C. S. Lewis remarked that the right side is always losing, and that the civilized man, as he is dying, will critique the inferior craftsmanship of the barbarian spear that has skewered him. So keep writing brother.
The Left indoctrinates by repetition. Civilized persons become educated through repetition. Strictly speaking, only one thing is really necessary; maybe two. So keep on saying it over and over from as many angles as occurs to you.
“Those who seek the Kingdom of Heaven together will perish alone. Those who seek it alone will find it together.”
Is there an option where my writing is so good that it rallies civilization? I would prefer to not be skewered by the barbarian spear, regardless of craftsmanship! Thank you for the feedback. You make a great point about the power of repetition.
Yes. Your writing will become so good that it will rally civilization.
As usual, the Left’s lies underscore timely truths. Barack Hussein is on record saying that the greatest threat to democracy is - get this - the internet. Meaning that the free exchange of ideas at a broad grassroots level is what they rightly fear! Because it can reverse the tide and they know it. So yes, you can play a consequential role. Keep up the good work brother.
I appreciate the deeply-thought out, well-researched thought process you bring to things we aren't aware of. I think most people are sick-to-death of covid, or even all the black-pilling over the World Economic Forum / globalist / military-idnustrial-complex / Marxist hijinks. At some point all the black-pilling gets so depressing that you either have to slit your wrists, or turn it off.
What I -would- like to see going forward is an eclectic deep-dive into the weighty topics that interest you, but then end with an up-note of "how to bite the head off the vulture which came to eat your eyes." How can we take that downer bit of information you just gave us and throw a monkeywrench into the globalist machine? I've been researching leftist eco-terror tactics lately for a book that I'm writing and the whole concept of "monkeywrenching" bears a closer look. Especially when you look at the tactics of organizations such as the Sea Shepherd society in thwarting a variety of environmental malfeasers. There must be SOME way we can take all those black-pills and hand back the globalists the turds they keep trying to tell us are roses?
Also, I like your theology and morality posts. I'm not overly religious, but when you crack open the Book of Revelations and everything in there is like, "Meh ... the WEF pulled that in 2001" then its time to contemplate maybe there really is some kind of malign intelligence coordinating it all?
Thank you for taking the time to write such substantive comments. I know how you feel about Revelations. I too have been pulled, kicking and screaming and resisting the whole way, to belief in some sort of occult and malign influence.
I actually own and have read many of the leftist "direction action" handbooks as well as their revolutionary writings. That's a great suggestion for material to explore. Thank you!
I just finished reading "The Monkey Wrench Gang" by Edward Abbey which is the source of the ideology "monkeywrenching" which so many "direct action" leftists use when they do things like block roads or throw rotten butter on to whaling vessels. The thing is, it's an older book (1975), and the main protagonist is a Vietnam veteran who comes home from the war, only to have his property "taken" by corrupt government officials for a globalist building project, so he gathers a gang of misfits and starts taking the projects down via small acts of sabotage. I mean, take away the "Jewish feminist" character and it could be a right-wing advocacy novel in 2023. So I think the question is, "black pill ... now what?" How can we peacefully "Bud Light" every single piece of crap these people hand to us?
But I'm thinking more along the lines of stuff that Catherine Austin Fitts and Dr. Tenpenny are proposing, such as pulling our money out of the globalist banks and investment vehicles and reinvesting into small, local credit unions that aren't tied to the beast system. Or boycotts. America started with a boycott of tea :-)
I hate to break it to you, but Bitcoin is just another fiat system. It functions because people believe in it, but there is nothing backing it up, even less than the U.S. dollar. And like the U.S. dollar, it has been subject to price fluctuations due to speculation. While I like the IDEA of "privacy coins" that aren't subject to beast-system monitoring, and I've got a small amount invested in a "just in case" fund, my investments lean towards hard assets, with only enough crypto to pay online for things that aren't any of Big Brother / Big Tech's business. So long as we have cash, I will use that, and then checks or direct bank account debits, and only then use a credit card. My small, local credit union has publicly come out against CDBC because they understand the end-goal is to kill off all the small banks and force us all to do business through a globalist bank and CDBC.
I like everything I’ve seen from you, truth be told. Yet I think a discussion of cyclical theories of history and the approach of the Fourth Turning would perhaps be more relevant now than during Trump’s presidency, especially due to the post-lockdown era and how this has created a Spenglerian shift under Biden.
Thanks for the feedback, Rachel! I have sometimes wondered what might be the civilization that comes after Faustian. That might be worth exploring. I'd have to re-read Spengler though, so that's a big bite.
Mostly enjoy all topics covered, especially with appropriate depth. It's not easy being cheesy, or of moderately high IQ, on the internet, since most writing is for average IQ and shallow-depth perusers.
I definitely enjoy the economics and law/liberty articles (and would be interested in your take on 2024 as it happens).
I want to see more of what you think is not allowed -- things that you feel must be hidden behind a paywall to be discussed (or moved over to unauthorized.tv (or some other adjacent "subversive" platform for undesirables).
I subscribed in the hopes that there would eventually be enough content for topically organized chapters in a short Book of Woe.
Going forward, I would be most interested in reading of things that are easy for you to explore in depth as related to your knowledge and skills, but also things that may seem counter-intuitive to others. An example of this might be "why Trump's trade war with China is impossible for the US to lose" (if you recall, all media at the time said that it was a stupid idea), "why a [literal] war against cartels and illegal immigration would benefit the US", "why the USA will not remain united, and what to expect when it isn't", or "how China (or Russia) is going to be the next center of Christendom".
A kind of silly idea from me is a series on the citizen militia - what equipment or skills might be required to successfully be a member of different (command/contributor) levels of a citizen militia in the near future (maybe using data from the Taliban or ISIS, the US revolutionaries, and/or the Donetsk peoples militia and projecting forward with Boston Dynamics and Chinese drone swarms plus Donbass technology usage and counters in mind). This could be nice fodder for a new book or game.
Unfortunately for myself, my time is lately spent on other pursuits than research, but if you have the time and inclination, I would love to see an intelligent analysis on more topics of your choosing. Polls may be in order, if you are looking for direction, but your own self-directed research into areas you find interesting or necessary, IMO, serves the blog and your readers well.
Thanks for taking the time to offer your substantive feedback. I, too, would like to have a Book of Woe one day -- a published collection of essays on weighty matters. Definitely worth pursuing.
Your suggestion of assessing what a citizen militia would need to be like in the 21st century is actually a really good one, not silly at all. Great suggestion, thank you!
That sounds crazy, but not as crazy as the flat earth stuff Owen is spouting these days. Best example of Dunning Krueger I've ever seen. Not sure why Vox likes him so much, and thinks he is smart. Maybe because Vox is short and he likes to be worshipped by a tall dude. Even the moon landing being faked is a lot more plausible. You can literally do experiments yourself that prove the earth is spherical.
Another thing Vox has done that has nefarious undertones is arguing that Satanic forces have using Mandela like effects to change the text of the Bible.
Note, that this argument can be used to justify arbitrary changes to the Bible on the ground of "correcting Satanic changes".
Then there are the reports about the PRC trying to rewrite the Bible, and Vox has occasionally acted as a PRC shill in the past.
I enjoyed the article about Neanderthals- or the bogeyman. I've read rebuttals to the argument, but still find possible explanations of why we are the way we are or how we survived so long interesting.
The Neanderthal bogeyman argument "feels true" to me. I don't know how else to explain it. When I saw the image of what the neanderthals (allegedly) looked like, a chill ran up my spine as if old night terrors in the bloodline awoke. It's enough to make me believe in genetic memory. Thanks for letting me know it was one of your faves, too!
I always have great trepidation when writing on issues of Christianity for fear that if I hold heterodox views it might alienate vast swathes of people who are otherwise sympathetic to me. That said, I agree it's a very fruitful area to explore.
If it helps, I have very specific (though not 'mainline', any more) beliefs – and I love reading anyone who engages in good faith with non-materialist views, regardless of specific flavour. In fact, I go looking for them. We exist!
I certainly understand. My sense is that heterodox thinking is both more widespread than it seems and that it is extremely important. Mainline American Christianity is withering.
Sep 6, 2023·edited Sep 6, 2023Liked by Tree of Woe
I read your posts to feed my interest in Epistemology, Economics, Morality, Law and Liberty. I would be interested to read your thoughts on what it might take to move citizens to take more responsibility for what's wrong and organize action to improve the sad state of the state. "What's wrong" has been beaten to death - I am wrestling with "what can be done". I am very sure that it will not be simple and may not be doable but I think we need to make an effort to engage some braincells on the matter.
Shameless plug: what can be done is the primary subject of my substack. I have a mix of personal action, political actions that Republicans can take where they hold real power, and ways to build useful coalitions in areas which are fully Blue.
Yes. I agree completely. What's wrong has now been made clear. What can be done is far less clear. That's where I fear the crackdown on speech will come, because what has to be done will not meet with their tolerance. Thank you for the feedback and support!
I am interested in Men of Action v. Men of Contemplation. It's a fundamental difference in Way of Being, but sometimes we see it integrated into One, rather than bifurcated. Usually the integration takes the form of Fighter-Ascestics. I would like to learn more about that, as I am often seesawing between the two, and wonder if I have to pick, or if a balance is practicable for a layman of modest cognitive power.
As a martial artist, while you see lots of "Cobra Kai" types out there beating their chests and pissing on philosophical trees, the truth is that we need a lot more "Mr. Miyagi" types who know how to defend themselves, but understand there are a series of steps between recognizing a problem and breaking out the sword. Right now, we seem to have too many bloviating internet warriors who will never get out of their chairs to take action, while the left has lots of young people (and some older folks) willing to pour out into the streets and take action. We need more Miyagi types, who know how to apply pressure via an escalating series of logical maneuvers, including and up to direct action in the form of peaceful protests (while not getting sucked into an Alphabet Agency false flag). For example, our local parent action group will show up en-masse at school committee meetings to sit behind a parent who objects to some crazy "woke" DEI thing they are trying to enact. The town residents will speak, but the additional 30 people who show up usually force them to put the asinine "thing" onto the back burner. We've also showed up, 38 people, at a court hearing against forced injections, and quietly prayed the rosary in the back of the courtroom, but very visible, while our lawyer argued the case we had pooled our resources to fund. Because so many citizens showed up, the judge decided to actually READ the scientific research our attorney cited instead of just deferring to the CDC, and she refused to dismiss the case against the health provider and the state, citing the actual research. But if we hadn't shown up en-masse, I doubt she would have felt pressured to see what had so many well dressed, non-crazy people up in arms.
This is an important topic. Our side has some Fighters, and it has a lot Ascetics, but we are in short supply of Fighter-Ascetics. We need Paladins. Thank you!
There's nothing wrong with expanding your horizons into different subject matters. Are you finding inspiration anywhere now? What are you reading, what entertainment are you consuming? It doesn't have to relate to anything in particular. The important thing in my opinion is to write primarily for yourself, so if you are bored with the topics you have covered in depth already, perhaps branching out into your other interests and bringing the reader along would a good thing.
I, personally, have been primarily reading works of Western spirituality, or philosophical writing with a spiritual bent, including Wolfgang Smith, Owen Barfield, Bruce Charlton, etc. I've also returned to reading fiction, a habit I had lost for some time. Thank you for the feedback (and I really enjoy your substack -- one of my must-reads).
By itself, a solid book review provides a service to the reader. When, moreover, the author connects his review to larger issues (as Charles Haywood does), so much the better.
I really enjoyed your article explaining your reconsidering of ayn rand school of thought. Would be interesting to see what you’re reading now to reinforce your changing world view
Played out topics: Covid, military industrial complex, WEF, etc. Shit is bad and they are trying to kill us. We get it. Time to strengthen ourselves and our families in any way we can. I think most reading this stack know enough about these type of topics and there’s a point when thinking about them becomes unhealthy.
Useful topics going forward: Religion, metaphysics, spirituality, science of the mind type stuff. How do we survive this mess spiritually intact? Idk but to me this is the most important question. Life is finite. Death is forever. Or is it??
Anyway, just my humble opinion. I appreciate your efforts.
Your sentiments in the first paragraph exactly mirror my own. That's more-or-less what I meant when I said that everything that could be said had already been said. My predilection for theological exploration lately is in line with your own thoughts as well. Thank you!
'Life is finite. Death is forever.' or 'Eat Drink and be Merry, for tomorrow we die.'
The fact is, everyone will spend an unimaginably more vast amount of time on the other side of this life. The consequences of what we do here will ring down through eternity.
I'm here because I trust your judgement to introduce me to new content I wouldn't necessarily have thought of before. So, my suggestion to you is that you take all of our suggestions with the appropriate grain of salt, and keep on doing what you do.
As a benchmark, however, here are a few of my favorite posts that I found particularly woeful:
I came here because your insights did one of several things, almost always causing a change in perspective or drawing a relationship where I hadn’t seen one before, or outright bringing me new vistas. I stayed because I trusted your curation of what was interesting. I will continue to trust it.
First off, thanks very much for your thorough, well-written posts on complex problems. So far, I've found your more philosophically-oriented writing most helpful - your "Errors of Ayn Rand" post in particular helped to spell out and partially address much of what I have been rethinking in the past little while about a much less rigorous "libertarianish" leaning. I've also found your takes on spirituality and theology quite interesting (and I hadn't seen your review of Real Magic yet, so I'm gonna pull that up now). Again, still working my way through the archive, but anything that looked to the intersection of these categories, along with liberty, would certainly be well worth reading.
Thanks, that's great feedback. I have been enjoying my writing on spirituality and theology so it's gratifying to hear it has found an audience. See above for my comment on how well-regarded the Ayn Rand post turned out to be, to my surprise. Thank you!
C. S. Lewis remarked that the right side is always losing, and that the civilized man, as he is dying, will critique the inferior craftsmanship of the barbarian spear that has skewered him. So keep writing brother.
The Left indoctrinates by repetition. Civilized persons become educated through repetition. Strictly speaking, only one thing is really necessary; maybe two. So keep on saying it over and over from as many angles as occurs to you.
“Those who seek the Kingdom of Heaven together will perish alone. Those who seek it alone will find it together.”
Is there an option where my writing is so good that it rallies civilization? I would prefer to not be skewered by the barbarian spear, regardless of craftsmanship! Thank you for the feedback. You make a great point about the power of repetition.
Yes. Your writing will become so good that it will rally civilization.
As usual, the Left’s lies underscore timely truths. Barack Hussein is on record saying that the greatest threat to democracy is - get this - the internet. Meaning that the free exchange of ideas at a broad grassroots level is what they rightly fear! Because it can reverse the tide and they know it. So yes, you can play a consequential role. Keep up the good work brother.
Thanks. That's an inspiring thought. Let us rally!
where is that "perish alone" quote from? It's excellent.
I appreciate the deeply-thought out, well-researched thought process you bring to things we aren't aware of. I think most people are sick-to-death of covid, or even all the black-pilling over the World Economic Forum / globalist / military-idnustrial-complex / Marxist hijinks. At some point all the black-pilling gets so depressing that you either have to slit your wrists, or turn it off.
What I -would- like to see going forward is an eclectic deep-dive into the weighty topics that interest you, but then end with an up-note of "how to bite the head off the vulture which came to eat your eyes." How can we take that downer bit of information you just gave us and throw a monkeywrench into the globalist machine? I've been researching leftist eco-terror tactics lately for a book that I'm writing and the whole concept of "monkeywrenching" bears a closer look. Especially when you look at the tactics of organizations such as the Sea Shepherd society in thwarting a variety of environmental malfeasers. There must be SOME way we can take all those black-pills and hand back the globalists the turds they keep trying to tell us are roses?
Also, I like your theology and morality posts. I'm not overly religious, but when you crack open the Book of Revelations and everything in there is like, "Meh ... the WEF pulled that in 2001" then its time to contemplate maybe there really is some kind of malign intelligence coordinating it all?
Thank you for taking the time to write such substantive comments. I know how you feel about Revelations. I too have been pulled, kicking and screaming and resisting the whole way, to belief in some sort of occult and malign influence.
I actually own and have read many of the leftist "direction action" handbooks as well as their revolutionary writings. That's a great suggestion for material to explore. Thank you!
I just finished reading "The Monkey Wrench Gang" by Edward Abbey which is the source of the ideology "monkeywrenching" which so many "direct action" leftists use when they do things like block roads or throw rotten butter on to whaling vessels. The thing is, it's an older book (1975), and the main protagonist is a Vietnam veteran who comes home from the war, only to have his property "taken" by corrupt government officials for a globalist building project, so he gathers a gang of misfits and starts taking the projects down via small acts of sabotage. I mean, take away the "Jewish feminist" character and it could be a right-wing advocacy novel in 2023. So I think the question is, "black pill ... now what?" How can we peacefully "Bud Light" every single piece of crap these people hand to us?
BTW, have you looked into how the Brits have been sabotaging their "Ultra Low Emission Zone"?
Heh-heh ...
[*mumbles something about pleading the 5th...*]
But I'm thinking more along the lines of stuff that Catherine Austin Fitts and Dr. Tenpenny are proposing, such as pulling our money out of the globalist banks and investment vehicles and reinvesting into small, local credit unions that aren't tied to the beast system. Or boycotts. America started with a boycott of tea :-)
> investment vehicles and reinvesting into small, local credit unions that aren't tied to the beast system.
Right idea but fiat money is inherently tied into the system. Have you looked into Bitcoin?
I hate to break it to you, but Bitcoin is just another fiat system. It functions because people believe in it, but there is nothing backing it up, even less than the U.S. dollar. And like the U.S. dollar, it has been subject to price fluctuations due to speculation. While I like the IDEA of "privacy coins" that aren't subject to beast-system monitoring, and I've got a small amount invested in a "just in case" fund, my investments lean towards hard assets, with only enough crypto to pay online for things that aren't any of Big Brother / Big Tech's business. So long as we have cash, I will use that, and then checks or direct bank account debits, and only then use a credit card. My small, local credit union has publicly come out against CDBC because they understand the end-goal is to kill off all the small banks and force us all to do business through a globalist bank and CDBC.
I'm not trying to be pedantic, really. But it's the 'Book of Revelation' not 'Revelations'.
Just sayin'. ^_~
And Malign Intelligences are very, very real.
I like everything I’ve seen from you, truth be told. Yet I think a discussion of cyclical theories of history and the approach of the Fourth Turning would perhaps be more relevant now than during Trump’s presidency, especially due to the post-lockdown era and how this has created a Spenglerian shift under Biden.
Thanks for the feedback, Rachel! I have sometimes wondered what might be the civilization that comes after Faustian. That might be worth exploring. I'd have to re-read Spengler though, so that's a big bite.
I second this suggestion.
Mostly enjoy all topics covered, especially with appropriate depth. It's not easy being cheesy, or of moderately high IQ, on the internet, since most writing is for average IQ and shallow-depth perusers.
I definitely enjoy the economics and law/liberty articles (and would be interested in your take on 2024 as it happens).
I want to see more of what you think is not allowed -- things that you feel must be hidden behind a paywall to be discussed (or moved over to unauthorized.tv (or some other adjacent "subversive" platform for undesirables).
I subscribed in the hopes that there would eventually be enough content for topically organized chapters in a short Book of Woe.
Going forward, I would be most interested in reading of things that are easy for you to explore in depth as related to your knowledge and skills, but also things that may seem counter-intuitive to others. An example of this might be "why Trump's trade war with China is impossible for the US to lose" (if you recall, all media at the time said that it was a stupid idea), "why a [literal] war against cartels and illegal immigration would benefit the US", "why the USA will not remain united, and what to expect when it isn't", or "how China (or Russia) is going to be the next center of Christendom".
A kind of silly idea from me is a series on the citizen militia - what equipment or skills might be required to successfully be a member of different (command/contributor) levels of a citizen militia in the near future (maybe using data from the Taliban or ISIS, the US revolutionaries, and/or the Donetsk peoples militia and projecting forward with Boston Dynamics and Chinese drone swarms plus Donbass technology usage and counters in mind). This could be nice fodder for a new book or game.
Unfortunately for myself, my time is lately spent on other pursuits than research, but if you have the time and inclination, I would love to see an intelligent analysis on more topics of your choosing. Polls may be in order, if you are looking for direction, but your own self-directed research into areas you find interesting or necessary, IMO, serves the blog and your readers well.
Thanks for taking the time to offer your substantive feedback. I, too, would like to have a Book of Woe one day -- a published collection of essays on weighty matters. Definitely worth pursuing.
Your suggestion of assessing what a citizen militia would need to be like in the 21st century is actually a really good one, not silly at all. Great suggestion, thank you!
Second. If Vox and the tree agree on a topic (free trade) it is very likely that they are correct.
Well, Vox by his own admission prioritizes rhetoric over truth. Lately he appears to have fallen into the trap of believing his own rhetoric.
On which topic? He writes about a wide variety of things.
Well his claim that the atomic bombs are fake is the most blatant example, but he's been confidently asserting stupid things for a while.
That sounds crazy, but not as crazy as the flat earth stuff Owen is spouting these days. Best example of Dunning Krueger I've ever seen. Not sure why Vox likes him so much, and thinks he is smart. Maybe because Vox is short and he likes to be worshipped by a tall dude. Even the moon landing being faked is a lot more plausible. You can literally do experiments yourself that prove the earth is spherical.
WTF, someone's unironically promoting flat earth? I thought that was all parody and ops designed to make dissidents look bad.
Another thing Vox has done that has nefarious undertones is arguing that Satanic forces have using Mandela like effects to change the text of the Bible.
Note, that this argument can be used to justify arbitrary changes to the Bible on the ground of "correcting Satanic changes".
Then there are the reports about the PRC trying to rewrite the Bible, and Vox has occasionally acted as a PRC shill in the past.
I enjoyed the article about Neanderthals- or the bogeyman. I've read rebuttals to the argument, but still find possible explanations of why we are the way we are or how we survived so long interesting.
The Neanderthal bogeyman argument "feels true" to me. I don't know how else to explain it. When I saw the image of what the neanderthals (allegedly) looked like, a chill ran up my spine as if old night terrors in the bloodline awoke. It's enough to make me believe in genetic memory. Thanks for letting me know it was one of your faves, too!
Demon Alert:
https://the-demonic-paradise.fandom.com/wiki/Hinn
Same here. There aren't enough truly intelligent, informed people writing about the weirder parts and possibilities of this world.
Some of the weightier topics are over my head, though still fascinating reads when the mood strikes.
There's probably a lot I could do by digging into the weird a bit more. That's a good suggestion - thank you!
The Right Religion series and the Swift, Terrible Sword have been my favorites so far. Would love to hear more thought on those areas.
I always have great trepidation when writing on issues of Christianity for fear that if I hold heterodox views it might alienate vast swathes of people who are otherwise sympathetic to me. That said, I agree it's a very fruitful area to explore.
If it helps, I have very specific (though not 'mainline', any more) beliefs – and I love reading anyone who engages in good faith with non-materialist views, regardless of specific flavour. In fact, I go looking for them. We exist!
That's great to hear! I will be sure to check out your Substack, then, as I quite enjoy reading about such matters, too.
Thanks, that made my day :)
I certainly understand. My sense is that heterodox thinking is both more widespread than it seems and that it is extremely important. Mainline American Christianity is withering.
That is true. Good food for thought.
Mainline American Christianity barely counts as Christianity these days, if it does at all.
I read your posts to feed my interest in Epistemology, Economics, Morality, Law and Liberty. I would be interested to read your thoughts on what it might take to move citizens to take more responsibility for what's wrong and organize action to improve the sad state of the state. "What's wrong" has been beaten to death - I am wrestling with "what can be done". I am very sure that it will not be simple and may not be doable but I think we need to make an effort to engage some braincells on the matter.
Shameless plug: what can be done is the primary subject of my substack. I have a mix of personal action, political actions that Republicans can take where they hold real power, and ways to build useful coalitions in areas which are fully Blue.
I second this shameless plug.
Yes. I agree completely. What's wrong has now been made clear. What can be done is far less clear. That's where I fear the crackdown on speech will come, because what has to be done will not meet with their tolerance. Thank you for the feedback and support!
I am interested in Men of Action v. Men of Contemplation. It's a fundamental difference in Way of Being, but sometimes we see it integrated into One, rather than bifurcated. Usually the integration takes the form of Fighter-Ascestics. I would like to learn more about that, as I am often seesawing between the two, and wonder if I have to pick, or if a balance is practicable for a layman of modest cognitive power.
As a martial artist, while you see lots of "Cobra Kai" types out there beating their chests and pissing on philosophical trees, the truth is that we need a lot more "Mr. Miyagi" types who know how to defend themselves, but understand there are a series of steps between recognizing a problem and breaking out the sword. Right now, we seem to have too many bloviating internet warriors who will never get out of their chairs to take action, while the left has lots of young people (and some older folks) willing to pour out into the streets and take action. We need more Miyagi types, who know how to apply pressure via an escalating series of logical maneuvers, including and up to direct action in the form of peaceful protests (while not getting sucked into an Alphabet Agency false flag). For example, our local parent action group will show up en-masse at school committee meetings to sit behind a parent who objects to some crazy "woke" DEI thing they are trying to enact. The town residents will speak, but the additional 30 people who show up usually force them to put the asinine "thing" onto the back burner. We've also showed up, 38 people, at a court hearing against forced injections, and quietly prayed the rosary in the back of the courtroom, but very visible, while our lawyer argued the case we had pooled our resources to fund. Because so many citizens showed up, the judge decided to actually READ the scientific research our attorney cited instead of just deferring to the CDC, and she refused to dismiss the case against the health provider and the state, citing the actual research. But if we hadn't shown up en-masse, I doubt she would have felt pressured to see what had so many well dressed, non-crazy people up in arms.
That's amazing! You are right, that's exactly the sort of community action we need. Thanks for sharing some hope here at the tree of woe.
This is an important topic. Our side has some Fighters, and it has a lot Ascetics, but we are in short supply of Fighter-Ascetics. We need Paladins. Thank you!
There's nothing wrong with expanding your horizons into different subject matters. Are you finding inspiration anywhere now? What are you reading, what entertainment are you consuming? It doesn't have to relate to anything in particular. The important thing in my opinion is to write primarily for yourself, so if you are bored with the topics you have covered in depth already, perhaps branching out into your other interests and bringing the reader along would a good thing.
I, personally, have been primarily reading works of Western spirituality, or philosophical writing with a spiritual bent, including Wolfgang Smith, Owen Barfield, Bruce Charlton, etc. I've also returned to reading fiction, a habit I had lost for some time. Thank you for the feedback (and I really enjoy your substack -- one of my must-reads).
By itself, a solid book review provides a service to the reader. When, moreover, the author connects his review to larger issues (as Charles Haywood does), so much the better.
I can certainly do more book reviews that tie into interesting or broader speculation -- thank you!
I really enjoyed your article explaining your reconsidering of ayn rand school of thought. Would be interesting to see what you’re reading now to reinforce your changing world view
Thanks! That article seems to be the most highly-praised one I've written. Definitely worth exploring similar topics.
I would like more material on spirituality vs religion. Humanity is losing its spiritual connection to our Creator. How I wish it could be restored@!
I'm convinced we're undergoing that (destruction and) restoration as I type.
Played out topics: Covid, military industrial complex, WEF, etc. Shit is bad and they are trying to kill us. We get it. Time to strengthen ourselves and our families in any way we can. I think most reading this stack know enough about these type of topics and there’s a point when thinking about them becomes unhealthy.
Useful topics going forward: Religion, metaphysics, spirituality, science of the mind type stuff. How do we survive this mess spiritually intact? Idk but to me this is the most important question. Life is finite. Death is forever. Or is it??
Anyway, just my humble opinion. I appreciate your efforts.
Your sentiments in the first paragraph exactly mirror my own. That's more-or-less what I meant when I said that everything that could be said had already been said. My predilection for theological exploration lately is in line with your own thoughts as well. Thank you!
'Life is finite. Death is forever.' or 'Eat Drink and be Merry, for tomorrow we die.'
The fact is, everyone will spend an unimaginably more vast amount of time on the other side of this life. The consequences of what we do here will ring down through eternity.
Thanks for soliciting feedback.
I'm here because I trust your judgement to introduce me to new content I wouldn't necessarily have thought of before. So, my suggestion to you is that you take all of our suggestions with the appropriate grain of salt, and keep on doing what you do.
As a benchmark, however, here are a few of my favorite posts that I found particularly woeful:
Petrodollar: https://treeofwoe.substack.com/p/running-on-empty-part-i?s=w
Quantum Mechanics: https://treeofwoe.substack.com/p/escaping-the-black-iron-prison
Do Ideas Shape History? https://treeofwoe.substack.com/p/do-ideas-shape-history-or-does-history
Errors of Global Neoliberalismhttps://treeofwoe.substack.com/p/why-has-our-world-gone-so-crazy
Objectivism https://treeofwoe.substack.com/p/the-errors-of-ayn-rand
Historical Cycles https://treeofwoe.substack.com/p/the-wisdom-of-naram-sim
and, of course:
Neanderthals: https://treeofwoe.substack.com/p/when-orcs-were-real
Thank you! That's very helpful feedback, Hans. I consider what you selected above to be among my best posts so I am gratified to see them listed.
I came here because your insights did one of several things, almost always causing a change in perspective or drawing a relationship where I hadn’t seen one before, or outright bringing me new vistas. I stayed because I trusted your curation of what was interesting. I will continue to trust it.
Thanks, that is very high praise. I appreciate it!
First off, thanks very much for your thorough, well-written posts on complex problems. So far, I've found your more philosophically-oriented writing most helpful - your "Errors of Ayn Rand" post in particular helped to spell out and partially address much of what I have been rethinking in the past little while about a much less rigorous "libertarianish" leaning. I've also found your takes on spirituality and theology quite interesting (and I hadn't seen your review of Real Magic yet, so I'm gonna pull that up now). Again, still working my way through the archive, but anything that looked to the intersection of these categories, along with liberty, would certainly be well worth reading.
Thanks, that's great feedback. I have been enjoying my writing on spirituality and theology so it's gratifying to hear it has found an audience. See above for my comment on how well-regarded the Ayn Rand post turned out to be, to my surprise. Thank you!