The second maxim in Baltasar Gracian’s book, The Art of Worldly Wisdom is a frustratingly short one. ii Character and Intellect: the two poles of our capacity; one without the other is but halfway to happiness. Intellect sufficeth not, character is also needed. On the other hand, it is the fool’s misfortune, to fail in …
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Originally Published in Ariadne’s Thread 1999 Love inspires grand feats in art, music, and valiant action. The Great Trojan War, according to Homer, was fought for the love of Helen. St. Valentine’s Day is the day on which we celebrate and honor love. St. Valentine served a prison term in Rome for being Christian. While …
Since this blog takes its name and tagline from the works of Baltasar Gracian, I thought I could also utilize this space as sort of a virtual discussion and meditation on his work, The Art of Worldly Wisdom. I do prefer the direct translation of the title, though: A Manual of the Art of Discretion. …
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Originally published Wednesday, October 06, 2004 Maps are windows to the past, though many hold a map and pretend they see the future. “Here is where I will go,†they say pointing to a location on a map. That location represents their future to them, but it is actually the past. If I hold a …
Originally published Wednesday, September 01, 2004 Winters in Montana were never mild when I was growing up there. The snow always threatened to bury the house, or at least cover the windows on one side of the house. One of my earliest memories of winter in Montana was that of a small Franklin stove. God …
I am not a fisherman.