Food Pantry and Job Interview and Not Much Else

First off, the weather was miserable today - cold, damp, and a stiff wind out of the west.

I got to the Christian Ministries of Delaware County - Food Pantry a bit before 10:45 am. Very nice elderly ladies. Strange experience. I will stay alive for the next few days. Although, I do need a can opener. I got back here around 11:30.

I ate breakfast around noon. I worked on the blog until time for a phone interview. That went well, and I have a face-to-face interview Monday morning. I had a 3 pm interview at MCL. I walked over to the Mall for that one. Which I had to turn down - not enough hours. If I am not getting enough horus, I might as well stay where I am.

I spoke with KH and my sister and K. CC was to call me back, I want to know if she has a can opener.

It is now almost 11, and I am calling it a night.

Two other Muncie food banks:

• Covenant Partners Ministries 
• Let Us Feed You Body and Soul - Food Pantry
  

  Music for the afternoon was Steve Earle until 6 pm. After Steve Earle, it was over to WPRB for Readie Righteous's Recherché.

"True Love Ways Gone Astray" bites the dust, again:

Thank you for submitting "True Love Ways Gone Astray" to The Arkansas International. Regrettably, we are unable to find a place for it in our next issue, and we're going to have to pass at this time. Thank you for your patience and for allowing us to consider your piece. We wish you the best of luck placing this elsewhere. 

Regards,

The Editors

The Arkansas International

http://www.arkint.org

I actually like Ben Affleck's acting, and that includes his turn as Batman. I think he sounds sensible in the Hollywood Reporter interview, Ben Affleck on ‘Air,’ New CEO Gig and Those Memes: “I Am Who I Am”.

I have heard of Jacob Taubes, but not being able to recall specifics, I read The Ghost at the Feast A recent biography of Jacob Taubes is haunted by his first wife’s novel. Is it not American to admire frauds? Think of the millions who think Donald J. Trump really cares about them.

I think English is a virus. What else I think is not really covered by The problem with English. That other thing I think is that English has capabilities which other languages do not have. The article goes on about it being a left-over of colonialism, but French is also a colonial language (as is Spanish and Portuguese and Dutch). English has a flexibility that lets it adapt and be used by non-native speakers. This does not mean to detract from its fact as a colonial imposition in many places, but is meant to extend to it a utility that runs parallel, if not ahead, of its colonial past. 

As At the Kremlin in 1943 and The Georgian Protests: Dramatic Days, an Unexpected Outcome both are concerned with the Orthodox Church, I could not resist reading them. Anyone doubting the importance of the Orthodox Church should read these articles. That the Ukraine War is a religious war may be better understood by reading the former. However, I read the latter as also worrying over the return of the Russian Orthodox Church into a former USSR republic.

Philosophy, history, and the end of the world made How the ancient philosophers imagined the end of the world a must-read.

One of the main goals of Stoic philosophy was to be able to meet with understanding, equanimity and resilience each event and challenge, including the end of the world. Even the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 CE) wrote about the end of the world as part of his daily practice of philosophy: ‘Everything in existence will quickly be changed: either it will be turned into vapour, if the nature of the Universe is one, or it will be scattered.’ Although Marcus Aurelius is typically seen as a Stoic philosopher, when it comes to envisioning the end of the world, he is not dogmatic. He entertains the Stoic and Epicurean scenarios. Either the world will be burned and vaporised in the ekpyrosis, or its atoms will be scattered into the void. What is on display here is not only the emperor’s acceptance of other philosophical systems but also the fact that thinking and writing about the end of the world is part of his ‘spiritual exercises’, his everyday engagement with philosophy that helps him live the good life. Modern psychological evidence seems to back up this ancient insight. Envisioning the end of the world may be good for you by aiding in developing psychological resilience.

Today, the ever-growing and multiplying threats of world catastrophe often seem overwhelming and incomprehensible. As such they may inspire fear, a feeling of helplessness and ‘doomerism’. The ancient philosophical tradition on the end of the world does not offer a panacea for our current anxieties about the future. These philosophers did not have to reckon with the anthropogenic existential risks we currently face, and no strand of Greek and Roman philosophy sought to prevent the end of the world. Nevertheless, this tradition may offer a way to reposition ourselves psychologically with respect to future catastrophes and existential risks. We could follow their advice and accept the end of the world with equanimity. Or we could build on their insights and move on to the next tasks of shaping, if not a catastrophe-free future, at least a more catastrophe-resilient one.

And a rejection for "Colonel Tom":

Thanks again for your interest in Twin Bird Review! After careful consideration, we feel your submission isn’t quite right for us at this time. That said, we found much to admire in your writing and would love to see more submissions from you in the future.

 

Please keep in mind, publication is a completely subjective process and may be influenced by numerous factors beyond simply the quality of the writing. We very much appreciate the opportunity to read your work and wish you the best of luck in finding a home for this wonderful piece.

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