Welcome to 5 Bites Friday: my weekly article where I share
the contents of my learnings from the past week in my life.
1 – what I read
Far from the madding crowd by Thomas Hardy – a novel set in
the rural setting of 1800s where for the beautiful and financially independent
lady Bathsheba yearns three men: Farmer Oak, a gentle man of good nature; Mr.
Boldwood, a farm-owner himself; and Mr. Troy, a retired military man with a
cunning flirting ability. Hardy’s enliveningly descriptive prose makes for a
nostalgic reading experience of a country setting while his dialogues pierce
one’s heart with its intensity and sharp pain.
Fire Sermon by Jamie Quarto – Maggie, a devout Christian,
after having married Thomas at young age after he took her virginity, is now
having an affair with a poet named James. A novel which fuses the tensions
between sex, religion, and psychological trauma, all into one; but which sadly fails
to be anything significant as a whole.
2 – this week’s articles
Dogs after humans @aeon – an imaginative study of speculative
biology where the authors study the chances of dogs’ survival if human beings
cease to exist. An interesting take on our relationship with the most
domesticated animal, and whether it is doing them more harm than good.
How to know @aeon – an articulate summary of epistemology,
philosophy’s branch of studying for knowledge, where the author explains the
two methods of knowing and building facts: ‘internalism’ relying on one’s keen
observation and analytical thinking, and ‘externalism’ to lead on the given
facts and knowledge about things. A chewable bite of philosophy.
What are emotions? @psyche.co – we use the word emotion a
lot, but come to think about it, we hardly know what it means. This article provides
three core things that make for an emotion: its positive or negative effect/its
objective nature/and our consciousness about the emotions.
The wisdom of talking about yourself in third person @aeon –
a research article which makes the case for talking about oneself in third
person for the sake of understanding oneself better. Although awkward to do, this
exercise of objectifying yourself can provide an insightful perspective.
3 – what I watched
Zodiac (2007) – a serial killer by the name of Zodiac is in
communication with three different newspapers about his upcoming targets. A search
that involves police, newspaper agents, investigating officers, and even a
cartoonist, ends frustratingly with mere ‘strong suspects’ only.
No Time to Die (2021) – the last Bonds movie featuring Daniel
Crag. Although I’m not a big fan of Bonds movies, I loved both Specter and Skyfall.
This movie, sadly, falls short of those; not because Crag was a bad James Bond,
but because the villain was ‘meh’.
Naughty Books (2020) – a documentary about the rise of
romantic novels after the outrageous performance of ’50 Shades of Grey’ both in
books and movies. It features multiple romance writer who have had some success
in the genre through self-publishing their books. My opinion: these are trash
books; porn in words, that’s all. But whatever works for people, right?
4 – this week’s podcasts
Resistance is futile @throughline – with the invention of ‘Sophia’
an incredibly self-aware robot and its early integration into our society, this
episode of @throughline looks at the history of three other inventions (coffee,
tractor, telephone) and take a look at people’s reaction towards them. An interesting
peak how people are afraid of new things at launch and so contradictorily
dependent on them later on.
5 – this week’s quote
What I really lack is to be clear in my mind what I am to do, not what I am to know, except in so far as a certain understanding must precede every action. The thing is to understand myself, to see what God really wishes me to do; the thing is to find a truth which is true for me, to find the idea for which I can live and die.
Soren Kierkegaard