“I have nothing to say of my working life, only that a tie is a noose, and inverted though it is, it will hang a man nonetheless if he’s not careful.”
— Piscine Molitor Patel in “LIFE of PI,” by Yann Martel
Life of Pi (Photo credit: GBPublic_PR)
Me too. Hoping to write something worthwhile, that is.
Hold that thought. You’ve already written a bunch of posts that no one else could have written, Ms. Sled. You could probably mine your blog for a good eBook. — John
I am not any kind of big fat fan of David Brooks, but this offering in a chat feature he shares with Gail Collins made me sit up:
The great art critic Kenneth Clark once wrote an essay on what he called the “old-age style.” He noticed that some artists peak young but others, like Michelangelo, Titian, Rembrandt, Turner and Cézanne, peaked in their elderly years. These artists shared what he called:
A sense of isolation, a feeling of holy rage, developing into what I have called transcendental pessimism; a mistrust of reason, a belief in instinct.
Holy rage? Transcendental pessimism? I’m there. Not sure about the mistrust of reason, but after reading this, I’m clinging to the hope that as I get older, I’ll write something really worthwhile.
Hit the link to the chat; it’s a bagatelle worth your time, over a morning caffeine infusion or while waiting for…
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So many things we think we know; so many other things we don’t know, and we’re not even aware of what we don’t know. — John
Here we are, the middle of July, and I haven’t posted in nearly a month. It’s one of my longest lapses since I began blogging in 2007. (“Work In Progress” is of more recent vintage, started in 2009.) Why is the summer rushing by so quickly? I haven’t been on summer vacation; I’ve been working at the beach motel. And I’ve been distracted by all the uncertainties associated with being on the cusp of “retirement.” Thanks to all who are following along and wondering patiently what’s become of me. I will resume regular posting soon, friends. Whether I can shed any light on the state of my own life or anything else in the world remains to be seen. — John
From our perspective here in the early 21st century, the world is full of contradictory trends, projections and predictions. You can’t help but be confounded by the tidal wave of information. At least I can’t.
Here’s a counterintuitive situation: We have graying populations in major countries, and at the same time, widespread unemployment among young workers? How can that be? Continue reading
Also: “Some days you win, some days you lose, and some days it rains.” And for another baseball movie, starring Clint Eastwood, which may or may not stand the test of time, see “Trouble With The Curve.” (my review from Sept. 2012) –John
When I started this blog in 2009, I called it “Life After 60.” Then I realized that life after 60 is not all that interesting. Not as interesting as books, politics, the economic crisis. Now, as of yesterday, I could call the blog “Life After 65.” Boring. Think I’ll stick with “Work In Progress.” Still trying to simplify, still obsessing about political and economic mysteries. Long live Medicare and Social Security!
“Many blue states are moving further left, while red states are heading rightward. In effect, America is splitting apart without going through all the trouble of a civil war.”
— Robert Reich, June 8, 2013 (Read Mr. Reich’s three-page essay here.)
If you want more scary reading about the divide between red states and blue states, here’s an essay I wrote earlier this year: “America Divided.” Also see the related articles below. — John Hayden
See the “Dwindling Jobs, College Debt” post from yesterday for an extended discussion in the comments below the post. The discussion focuses mostly on debt, especially college debt. In blogging, he comments generated by posts can often be more interesting and informative than the post itself.
Economic and political difficulties — especially issues of justice — are on my mind, as always. Guess I’ve been reading too many scary books about economics and the jobs outlook.
What is the outlook? In developing countries, manufacturing that’s always on the move, stalking the cheapest labor. In Western countries, an abundance of jobs for machines, robots and computers; for human beings, not so much. Continue reading
Living Simply And Still On The Grid 