the fisherman of halicarnassus

catharsis (meaning "purification" or "cleansing" or "clarification") is the purification and purgation of emotions through dramatic art, or it may be any extreme emotional state that results in renewal and restoration. in its literal medical sense, it refers to the evacuation of the catamenia—the menstrual fluid or other reproductive material from the patient. but as a metaphor it was originally used by aristotle in the poetics, comparing the effects of tragedy on the mind of a spectator to the effect of catharsis on the body.

in psychology, the term is associated with freudian psychoanalysis and specifically relates to the expression of buried trauma, bringing it into consciousness and thereby releasing it permanently. however, there is considerable debate as to its therapeutic usefulness. social catharsis may be regarded as the collective expression of extreme emotion, when groups gather together, such as in large crowds at sporting events.

catharsis in platonism

in platonism, catharsis is part of the soul's progressive ascent to knowledge. it is a means to go beyond the senses and embrace the pure world of the intelligible. specifically for the neoplatonists plotinus and porphyry, catharsis is the elimination of passions. this leads to a clear distinction in the virtues. in the second tractate of the first ennead, plotinus lays out the difference between the civic virtues and the cathartic virtues and explains that the civic, or political, virtues are inferior. they are a principle of order and beauty and concern material existence. although they maintain a trace of the absolute good, they do not lead to the unification of the soul with the divinity. as porphyry makes clear, their function is to moderate individual passions and allow for peaceful coexistence with others. the purificatory, or cathartic, virtues are a condition for assimilation to the divinity. they separate the soul from the sensible, from everything that is not its true self, enabling it to contemplate the mind.

said when two people inadvertently say the same thing at once.

(see: #1055)

he wants to cut 10% of tesla jobs

eugenics is a scientific and social movement, based on charles darwin's theories of human evolution, which was originally defined as the science of racial betterment - its name being based on the greek words for "good" and "born"*. eugenics is related to social darwinism, which focuses on extending darwin's theories of plant and animal evolution to the social lives of human beings, especially in regard to societal processes. eugenics also drew on malthusian assertions that human social problems are caused by overpopulation by the poor and other marginalized groups as well as by a parallel decline in the birth rate among those perceived as socially superior. eugenics, together with social darwinism and malthusian-based concerns about overpopulation, were highly influential in wealthy industrialist nations around the turn of the twentieth century, professed by those who claimed to be both socially conservative as well as the socially liberal. these views granted wealthy western groups an empirical standing for their supposed pre-eminence and the correctness of their political and social values, as well as absolution from their responsibility for inequality, wars, or poverty. these theories were also central to the establishment of what became known as scientific racism and sexism, often treating varied ethnic groups as disparate species and women as an inferior sub-species. eugenics remains a significant influence on the writings of contemporary white nationalists and promoters of white racial superiority, including psychologists who adhere to these values.

never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.
napoleon bonaparte

rabbi abraham twerski talks about the difference between selfish love and true love, which must be a love of giving and not of receiving.

transcript:

"'young man. why are you eating that fish?' the young mans says, 'because i love fish.' he says, 'oh. you love the fish. that's why you took it out of the water and killed it and boiled it.' he says, 'don't tell me you love the fish. you love yourself, and because the fish tastes good to you; therefore, you took it out of the water and killed it and boiled it.'

"so much of what is love is fish love. young couple falls in love. young man and young woman fall in love. what does that mean? that means that he saw in this woman someone who he felt could provide him with all of his physical and emotional needs, and she felt in this man somebody she feels that she can write, that was love, but each one is looking out for their own needs. it's not love for the other. the other person becomes a vehicle for my gratification.

"too much of what is called love is fish love. an external love is not on what i'm going to get but i'm going to give. we had an ethicist rabbi dessler, who said, 'people make a serious mistake in thinking that you give to those whom you love, and the real answer is you love those to whom you give.'

his point is if i give something to you, i've invested myself in you. since self-love is a given, everybody loves themselves, now that part of me has become in you, there's part of me in you that i love. true love is a love of giving, not a love of receiving.'

group a: qatar (hosts), netherlands, senegal, ecuador
group b: england, united states, iran, wales/scotland/ukraine
group c: argentina, mexico, poland, saudi arabia
group d: france, denmark, tunisia, peru/australia/uae
group e: spain, germany, japan, costa rica/new zealand
group f: belgium, croatia, morocco, canada
group g: brazil, switzerland, serbia, cameroon

love doesn't just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.

an american newspaper that has not published a single positive article about vladimir putin since 2014. (according to vladimir pozner jr.)

oligarchs who stole russia's wealth with putin. as far as i know, they are all men.

a russian dictator. his invasion unified and empowered nato. he used to be a kgb agent, and all the russian oligarchs/billionaires are friends of his.

an internet video on demand service that has the best content so far (as of feb 2022).

do-it-yourself.

a 14 year old australian boy who wanted to explore the world, so he snuck to a plane wheel well, it opened in mid-air and the boy fell out. the photographer was just testing his new lenses and was shocked after developing those images. image
wheel-well stowaway