Hello friends,
#19 is hot n’ ready. Starting to build a decent portfolio of newsletters here….this is good. Consistency is a major life hack.
Here we go.
✏️ On Character
I believe in doing the right things; that is my character and personality.
~ Gianluigi Buffon
Character.
What do we mean when we talk about character?
To me, character is about one's morals, one's actions in the world. How one chooses to live one's life in relation to others. Character is not born, it's bred, and I think upbringing plays a critical role in the character one starts off life with.
Life is a multiplayer game in many ways. Nothing you do is truly done alone: you work with others, live with others, share the road with others, and eventually create and raise children with others. There are many who chase ambition and status, but forget that the interpersonal side of life, dictated by character, is often what people remember. You can have all the money in the world — many do — but that can't buy a healthy body, a loving family, a mind at peace. Those things need to be earned.
Time passes and wounds heal, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Developing character and having an honest, people-centric approach to life will result in people remembering you fondly when your time has passed.
Goodness is about character - integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like. More than anything else, it is about how we treat other people.
~ Dennis Prager
📸 Photo of the Week
Pretty sure this is from the Trinity College Library in Dublin. But I can’t be sure.
📖 Book of the Week — The History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides
Written by Thucydides, an Athenian general and contemporary of the times, the History of the Peloponnesian War is an amazing account of the 27-year war (including the 6-year peace) between Athens and Sparta, which would swallow almost all of the Meditteranean in the fog of war. This is more than just a historical account — this is an examination of human nature and a foundational text of geopolitics. And despite taking place well over 2000 years ago, there is much to learn from this story, particularly about the complexity and dangerous nature of military alliances, and the ability of people and nations alike to act in their best interests. In times of peace, cities and individuals can hold themselves to higher standards, but in times of war, they are forced into doing things they don't want to do out of a need for survival.
The Peloponnesian War would reshape the Greek world forever. Sparta would go on to win, but their domination would be short-lived. Some decades later, the Kingdom of Macedon would rise up, led by their iconic leader Phillip II (and later the Great Alexander).
In true Greek fashion, this book is written in both a narrative and oratorical style, giving the reader a glimpse into the debates and decisions that were made throughout the war.
Pro Tip: find a map of Ancient Greece during the time period. There is a lot of city-states and locations that feature in the book, and they can be tough to keep track of.
💭 Quote of the Week
If one has not read the newspapers for some months & then reads them all together, one sees, as one never saw before, how much time is wasted with this kind of literature.
~ Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
This pretty much sums up my thoughts after giving up the news and [most] social media for over a year.
🔭 Sunday Best
The Pengest Munch Ep. 50: Tasty (Clapton) — the best food review channel EU.
Grounded in Realness (a video about the busyness of life)
Mozart - Piano Concerto 23 K488 Adagio — heard this in an Air France commercial 10 years ago. Big, big track.
Until next time,
AT