Last week the new translation of Cicero’s On The Nature Of The Gods was published. It is available in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle. An audiobook version will come out next month. This podcast explains what the book is about, why it is important, and the special features my translation has. I also read the translation’s Foreword.
There is a certain personality type that anyone offering a service is aware of. I call him the Excessive Questions Warrior. This is someone who peppers you will extended, excessive questions about their issue, with an inordinate focus on your capabilities. The purpose is to exert control or dominance over the interaction. Such people are never going to hire you. Either someone trusts you and and is willing to take guidance from you, or they do not. We discuss how to spot these types, and how to handle them.
If you are in a job where you have to deal with clients or the general public, be alert to the small clues or “tells” that reveal a person’s state of mind and attitude. If a prospective client fails to show a willingness to comply with reasonable, basic rules, it almost always means the person is going to be a problem client. Do not ignore these subtle clues.
In this podcast, we discuss Christopher Nolan’s masterful Oppenheimer (2023), and explore its strengths and minor flaws. As a character study, the film is highly instructive; it paints a picture of a brilliant man who failed to appreciate the role of emotions and personalities in human affairs, a fact which caused him to fall victim to his hubris and naivete.
Service to others is what gives life meaning. We were put on this Earth to contribute, to share, and to pass on what we know for the benefit of mankind. Every person has an instinctive, fundamental desire to teach and help others, and we should develop this instinct. Doing this will contribute to the positive energy in the world, and will come back to us in unexpected ways.
The world recently learned that the estate of British author Roald Dahl actually allowed a team of censors to purge words and phrases from the author’s works that they deemed “offensive.” This is a terrifying escalation in the left’s war on the literary record and on artistic expression in general. The idea that censors would dare to reach back into old books and rewrite them would have been unthinkable even a decade ago. It is communist thought-policing, pure and simple. Every writer or artist should be taking steps now to protect their work from tampering by potential future vandals. If our concept of art is to have any meaning at all, the artist’s work must be seen as inviolate and sacrosanct.
I recently had a great conversation with Will Spencer, the proprietor of the site Renaissance of Men. I’m posting the podcast links here. I think you’ll find it to be a very informative and entertaining discussion. It’s available in different formats: Spotify, Apple, and YouTube.
A reader who is living abroad in France is finding it difficult to meet new people. He has no desire to hang around with expats. People always revert to English when dealing with him, when he is trying to learn French. It is frustrating for him, and he wants to know if there are ways to get out of this dynamic. I offer some thoughts.
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