restacked it and I have found her notes to be very valuable; unfortunately the essay was unclear to me about what conclusions it’s leading to. This could be just me though because I am not much of a second level thinker. Plus as a Catholic my faith and outlook is fairly direct and simple. So, thanks for sharing your thoughts and best wishes with the book. I have been wildly wrong often on what constitutes good reading.

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I appreciate your thoughts, and your candor. As this deals with a more esoteric subject than my normal, more straight-forward news and culture topics, it is written in a slightly baroque style, which is not enjoyed by everyone. It doesn't mean you are 'wrong' about what 'constitutes good reading,' maybe this was just not your vibe. No harm in that at all, from either side.

Glad you stopped by - always enjoy hearing from a fellow libertarian - and hope you have a great weekend.

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You’re good with the esoteric. Consider more?

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Very gracious of you; it is something I am very seriously considering.

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Looking forward to it!

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I do believe that great articles allow their readers to come to their own conclusions, knowing that it will be interpreted in accordance with their own respective cultural mileau, and whether they hear both the spoken and the unspoken words therein, or not.

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I could not agree more, Elliot, and that is EXACTLY for what I strive. I do not always hit the mark, of course, but it is one of the primary goals with every piece.

Appreciate your thoughts here!

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These matters you concern your self with are of utmost import. These are the iconclastic ideas with which I concur entirely. How we articulate our ideas is important to how the message is received and interpreted. For that reason I adopt a special mindset. Geometrically it could be taken to represent a five sided star pointing upwards. Essentially, how we embed meaning in to our use of words is relative to the magic in which we express them. Words have power. Incantations and spells have power. And we are captured by them, unless we use them for good. A good man, such as yourself for instance, knows that essentially the words that he chooses reflects the integrity of his consciousness. And as his will is pure, in most parts at least, he wants to bless the world with all that he is.

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Danged Elliot... that was powerful. As you said, magic in words... thank you.

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I think his "essay" (if one can call it that) was more a preview of his upcoming book. The concept of "Tri-con" seems to be founded in Universal laws and ethics. The Golden Mean comes to mind which, I think, does find support in the Catholic faith.

https://philosophybreak.com/articles/the-golden-mean-aristotle-guide-to-living-excellently/

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Thanks for this. You... well, pretty much nailed it. This is but one piece of the proverbial puzzle, so 'preview' is a perfect word for it.

Also, since I reference 'Natural Law' online a LOT, I figured it would be a good idea to have this as a reference point for anyone curious about my meaning.

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Thank you as well

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I feel like you could throw in some law of thermal dynamics in there. Good read man.

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Thank you kindly.

And it's funny you mention thermodynamics, because the first law plays into my theories - my beliefs - about the existence of a 'soul' (although my take on the word is a little different). That's definitely one of the pages I plan on posting in the coming weeks 🙂

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Energy maaannn lol. 😁

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BTW, I meant to say 'thanks' for the restack. Appreciate ya...

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I loved reading this. I saw a few comments about "conclusions," which, to my mind, seem misplaced. I read this as the "bios" of your operating system. Those hard rules that inform and ground your existence. Any outcomes from the actions that are informed by these natural laws are what life is. You accept them with equanimity and move forward. These ideas in the post also seemed similar to many Stoic ideas, which, like many philosophies, also are informed by nature. 

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I love this take, Bhuvan - and I would be a liar if I did not admit that Stoicism has had a wee-bit of influence in my overall view. So... nice catch! :-)

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts... *salute

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holy shit this was an instant subscribe before I got halfway through -- thank you

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Thank you, for the kind words ☺️

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I like this very much, I think in terms of cause and effect a lot, I believe whole heartedly that what you put out travels, if it’s incorrect it has the ability to cause problems for anyone else that takes it in, so every word in theory should be thought out carefully. Sometimes I get a bit angry on Substack ant rant in quite the opposite direction of how I really feel, so my hypocrisy stairs me in the face quite often, but I’m trying. I value honesty over feelings always!! Great piece!

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Thanks so much! And yes, those occasional rants still sneak on me too LOL Having the self-awareness to identify them, and torespond accordingly, is key to overcoming them; I am still working on that part :-)

Great comment, sharp and insightful!

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As One with a spiritual aspect, yet very "down-to-earth," I see Natural Law as being, "Do no harm." And I greatly prefer the three Laws of Ethics, because They are so specific and clear:

The three Laws of Ethics (Natural Law expressed as the three things not to do):

1. Do not willfully and without fully informed consent hurt or kill the flesh of anOther

2. Do not willfully and without fully informed consent take or damage anything that does not belong to You alone

3. Do not willfully defraud anOther (which can only happen without fully informed consent)

But indeed... We are on the same page!

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Hi. Two keywords are missing here. Planetary boundaries (there are nine) and Biophysical limits (of the entire planet).

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