What are the traits and qualities that enable a man to survive in extreme adversity? How do different factors increase or decrease a man’s odds? And what lessons can be drawn from the experiences of others? We weigh the competing variables, and try to arrive at some conclusions.
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A beautiful feature of proverbs and aphorisms is their flexibility of interpretation. Different readers can find in them varying interpretations based on their own experiences and perceptions. Some proverbs admit only a narrow degree of interpretive variance; others draw their power from ambiguity, and allow for a broad range of possible meanings.
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The fifth century Gallo-Roman writer Sidonius Apollinaris, in a letter to his friend Heronius, mentions hearing during his travels the congratulatory shout of “Thalassio” in the streets, theaters, and marketplaces. An editor’s footnote to the text explains that the exclamation was a standard Roman expression of good wishes to a newlywed couple.
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St. Paul Island is one of those innumerable specks of land in the northeast Atlantic that are perpetually lashed by frigid wind and wave. It is located about fifteen miles northeast of Cape North on Cape Breton Island; it is near the Cabot Strait between the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Atlantic Ocean. In centuries past it hosted residents, but is now uninhabited.
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There is an anecdote found in Valerius Maximus (VI.2.10) that calls our attention to the difference between the respective powers of raw force and steady patience. A brutal consul named Cnaeus Carbo was threatening to put the city of Placentia under siege. He ordered a city magistrate named Marcus Castricius to give him hostages as part of his campaign of destruction.
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The political philosopher Ibn Zafar, in his masterful treatise Consolation for the Ruler During the Hostility of his Subjects, states as follows:
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There is an unintentionally amusing passage in a letter Petrarch sent to his brother Gherardo in 1349. In it, the harried scholar pours out his frustration at the antagonistic and insulting behavior of his servants:
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Some of our most painful experiences can be the unexpected dissolution of friendships once thought to be robust and dependable. The memories of shared joys persist, troubling our consciences with conflicting and perplexing emotions. How did the collapse happen? What degree of culpability do I share in this outcome? What, if anything, might have been done differently? These thoughts, and many more like them, haunt and oppress our retrospective inquiries.
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I recently watched a compelling four-part Netflix documentary entitled Crime Scene: The Vanishing At The Cecil Hotel. I had never heard of the Elisa Lam story before, and I was struck by how tragic it was, on so many levels. In this podcast, I try to explain why. What are your thoughts? What do you think about it?
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My new collection of essays, Centuries, was published on June 23, 2024. It contains all pieces published between 2020 and 2023. The book is currently available in both paperback and Kindle, and a hardcover version will be coming shortly. This podcast is a reading from the book’s preface. It distills some of the ideas I consider most important.
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Quintus Curtius 
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