Why do people swim

We must become so alone, so utterly alone, that we withdraw into our innermost self. It is a way of bitter suffering. But then our solitude is overcome, we are no longer alone, for we find that our innermost self is the spirit, that it is God, the indivisible. And suddenly we find ourselves in the midst of the world, yet undisturbed by its multiplicity, for our innermost soul we know ourselves to be one with all being.

— Hermann Hesse, born in 1877

Why do people swim? "To witness metamorphosis, in our environment, in ourselves. To swim is to accept all the myriad conditions of life"...  Cold Rivers (1980 AD)

'Collapse happens slowly and then very suddenly'

Researchers: Fans Of Apocalyptic Movies Are More Resilient

The bleak scenarios thrown up by films such as Contagion, from panic buying and isolation to fear of others and fake claims of miracle cures, appeared to help viewers take the outbreak in their stride and work out how best to handle the crisis. – The Guardian

Scientists make light ‘flow’ like a river in incredible breakthrough experiment RT 

Why Proof And Data Don’t Convince People

I work with civic data and teach about the power of data collection, so I want to believe that data (in the form of video footage depicting police brutality against Black people) can effect social change. But it is precisely because of my attachment to the power of data collection that I’m unconvinced video footage can solely, or even primarily, lead to meaningful change. – FiveThirtyEight

 

Religious Belief and Public Morality: A Catholic Governor's Perspective (Mario Cuomo Speech to the University of Notre Dame Sep 13 1984 - BC)

I would like to begin by drawing your attention to the title of this lecture: "Religious Belief and Public Morality: A Catholic Governor's Perspective." I was not invited to speak on "Church and State" generally. Certainly not "Mondale vs. Reagan." The subject assigned is difficult enough. I will try not to do more than I've been asked.

It's not easy to stay contained. Certainly, although everybody talks about a wall of separation between church and state, I've seen religious leaders scale that wall with all the dexterity of olympic athletes. In fact, I've seen so many candidates in churches and synagogues that I think we should change election day from Tuesdays to Saturdays and Sundays.

Articles of Note

Joyce Carol Oates and the war against literary pieties. Novels should have “symmetry, unity of tone, precision” the thinking went. She is having none of that... Symmetry

New Books

How to be alone. Solitude is not about alienation, isolation, or even physical surroundings. It's a state of  mind 

Essays & Opinions

Do theoretical asides — like those in The Magic Mountain — happen on the level of plot? The novel of ideas is full of such  riddles 

You may not have heard of Jean-Michel Frank, but he helped create minimalism. To channel his vision: “Throw out and keep throwing out!”... pilhov

“Hamilton” The Movie Is A Sensation

For the uninitiated, it remains the cultural event of a troubled season. Disney Plus has reputedly suspended all discounts and free trials ahead of Hamilton’s debut on the streaming service. Expect complete internet breakage. – Irish Times