I've not seen it said better, Alan. Thank you. We've lost connection to each other, which being a sometime cynic, might have been planned. Regardless of the cause, isolation at every level of the society, and within groups and sub-groups, seems to have become the norm, the dividing lines seem to have hardened. To reverse that trend we will have to give up something; convenience, time, a bit more money, etc.; but to get something of far greater value in return. Thank you too, for the kind words.
I've been fortunate. Between the work we do, including the substack, church, and my wife's social skillz, we've been able to make new friends. It's not easy. With respect to society writ large, I think you are close to the truth; the "civilization" we are so proud of, and export at the point of guns, is literally killing people; when there are such phrases as "diseases of civilization," "mass shooting," and "deaths of despair," and books titled "Lost Connections" about the causes of depression, that much should be clear.
Look i have some issues with this but i suck ass at long posts so i’m going to boil it down.
How big does a city actually need to be to work as you describe? When does the trade off of size and “efficiency” for everything else stop being worth it? How do you ensure the cities don’t just revert to intelligence and morality shredders? Could “large towns” do a “good enough” job at being cities without as many of the massive downsides?
I don’t think your post satisfyingly answers the above questions. I realize this topic is a very complex and nuanced one but nobody has time for that. From my perspective, big cities cons outweigh the pros.
Completely separate topic, but I wonder how much of the “efficiency gains over time” graph people like wheeling out when complaining about the 40 hour workweek and lack of pay increases is due to the gutting of social relationships to streamline everything. If so my abject hatred of globalism and internationalism only deepens.
These are all good questions. My argument would be large cities are necessary, and when operated correctly actually enhance rural life. That, of course, is another long essay in itself.
I often theorize about an e-commerce platform that would help standardize this type of loose exchange (the cut sheets, etc.), but I don't think there's enough of this type of exchange happening for it to work, and maybe that would be missing the point anyway.
Wonderful story and meditation. Thanks for sharing - it's how life is supposed to be, and what we should all strive to build towards as we leave the ruins of the unhealthy, materially and spiritually empty world behind.
Yep, that's how it's supposed to work! Lovely essay.
(For tongue, in case you haven't figured it out yourself yet, here is an unsolicited recipe: simmer it gently on low for 3 to 5 hours depending on the size of the tongue, with some carrots, onions, bay leaf and salt and black pepper, just don't overdo the seasoning; then peel the skin off, which is easiest while it's still hot. Slice and serve with a cold sauce of sour cream, horse radish or mustard, and finely chopped pickles. Food of the gods.)
Such an odd recounting. My grandmother used to do this but she used a hatchet and a stump to chop the heads off. Her victims always ran about, literally like chickens with their heads cut off. Did yours not do that?
I've not seen it said better, Alan. Thank you. We've lost connection to each other, which being a sometime cynic, might have been planned. Regardless of the cause, isolation at every level of the society, and within groups and sub-groups, seems to have become the norm, the dividing lines seem to have hardened. To reverse that trend we will have to give up something; convenience, time, a bit more money, etc.; but to get something of far greater value in return. Thank you too, for the kind words.
I've been fortunate. Between the work we do, including the substack, church, and my wife's social skillz, we've been able to make new friends. It's not easy. With respect to society writ large, I think you are close to the truth; the "civilization" we are so proud of, and export at the point of guns, is literally killing people; when there are such phrases as "diseases of civilization," "mass shooting," and "deaths of despair," and books titled "Lost Connections" about the causes of depression, that much should be clear.
Look i have some issues with this but i suck ass at long posts so i’m going to boil it down.
How big does a city actually need to be to work as you describe? When does the trade off of size and “efficiency” for everything else stop being worth it? How do you ensure the cities don’t just revert to intelligence and morality shredders? Could “large towns” do a “good enough” job at being cities without as many of the massive downsides?
I don’t think your post satisfyingly answers the above questions. I realize this topic is a very complex and nuanced one but nobody has time for that. From my perspective, big cities cons outweigh the pros.
Completely separate topic, but I wonder how much of the “efficiency gains over time” graph people like wheeling out when complaining about the 40 hour workweek and lack of pay increases is due to the gutting of social relationships to streamline everything. If so my abject hatred of globalism and internationalism only deepens.
These are all good questions. My argument would be large cities are necessary, and when operated correctly actually enhance rural life. That, of course, is another long essay in itself.
You may liek: https://x.com/NewRightPoast/status/1828539504883622368
I often theorize about an e-commerce platform that would help standardize this type of loose exchange (the cut sheets, etc.), but I don't think there's enough of this type of exchange happening for it to work, and maybe that would be missing the point anyway.
Wonderful story and meditation. Thanks for sharing - it's how life is supposed to be, and what we should all strive to build towards as we leave the ruins of the unhealthy, materially and spiritually empty world behind.
Yep, that's how it's supposed to work! Lovely essay.
(For tongue, in case you haven't figured it out yourself yet, here is an unsolicited recipe: simmer it gently on low for 3 to 5 hours depending on the size of the tongue, with some carrots, onions, bay leaf and salt and black pepper, just don't overdo the seasoning; then peel the skin off, which is easiest while it's still hot. Slice and serve with a cold sauce of sour cream, horse radish or mustard, and finely chopped pickles. Food of the gods.)
Such an odd recounting. My grandmother used to do this but she used a hatchet and a stump to chop the heads off. Her victims always ran about, literally like chickens with their heads cut off. Did yours not do that?
That's always how I visualized it, but that particular farmer had a different style. Oh yeah, they would run around for a while too.
Well I learned something new, thanks. Like the multiple modes of animal castration https://www.splicetoday.com/writing/thoughts-on-castration