This podcast is a reading of Thomas Gray’s poem Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard. It is a stately meditation on mortality and glory, themes that appear frequently in Stoic writings.
Podcast
Do What You Love, Because Life’s Going To Kick You In The Head No Matter What You Do (Podcast)
A reader asks if he’s making the right decision by leaving his corporate job and going to law school. He is uninspired by his current job, feels restless, and wants to fight against the injustices he sees around him. He is intelligent, organized, and motivated to change. I offer some thoughts on his decision.
The Multimixer Moment (Podcast)
In life there are certain crisis points that may lead to fateful decisions. Recognizing these points, and acting decisively when they are reached, is the mark of a true man of action. When you are on a track that you don’t want to be on, you will eventually have to choose one of two options: accept your present circumstances, or take dramatic action to break out of your situation. This crisis point, this moment of decision, what I call the “Multimixer Moment.” It’s a reference to a scene in the 2016 film The Founder, a movie about how a traveling salesman named Ray Kroc founded the McDonald’s franchise.
Do Not Surrender The Playing Field (Podcast)
There are too many who are too quick to leave the field, give up, and throw in the towel. When you do that, you forfeit the game to the other side. And in many cases, the unworthies win. Then they end up in positions of power. Good men and women must always be prepared to see the game through to the very end, and must never allow themselves to concede the game. You have just as much right to be there as the unworthies do, so stake a claim, and make yourself heard.
Take Responsibility For What You Do (Podcast)
If you’ve been assigned a job or a position, take responsibility for what you do. Form your plans, put them into action, and stand by your decisions no matter what the consequences. Don’t shirk responsibility, don’t pass the buck, and don’t look to create excuses if things don’t go as planned. Our society is filled with buck-passers, dirtbags, and weasels who are always looking to affix blame for things on anyone but themselves. We discuss details, using a conversation between President Lincoln and General U.S. Grant as a guide.
The G Manifesto Tweet Readings: Herd Immunity Edition
We’re back, and pushing for herd immunity! It’s July 14, 2020. And here is the latest installment of the authorized G Manifesto (Twitter: @MichaelPorfirio) tweet readings.
The only authorized readings, mind you.
Thoughts On “Apocalypse Now” (Podcast)
In this podcast we discuss the movie “Apocalypse Now” (1979). We deal with the problematic shooting of the film, the choices of actors, and aspects of the script. We then explore the movie’s major themes.
Plato’s Five Components Of Happiness (Podcast)
In this podcast I answer an email from a reader. He enjoyed a great job as a bartender before the Covid crisis hit, and now has to go back to work with greatly reduced hours and uncertain prospects. He isn’t sure whether to go back, or to try something new. We discuss. We also talk about Plato’s five components of happiness, and how they relate to his situation.
The World Provides Our Necessities (Podcast)
The world is a provider of necessities. Just when you think you’ve hit rock bottom, things have a way of turning around if you keep fighting and stay in the game. The only way to lose is to be a quitter. Have faith in the world’s fructifying ability to provide for our needs.
The Ring Of Thoth: A Tale Of The Supernatural By Arthur Conan Doyle (Podcast)
This podcast is a reading of A. Conan Doyle’s tale of the supernatural, “The Ring Of Thoth.” First published in 1890, it recounts the horrific consequences of an ancient Egyptian priest’s discovery of the secret to eternal life.
Quintus Curtius 
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