Peter Starr on Wisdom and Culture
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Continue reading “Let This Book Give You Heart”Lastly, if you should ever doubt that a series of dry words in a government document can shatter spirits and demolish lives, let this book erase that doubt. Conversely, if you should be of the conviction that we are powerless to change those dry words, let this book give you heart.
Louise Erdrich, The Night Watchman
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Continue reading “Pillars of Salt”In Vonnegut, that which survives being proofed by satire, as Billy Pilgrim is so mercilessly in Slaughterhouse Five, becomes both human and wise.
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Continue reading “The Wisdom to Know the Difference”God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Reinhold Niebuhr, Serenity Prayer
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Continue reading “Serenity and Acceptance”Wisdom and happiness have long been associated with a certain serenity—an acceptance of one’s life and one’s self, in all their beauties, limitations, and imperfections.