We all live in the contemporary world, and are bombarded with miscellaneous information every day. While interacting with the immediate environment is useful and necessary, I personally find that listening to distant voices is as necessary.
I find that walking through life with only the current affairs by one's side makes one's soul rough and coarse. I need to read, think about, and hearken to things from the distant past, those time-tested gems. Otherwise something in me wither and then perish.
This morning I read a bit of Bertrand Russell.
5 comments:
Dear Dr.Mogi-sensei,
I read 'The Conquest of Happiness' by Bertrand Russell as a textbook of English class in highschool.
My classmates and I could not understand what Russell intended to tell, since we were too young to read this book. Reading this book brought us unhappiness, rather than happiness at that time because it was too hard for us. Now I can understand the intention of Russell, since from highschool days to the present, I have lived a life seeking the happiness in my own way.
This entry reminded me of Walt Whitman's poem,'They do not sweat and whine about their condition,’, ‘they do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins.’
I am sometimes influenced by emotion and the emotion causes some anxiety. At that time, Bertrand Russell and Walt Whitman give someone time to regroup!
there is indeed good reason why we say 'classics' about some works...for the reason you mention, they are priceless touchstones in the maelstrom of our daily lives. I wonder, which works could be the whole world's classics, which are unwritten, and how many wonderful ideas are found in all of these?
Dr. Ken Mogi,
I have just read your old and new bottoms story, very nice. The story has injected some fresh air into my heart and made me feel at home.
I agree. I'd like to have time more to listen to distant voices, both in Japanese and English.
The new series in your twitter started. Very exciting!
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