A Tale Of Grapes And Greed

Quintus Curtius Uncategorized , ,

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The Sufi order called Qadiri was founded by Abdul Qadir Gilani Al Amoli (1077–1166).  He was born at Nif, which lies to the south of the Caspian Sea.  The Qadiriyya Order is a large one and has many adherents in the Islamic world.

There is a teaching story that I came across recently that reminded me of some of the stories told by the Stoics.  It stands for the idea that the right thing must be done for the right reason; and that actions without pure motives remain worthless.

I have adapted this story from Indries Shah’s The Way of the Sufi.

A peasant once planted come vines out of a desire to create something beautiful and produce something of worth.  But the vines he planted were the type of vine that only bore fruit after many years.

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You Need To Think Hard About Your Educational Choices

Quintus Curtius Thought ,

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I wanted to write something in response to some recent articles and commentary I’ve seen from colleagues and friends of mine.  It concerns the subject of college.

Much of this recent commentary, while well-meaning and making valid points, nevertheless paints a picture that is in need of qualification.

So I wanted to share my thoughts.

Is it a waste of time?  Should you go?  Should you go to a trade school?  Should you start working?

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Jacopo Zabarella On The Advancement Of Learning

Quintus Curtius Thought , ,

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We do not often think about how knowledge is gained or transmitted.  We simply take it for granted that some idea or morsel of information crosses our path, which we then incorporate into our storehouse of knowledge.

Or do we?  Is this really how information is, or should be, passed on?

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The Fall Of Queen Amalasuntha

Quintus Curtius Biography, History , , ,

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Here is a good story of palace intrigue and conspiracy.  We turn our attention to late antiquity, to the Ostrogothic kingdom in Italy.

Amalasuntha (c. 495-535) was the daughter of Ostrogothic King Theoderic the Great.  When Theoderic died, his grandson Athalaric nominally became king.  But being a child, the real power lay with his mother Amalasuntha, who ruled as regent.

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Six Men’s Health Topics You Should Know Something About

Quintus Curtius Health & Fitness , , ,

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I was talking to my father on the phone earlier today.  He was telling me that he had been speaking recently to another man he knew.  It had been a sad conversation with this friend of his.

This man had suddenly discovered he had serious health problems.  Basically, he found out that he had prostate cancer issues.

“You know, it’s amazing,” he told me.  “There is all this push in the culture here for awareness of women’s health issues.  We hear about breast cancer awareness week.  We hear about how we should care about female slavery in the Third World.  We hear about how we should care about reproductive rights.  We hear about how we should care about all things about women’s health.

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Guidelines On The Proper Delivery Of A Speech

Quintus Curtius Language , ,

I had conducted many jury trials in state court before my first jury trial in federal court.  One of the differences in federal court was that the attorneys had the ability, after the trial was over, to review the written critiques that the jurors had left behind.

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The Scheming And Ruthless Antonina

Quintus Curtius Biography, History , , ,

In a previous article here we recounted the dramatic fall of one of the Emperor Justinian’s venal officials, John of Cappadocia.  The key roles of this drama were the Empress Theodora and her amoral compatriot Antonina (c. 484-565), the wife of Belisarius.  It is now time to relate yet more adventures of this depraved yet admittedly fascinating figure.  Almost all of what we know about her and her unscrupulous maneuverings comes from the historian Procopius, whose Secret History (Anecdota) is a scorching indictment of Justinian, Theodora, and their court.  He is not an impartial source; and he seems to have been a snubbed official who revenged himself on the court by chronicling their indiscretions for posterity.  Yet there is some truth to his accounts, and his is not a voice that can easily be dismissed.

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The Story Of John The Cappadocian: Schemes And Intrigues In The Palace

Quintus Curtius History , , , ,

The Emperor Justinian (A.D. 485-565) and his wife, the Empress Theodora, are well-known sovereigns of the eastern Roman Empire.  The absolute power which centered around the throne at this period in history encouraged palace intrigues of all sorts, and their reign was no exception.  One of the more interesting stories of betrayal and revenge during their rule is that of John the Cappadocian, the Praetorian Prefect of the East.  He was a native of Caesarea in Cappadocia, and was of obscure background.  He came to the attention of the emperor somehow during the scope of his duties as a magister militum (master of soldiers).  By his own schemes he rose up through the ranks to become Praetorian Prefect around A.D. 531.

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The Conquest Of Anxiety And Fear

Quintus Curtius Thought , ,

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The foremost lesson of philosophy should be the lesson of perspective.  When I say perspective, I mean the different interpretation of events that can be given from viewing the matter from different vantage points.

What we think is a product of our relative position to an issue.

You say to me, how oppressed I am with earthly worries and anxieties.  I can barely continue in my day-to-day struggle.  I feel overwhelmed by the brutality and iniquity of the world.

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A Few Bits Of Wisdom From The Poet Claudian

Quintus Curtius Literature , , ,

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Long poems generally bore me.  Even the most eloquent verses, stacked up on each other at great length, can wear on the reader.  Perhaps every long poem is best digested as a series of short poems, read at one’s leisure.  No one ever wished a long poem to be longer.

In this spirit, I will make a short post today.  I’ll give you a little something to flavor the palate.  The heavy lifting we can do some other time.

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