One big frustration we can experience in life is having unrealistic expectations of other people. That is, we can want people to behave in ways that are just not within their desires or capabilities. What is the best way to deal with this? We use the example of the humanist Petrarch’s strained relationship with his son.
This past weekend, I visited the John Brown cabin and museum in Osawatomie, Kansas. This historic former residence of the abolitionist–a key figure in American Civil War history–is now a state park. What I had not known was that the park was dedicated in 1910 by none other than Theodore Roosevelt, a man who is a personal icon of mine and certainly one of the greatest presidents in US history.
While it may be good in some instances to question inherited tradition and authority, there are many times when one should not. Free-thinking individualism has its place, but there is an equally valid place for respecting the power of authority and tradition. This point is amusingly illustrated in the two anecdotes presented below. They are related in De Slane’s edition of Ibn Khallikan’s encyclopedia, but the first tale is originally found in the Egyptian historian Al Maqrizi.
Those who are resourceful will find ways of carrying out their purposes. They will not be deterred by momentary setbacks or obstacles. The lazy man or the dullard will take refuge behind the natural obstructions that life places in his path and, using such problems as excuses to avoid work, take comfort in his failures. In his mind, failure was inevitable. This way of thinking can be found in many people; they never advance far in life because they are not willing to hunt for creative solutions to problems. Obstacles must be bypassed, smashed through, vaulted over, or avoided altogether.
Director: Raúl Arévalo
This is a very well done Spanish noir revenge thriller that combines realism and narrative power. The plot: José is a taciturn guy who likes to hang out at a drab neighborhood bar. He spends enough time there to catch the eye of the equally drab waitress.
This podcast is a reading and commentary on the speech of Julius Caesar found in Sallust’s “Conspiracy of Catiline.” Caesar’s address to the senate made important points about the value of precedent, leniency, and how abuses of power can follow from seemingly good intentions.
During the reign of the eastern Roman emperor Justinian, the Mediterranean world was hit by a pandemic whose virulence was exceeded only by the outbreak of the Black Plague in western Europe many centuries later. The pandemic–commonly known today as the Plague of Justinian–only lasted from A.D. 541 to 542, but there were residual aftershocks of the disease that occurred periodically for two centuries thereafter. It is important to history not only for its extremely high death toll, but also for the political and economic changes that followed in its wake.
Immediately after he was assassinated in 1981, Egyptian president Anwar Sadat was canonized by the Western media. He was portrayed as a brave crusader for peace who had taken bold steps to overcome his people’s alleged resistance to resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict. By single-handedly flying to the Israeli Knesset and embracing Menachem Begin, he had broken down years of psychological barriers and secured his place in history as a statesman of unblemished stature. Sadat, we have been told, was a man “ahead of his time” whose bold vision was overcome by the fanaticism of the “extremists” who cut him down in his prime.
In this podcast we deal with questions from two reader emails. The first question asks about mentorships. The second question deals with the concerns one guy is having about his career path.
Quintus Curtius 
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