Posts by Joseph Murphy10

.

So, when you actually *are* something, then you have
but if you have it without being it, you basically don't have anything at all
having and being are totally inseparable
though honestly, that kind of perfect balance only really exists in theory

People who possess more—or less—than what they actually "are," or people failing to be what they could potentially be, create that core restlessness that sits at the root of every single conflict. We’re never going to hit that perfect sweet spot where our essence matches our possessions, but we can sure as hell try to aim for it, right? 🤔

(Just a heads up: I’m not quoting some textbook or philosophy school here—I'm just dumping my stream of consciousness onto the screen
)
Maybe I should finally crack open Ford's *To Have or to Be* before I die, since I've owned the book forever but haven't actually read it (I "have" it, but I haven't integrated it into my actual being yet)
Might learn a thing or two after that.

Back when my generation was young and full of life, everyone was obsessed with *being* (okay, maybe not everyone). That was the hallmark of the Boomers and the start of Gen X

By the time Millennials rolled around, things shifted big time—they (probably burned by wars and economic shifts) started chasing *having* just so they could feel like they *are*

Boomers were all about "being" only as a means to an end to acquire stuff... they were a generation late to the materialism party. If they could get the goods without having to actually grow as people, they took that deal in a heartbeat

But our Gen X crowd (and looks like Gen Z too) seems to value this whole "being" thing again. It's like they're actively pushing back against the materialistic BS

Look, I haven't conducted any formal research or anything—this is just me writing based on vibes and a little bit of life experience

Sandra Murphy33 said:Has anyone picked up "post-capitalism and a world without work" yet? 🙂

I spotted it at the library a couple of days ago. It’s a new arrival, and nobody had checked it out yet. I decided to reserve it for myself by tucking it away on a random shelf where it doesn't belong, just so the usual crowd browsing that section won't stumble upon it. ... psssssssst 😎

I think I saw it over at Hearst Communications, if I remember right. Honestly, I've had Mason's "Post-Capitalism" sitting around for ages and haven't even cracked it yet—so once I finally get through this one, maybe... eventually...

send with my SM-G973F using Reddit

James Lee77 said:I mean, just try it. Send them an email and ask if they can hook you up with a discount. I bet they’ve got a ton of this stuff just sitting in a warehouse, and there's no way they think they'll move it all at the current price tag. But, honestly, they might not even care that much about moving inventory, so they could totally just blow you off.

Knock and the door shall be opened, as Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew 👍

Or like the old saying goes—a kind word opens steel doors... 🙂

I asked, and ended up getting a student discount on every order. It’s not massive, sure, but every five bucks saved makes one book free. That adds up. And hey, I appreciate the gesture. You can't put a price on that. 🙂

Steven Clark2 said:Well, if I may offer some advice, you should really switch over to PDF, EPUB, DJVU, or MOBI formats; they take up much less space in an apartment. 😁 By the way, I assume this history of political philosophy is a translation from English?

I'm not particularly fond of that idea; it’s high time you started visiting us a bit more frequently. 😛 Facebook isn't really meant for serious people like us. 😁

I don't have that one, but if you happen to be interested in Dostoevsky's Problems of Poetics by Bakhtin in PDF format, let me know. 😉

To be quite honest, I haven't read much of those Russian classics myself. My wife, on the other hand, claims she has read absolutely everything. I have always been preoccupied with other matters. 😁

Still, he is Manstein. 😁 He isn't quite the legendary general he portrays himself to be, nor is he quite the icon others make him out to be. He made several significant blunders that cost many Wehrmacht soldiers their lives on the Eastern Front.

I wouldn't call myself an expert either—far from it—but I have read extensively on the subject, certainly ten times more than I have on philosophy. Rokossovsky was a top-tier general in WWII; I know quite a bit about him, but let us try not to stray too far from the topic of philosophy.

I know people for whom reading even three pages a week feels like actual hell. 😁 Forget about average folks who view reading 20 pages a day as a monumental achievement worthy of Olympic gold; here, we are talking about elite students and professors who can digest a few hundred pages without breaking a sweat. I asked a friend the other day how long it takes him to get through roughly 200 to 300 pages. Here is what he said:replied. He clarified exactly what he meant. Personally, I can breeze through a hundred pages a day if I really get into a groove and find my rhythm, but I’m certainly not at that elite level where I can knock out 200 or more. I don't recall ever managing to push past the 200-page mark. Perhaps it's because certain history books just resonate with me more deeply, though I couldn't say for sure.

Look, I’ve got all kinds of stuff I follow—everything from rental properties to keto diets... I need Facebook, but you can filter out the nonsense just by picking who you follow and who you don't. Still, I agree with you—90% of it is just pure mindless scrolling. 🙂

Steven Clark2 said:Well, if I may offer some advice, you should really switch over to PDF, EPUB, DJVU, or MOBI formats; they take up much less space in an apartment. 😁 By the way, I assume this history of political philosophy is a translation from English?

I'm not particularly fond of that idea; it’s high time you started visiting us a bit more frequently. 😛 Facebook isn't really meant for serious people like us. 😁

I don't have that one, but if you happen to be interested in Dostoevsky's Problems of Poetics by Bakhtin in PDF format, let me know. 😉

To be quite honest, I haven't read much of those Russian classics myself. My wife, on the other hand, claims she has read absolutely everything. I have always been preoccupied with other matters. 😁

Still, he is Manstein. 😁 He isn't quite the legendary general he portrays himself to be, nor is he quite the icon others make him out to be. He made several significant blunders that cost many Wehrmacht soldiers their lives on the Eastern Front.

I wouldn't call myself an expert either—far from it—but I have read extensively on the subject, certainly ten times more than I have on philosophy. Rokossovsky was a top-tier general in WWII; I know quite a bit about him, but let us try not to stray too far from the topic of philosophy.

I know people for whom reading even three pages a week feels like actual hell. 😁 Forget about average folks who view reading 20 pages a day as a monumental achievement worthy of Olympic gold; here, we are talking about elite students and professors who can digest a few hundred pages without breaking a sweat. I asked a friend the other day how long it takes him to get through roughly 200 to 300 pages. Here is what he said:replied. He clarified exactly what he meant. Personally, I can breeze through a hundred pages a day if I really get into a groove and find my rhythm, but I’m certainly not at that elite level where I can knock out 200 or more. I don't recall ever managing to push past the 200-page mark. Perhaps it's because certain history books just resonate with me more deeply, though I couldn't say for sure.

Sure, why not? 🙂 I'll shoot you a private message.

Steven Clark2 said:Well, if I may offer some advice, you should really switch over to PDF, EPUB, DJVU, or MOBI formats; they take up much less space in an apartment. 😁 By the way, I assume this history of political philosophy is a translation from English?

I'm not particularly fond of that idea; it’s high time you started visiting us a bit more frequently. 😛 Facebook isn't really meant for serious people like us. 😁

I don't have that one, but if you happen to be interested in Dostoevsky's Problems of Poetics by Bakhtin in PDF format, let me know. 😉

To be quite honest, I haven't read much of those Russian classics myself. My wife, on the other hand, claims she has read absolutely everything. I have always been preoccupied with other matters. 😁

Still, he is Manstein. 😁 He isn't quite the legendary general he portrays himself to be, nor is he quite the icon others make him out to be. He made several significant blunders that cost many Wehrmacht soldiers their lives on the Eastern Front.

I wouldn't call myself an expert either—far from it—but I have read extensively on the subject, certainly ten times more than I have on philosophy. Rokossovsky was a top-tier general in WWII; I know quite a bit about him, but let us try not to stray too far from the topic of philosophy.

I know people for whom reading even three pages a week feels like actual hell. 😁 Forget about average folks who view reading 20 pages a day as a monumental achievement worthy of Olympic gold; here, we are talking about elite students and professors who can digest a few hundred pages without breaking a sweat. I asked a friend the other day how long it takes him to get through roughly 200 to 300 pages. Here is what he said:replied. He clarified exactly what he meant. Personally, I can breeze through a hundred pages a day if I really get into a groove and find my rhythm, but I’m certainly not at that elite level where I can knock out 200 or more. I don't recall ever managing to push past the 200-page mark. Perhaps it's because certain history books just resonate with me more deeply, though I couldn't say for sure.

And I was thinking speed reading techniques were becoming the trend...
The other night I needed a chapter from a Berdyayev book I'd read before—I knew exactly what I was looking for. The chapter was about 40 pages or so, and I flew through it in 50 minutes while still managing to scribble down a few notes 😁.
That technique comes with practice.

p.s. Basically, Rokossovsky 👍😁
Look, I'm not saying Zhukov wasn't a solid general—he was—but like you said, he treated soldiers' lives like they were cheap. Manstein is basically Montgomery—totally flawless when the odds are already stacked in his favor. Those guys wouldn't have stood a chance at Midway if they were Navy. They wouldn't have even dared to set sail in those conditions. Neither would Halsey; he was more of a gunslinger type. To actually pull off a win like Midway, you needed someone like Spruance—a cold-blooded gambler. (That's a metaphor, anyway—human psychology when the stakes are sky-high.) And honestly, what else is there? To really grasp how easily life is tossed aside—which just shows the total disregard for human dignity among both Russians and Germans—you need a bit of philosophy under your belt. You practically need Dostoevsky. But if you’re studying the phenomenon of human dignity during wartime, the first World War is actually a better case study than the second. That was a war where human value—man as *imago dei*—was basically zero. That's why it was so terrifyingly brutal.

James Lee77 said:Wait, seriously? He had a street in Chicago and they tore it down? 😳 That sounds kind of hard to believe, honestly.

If I remember right, he was in Chicago at Strossmayer's invitation, and I think one of his books was first published here, though I can't quite recall which one.

Anyway, where's that blog you mentioned? Can you drop a link?

He had it, he definitely had it... basically the modern-day Prince Borna.

He and Strossmayer were close friends. He worked on ecumenism—converted to Catholicism, but never turned his back on his Orthodox roots.

Sadly, I still can't share it. There's not enough there yet. You guys are all serious authors here, and it’s too raw. Plus, there's some pretty personal stuff in there.

Steven Clark2 said:It seems they finally heard me.

While this isn't exactly Philosophy in two volumes, this first installment starts from the very bottom.

Are you seriously still using Facebook? 🤣

N. T. Wright. 🙏

I'm not quite sure which work by Berdyayev is being referred to. 😁

Regarding those Russians, the only thing I have studied somewhat is WWII topics. Everything else remains a void to me. However, I understand your point and I agree when you mention the Russian soul. There is certainly something to that idea.

Steven Clark2 said:It seems they finally heard me.

While this isn't exactly Philosophy in two volumes, this first installment starts from the very bottom.

Are you seriously still using Facebook? 🤣

N. T. Wright. 🙏

I'm not quite sure which work by Berdyayev is being referred to. 😁

Regarding those Russians, the only thing I have studied somewhat is WWII topics. Everything else remains a void to me. However, I understand your point and I agree when you mention the Russian soul. There is certainly something to that idea.

I use all sorts of stuff. Instagram too. Got a blog, though I rarely write anything. Had a website once but killed it. Honestly, this forum is probably the thing I use least—being here feels like some weird glitch in the space-time continuum.

Steven Clark2 said:It seems they finally heard me.

While this isn't exactly Philosophy in two volumes, this first installment starts from the very bottom.

Are you seriously still using Facebook? 🤣

N. T. Wright. 🙏

I'm not quite sure which work by Berdyayev is being referred to. 😁

Regarding those Russians, the only thing I have studied somewhat is WWII topics. Everything else remains a void to me. However, I understand your point and I agree when you mention the Russian soul. There is certainly something to that idea.

Dostoevsky's worldview
(In America, it’s been translated twice as Dostoevsky spirit and Dostoevsky vision)

Steven Clark2 said:It seems they finally heard me.

While this isn't exactly Philosophy in two volumes, this first installment starts from the very bottom.

Are you seriously still using Facebook? 🤣

N. T. Wright. 🙏

I'm not quite sure which work by Berdyayev is being referred to. 😁

Regarding those Russians, the only thing I have studied somewhat is WWII topics. Everything else remains a void to me. However, I understand your point and I agree when you mention the Russian soul. There is certainly something to that idea.

I felt that with Tolstoy and especially Dostoevsky. But that same spirit runs through other authors too—Gogol, Pushkin, Turgenev...

Then there's Solovyov. His street in NYC survived both Black and Red dictatorships. But it didn't survive "democracy." Some folks might think he was just some random Russian general.

You mentioned WWII. Given everything that went down on the Eastern Front, I personally consider von Manstein to be the first real Wehrmacht general. He was the only one with the guts to shave Hitler's mustache like he was just some lowly corporal.

Look, I’m obviously out of my league here talking to someone who actually knows their stuff—I just know a thing or two about naval combat during WWII—but man, I’ve gotta say, I’m seriously impressed by Rokossovsky. Seems to me the guy was a legit legendary general.

James Lee77 said:I mean, just try it. Send them an email and ask if they can hook you up with a discount. I bet they’ve got a ton of this stuff just sitting in a warehouse, and there's no way they think they'll move it all at the current price tag. But, honestly, they might not even care that much about moving inventory, so they could totally just blow you off.

Well, I already sent the email—asked nicely, played my cards, and now it's out of my hands. Fingers crossed.

@Joseph Murphy10
Thanks for the heads-up. Guess our only options left are to play nice, go playing detective, or just try to guilt-trip someone into helping us out
(Speaking of guilt trips—I actually managed to pull that move with the fancy bilingual edition of *De Civitate Dei* from some high-end boutique bookstore. Not only was it outrageously overpriced, but their whole membership policy is way too damn strict for my liking)

Steven Clark2 said:

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this particular obsession with sailing. There is something profoundly humbling about being at the mercy of the wind and the waves, isn't there? It forces a certain kind of discipline upon you that modern life rarely demands. kaže:
This is an excellent topic; I truly commend you for bringing it up.

My struggle with books is of a different nature entirely. I simply have nowhere left to put them. Between building my house, dealing with mortgage debt, and furnishing several rental properties, I’ve spread myself thin. There is space for everything else in my home, but there is absolutely no room left for my poor, neglected books.

Perhaps a divorce might actually prove beneficial for you? 😁

That is precisely why I opt to pack everything onto several external hard drives. I don't struggle with storage capacity—well, not exactly—since each drive seems to offer significantly more space than the last. There was a time when 500GB or even a single terabyte would have sufficed for my needs, but those days are long gone.

I am truly sorry, but I find myself at a loss. It appears the message you provided consists only of a single word that does not contain any context or content for me to work with. If you could please provide the full text you wish for me to rewrite, I would be more than happy to apply my process to it immediately. kaže:
I have always felt a near-fetishistic devotion to books, and I find it quite difficult to part with them. I am, truth be told, an obsessive-compulsive collector at heart. Because of this, my collection has grown quite extensive, though I lack any proper shelving to house them. Consequently, they end up scattered everywhere—cluttering nightstands, overflowing from bookcases, or tucked away in various cabinets. You might even find them squeezed between a broom and a can of tuna in the pantry, or nestled in the kids' room somewhere between the makeup kits and the Barbie dolls.

It’s a shame. And tell me, do you actually know how easy it would be to just organize all of that into folders? 😁

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this specific fascination. Is there truly no one else? kaže:
Having spent some time working in the medical field, I have accumulated a rather significant collection—perhaps thirty or so books specifically focused on medicine. Beyond that, I own a variety of legal texts, along with a selection of popular fiction from the eighties and various other genres. In total, my library likely holds a hundred volumes, if not more. It is quite a complete collection...You know those ridiculous little games people play—that constant, mindless back-and-forth where everyone is just picking sides and shouting over nothing? It’s all just noise.I currently have my collected works by Dostoevsky, Fromm, Tina Fey—a rare find, truly—and Borges on hand.

I am certainly not trying to belittle any particular author or literary movement, but I must admit that fiction just doesn't seem to click for me. No matter how hard I try, I simply cannot get into reading it.

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this specific fascination with sailing. There is something profoundly meditative about being out on the water, navigating the wind and the waves, that I simply cannot put into words. It is more than just a hobby; it is a pursuit of clarity. As requested:
As for astrology—I’ve actually managed to collect almost everything worth reading published here in America. I have about a hundred different titles printed out and professionally bound, simply because I can't stand reading from a screen.

I completely understand where you're coming from. Perhaps I should start printing some of my own works to import as well; that seems like a brilliant idea. I am just a bit lost on where to begin—I have a few articles scattered around that I consider sacred, but I realize I’ve only made it halfway through, still tethered to a digital screen.

Wait, what? Theology? Dozens of books? Like what, specifically? If you actually possess more than I do, I will gladly bequeath everything I own to you before I pass. 😁

It is never too late to start writing essays. By the way, browsing a used bookstore is a wonderful pastime. I visited one for the first time in my life right here—just a specialized bookshop, nothing else. I was genuinely surprised by the treasures one can find there. Being a fan of the Eastern Front, I picked up a book about the Battle of Stalingrad. I’ve bought three or four identical copies of similar titles, just different editions, directly from a major bookstore to give to friends, but this one was practically mint condition—so I’m keeping it for myself. I noticed a vast amount of other literature that would be worth owning, and the best part is that you can haggle; you can ask for a discount or offer what you can afford, and see how it goes—I’m not sure if it works like that where you are. You’ve given me the idea to visit there at my very first opportunity.

Wow, that is quite a respectable average then; roughly ten days for a 500-page book. Or about 50 pages a day. Ergo, I am certainly no amoeba.

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this particular obsession with sailing. There is something about the discipline required to command a sailboat—the constant negotiation between wind, water, and will—that appeals to my somewhat overly serious nature. It is a pursuit that demands total presence, leaving very little room for the trivial anxieties of daily life. I suppose I am a bit too earnest about it, but I truly believe there is a profound, quiet dignity in mastering the elements. As I have previously noted:
An acquaintance of mine—who happens to be both a PhD in philosophy and a composer—mentioned that you’ve set a goal for yourself to finish one book per week on average.

Is that really all there is to it? And he calls himself a professor? Honestly, I have a profound disdain for the killers I know—those individuals who can churn out two or three hundred pages a day without even breaking a sweat. It’s truly frustrating. 🤦

It is quite something. I have a friend who completed his PhD at Harvard, and he can easily clock twelve hours of reading a day—sometimes even more when the pressure is on. It was genuinely shocking to me. Yet, he insists that his own workload is nothing compared to what his professors go through. He talks about these legendary global intellectuals, and believe me, I know exactly who he means because I’ve read some of them myself. But those professors? They are tearing through ten books a week like it’s absolutely nothing.

My second closest friend—who was actually my best friend back when I lived in Chicago—earned his PhD in philosophy over in England. He told me this story more times than I can count: he would sit down to read around 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning, and that was it. He’d stay glued to that chair through the entire morning, all through lunch, and straight through the afternoon. By the time darkness fell and his wife finally returned home from work, he still hadn't moved an inch from his seat. 🙏 The sheer passion this man possesses for philosophy is nothing short of incredible. When he engages in a discussion—which happens quite easily for him—he undergoes a complete transformation. He becomes an entirely different person. His manner of speaking shifts entirely; he adopts this intense emotional fervor and a level of confidence that is truly striking. I’ve noticed a similar phenomenon among certain NBA players; I remember watching an interview where one athlete explained how professionals become completely different individuals once they step onto the court. Their entire mindset, their posture, their very essence changes. He approached his studies like a man possessed during his graduate years, moving from his Master's through to his PhD. That said, I wouldn't say his doctoral workload was quite as grueling as that of a friend of mine currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago. To prepare for just a single semester, or even a single exam in one subject, my friend has to plow through forty books, sometimes even more. 🙏 He once told me how he’d spend two full pages drafting essays based solely on Amazon reviews and other snippets he found online—it was simply impossible for him to keep up with the actual reading. To be fair, those weren't even major works, just a handful of books; for most of his library, he actually had to sit down and read them. The four of us have known each other since our university days, but while they all went off to conquer the literary world, I spent the last decade immersed in the media industry. I used to work in media quite extensively—it's a third field I know intimately and enjoy, though I never bother posting about it here on the forum. Now, the old hierarchy is shifting. One friend, who finished his PhD in England, can barely manage to read a single chapter a month due to his obligations; he actually gets quite envious when I mention I've made my way through five pages of a book. Then there’s the guy from Toronto. He really needs to stay sharp since he’s wrapping up his PhD in Old Testament studies this year, but the man knows absolutely nothing about philosophy. If he understands anything at all, it’s only the most superficial concepts. The authors and texts he builds his theses upon are utterly saturated with philosophical thought, yet he remains blissfully unaware, and from the looks of it, it's completely irrelevant to his research. When I recently pointed out that you can't achieve depth without philosophy—that no matter how far you go, it's an essential foundation—he didn't even respond. He simply doesn't know it exists. That said, given his mastery of Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew, Persian literature, and various ancient manuscripts, one could argue he possesses a level of knowledge that borders on the obsessive. It’s truly surreal. He once called me while my apartment was literally going up in flames—I'm talking five ambulances, four fire trucks, ceilings collapsing, walls crumbling—and I sat there chatting with him for three hours straight. I acted as if nothing were happening, completely unfazed, as if I were entirely alone in the world. You can just imagine the scene.

These are exactly the kind of people I truly relish listening to. Honestly, after spending time talking with some of them, it takes me nearly five days to fully process everything. And then, when you inevitably ask, "So, what did you guys even talk about?" I find myself at a complete loss for words. Even if I managed to recount parts of the conversation, it would be a struggle. There is just so much left swirling inside me that I simply cannot find a way to convey the impression, the experience, or the sheer weight of the moment. I suppose I don’t quite know why.

You aren't alone in that feeling. The real trouble starts when a few of us get completely swept up in a literary obsession. LOL.

I have heard quite a bit about Berdyaev. I actually know a political science professor who seems to hold Berdyaev in higher regard than his own wife and children. 😁

Shout out to the big public libraries—just scored a new translation of a famous Berdyayevian work. Spent the whole month just being my

The very first paragraph is pure hype: "Dostoevsky reflects all the contradictions of the Russian spirit, its entire antinomy." Then, while describing this Russian spiritual antinomy, it brings up Leontiev—how a Russian can be a saint without being "decent," because decency is just some petty, bourgeois virtue that doesn't interest a Russian soul, which is basically apocalyptic and nihilistic.

Man, as someone from the coast, I get that perfectly. It’s like what Matvejevic says in the Mediterranean Breviary—how insults on the coast are juicier, and penance runs deeper and more sincere.

It’s like when Saint Jerome said, "Spare me, my lady, for I am a man of the coast."

That’s exactly what I was doing on this forum, fruitlessly defending Madonna by trying to prove she’s got that coastal spirit, whether she’s singing "my lady" or filming one of her videos. It’s all just our Slavic and coastal antinomy. But the Russian version takes the cake. We're just babies compared to them...

Would be nice to have it. But $88

Guess I'll just wait for the interlibrary loan.

Steven Clark2 said:

I am quite uncertain as to what you might be implying with that single word. If you are attempting to initiate a conversation or perhaps referencing a specific topic, I would most sincerely appreciate it if you could provide a bit more context. I am eager to engage, though I find myself somewhat at a loss without further clarification! The user says:
And they all manage to remember everything perfectly? I have to hand it to them. Truly impressive.

It isn't anything out of the ordinary, really. I actually asked him just half an hour ago how many pages he gets through in a day. Would you like me to send over a screenshot? 😁 I must admit, I was quite taken aback by his response. I realize now that I may have slightly underestimated him.

I might be mistaken, but I find it difficult to believe that even after consuming such an immense volume of content, one can still stumble upon something truly novel. In such a vast sea of books, how is it possible to find a thought or a perspective that hasn't already been encountered? It seems only natural that, as time passes, it becomes increasingly challenging to find material that triggers that genuine spark of discovery. One must sift through endless mountains of text just to catch a glimpse of something truly interesting or original. Ultimately, I suppose it requires a profound, pure love for reading itself.

It certainly can be done. I make a point of reading a wide variety of literature to ensure I’m engaging with different perspectives. Personally, I find I can breeze through about fifty pages of nonfiction without much trouble at all, especially when the subject matter is something I'm already familiar with or deeply interested in. I try to maintain an average of roughly 150 pages a day just to stay sharp. However, if I actually manage to hit that goal, I tend to abandon this forum entirely. I've noticed a pattern: every single time I take a break from these discussions, my reading volume increases significantly.

Damn right.
And where the hell is the face

Sent from my Galaxy S10 using Reddit

steelridge58 said:I’ve spent quite a bit of time reading through there myself, mostly because anything written by Buddy just draws me in. Honestly, I couldn't even put his work down while I was busy in the kitchen whipping up some lasagna the other day. As I stood there stirring the sauce constantly to make sure nothing burnt, clutching the book in my other hand and lost in its pages, I found myself wondering
- what on earth would Buddy think about all this? Or would he honestly just not care one bit and be much more interested in tasting my simmering Bolognese?

heheeh...

being a true Frenchman, he'd probably pick the Bolognese every time 🙂

If you're looking for something else, I’d recommend that new book on Paul by Tom Wright. He reconstructs his life based on the dynamics of the Acts and the Epistles—it follows a different timeline than most authors since Tom has spent so much time studying Paul—but what hooked me was how he views everything through the eyes of an ordinary guy. Just a regular Joe who experienced a bit of that "singularity" Badiou writes about...

And man, it gets into the heart of Paul's conflict with Judaism better than anything else I've read. It's deep, it's irreconcilable, and the author really nails that tension on the page.

Steven Clark2 said:

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this particular obsession with sailing. There is something profoundly humbling about being at the mercy of the wind and the waves, isn't there? It forces a certain kind of discipline upon you that modern life rarely demands. kaže:
This is an excellent topic; I truly commend you for bringing it up.

My struggle with books is of a different nature entirely. I simply have nowhere left to put them. Between building my house, dealing with mortgage debt, and furnishing several rental properties, I’ve spread myself thin. There is space for everything else in my home, but there is absolutely no room left for my poor, neglected books.

Perhaps a divorce might actually prove beneficial for you? 😁

That is precisely why I opt to pack everything onto several external hard drives. I don't struggle with storage capacity—well, not exactly—since each drive seems to offer significantly more space than the last. There was a time when 500GB or even a single terabyte would have sufficed for my needs, but those days are long gone.

I am truly sorry, but I find myself at a loss. It appears the message you provided consists only of a single word that does not contain any context or content for me to work with. If you could please provide the full text you wish for me to rewrite, I would be more than happy to apply my process to it immediately. kaže:
I have always felt a near-fetishistic devotion to books, and I find it quite difficult to part with them. I am, truth be told, an obsessive-compulsive collector at heart. Because of this, my collection has grown quite extensive, though I lack any proper shelving to house them. Consequently, they end up scattered everywhere—cluttering nightstands, overflowing from bookcases, or tucked away in various cabinets. You might even find them squeezed between a broom and a can of tuna in the pantry, or nestled in the kids' room somewhere between the makeup kits and the Barbie dolls.

It’s a shame. And tell me, do you actually know how easy it would be to just organize all of that into folders? 😁

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this specific fascination. Is there truly no one else? kaže:
Having spent some time working in the medical field, I have accumulated a rather significant collection—perhaps thirty or so books specifically focused on medicine. Beyond that, I own a variety of legal texts, along with a selection of popular fiction from the eighties and various other genres. In total, my library likely holds a hundred volumes, if not more. It is quite a complete collection...You know those ridiculous little games people play—that constant, mindless back-and-forth where everyone is just picking sides and shouting over nothing? It’s all just noise.I currently have my collected works by Dostoevsky, Fromm, Tina Fey—a rare find, truly—and Borges on hand.

I am certainly not trying to belittle any particular author or literary movement, but I must admit that fiction just doesn't seem to click for me. No matter how hard I try, I simply cannot get into reading it.

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this specific fascination with sailing. There is something profoundly meditative about being out on the water, navigating the wind and the waves, that I simply cannot put into words. It is more than just a hobby; it is a pursuit of clarity. As requested:
As for astrology—I’ve actually managed to collect almost everything worth reading published here in America. I have about a hundred different titles printed out and professionally bound, simply because I can't stand reading from a screen.

I completely understand where you're coming from. Perhaps I should start printing some of my own works to import as well; that seems like a brilliant idea. I am just a bit lost on where to begin—I have a few articles scattered around that I consider sacred, but I realize I’ve only made it halfway through, still tethered to a digital screen.

Wait, what? Theology? Dozens of books? Like what, specifically? If you actually possess more than I do, I will gladly bequeath everything I own to you before I pass. 😁

It is never too late to start writing essays. By the way, browsing a used bookstore is a wonderful pastime. I visited one for the first time in my life right here—just a specialized bookshop, nothing else. I was genuinely surprised by the treasures one can find there. Being a fan of the Eastern Front, I picked up a book about the Battle of Stalingrad. I’ve bought three or four identical copies of similar titles, just different editions, directly from a major bookstore to give to friends, but this one was practically mint condition—so I’m keeping it for myself. I noticed a vast amount of other literature that would be worth owning, and the best part is that you can haggle; you can ask for a discount or offer what you can afford, and see how it goes—I’m not sure if it works like that where you are. You’ve given me the idea to visit there at my very first opportunity.

Wow, that is quite a respectable average then; roughly ten days for a 500-page book. Or about 50 pages a day. Ergo, I am certainly no amoeba.

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this particular obsession with sailing. There is something about the discipline required to command a sailboat—the constant negotiation between wind, water, and will—that appeals to my somewhat overly serious nature. It is a pursuit that demands total presence, leaving very little room for the trivial anxieties of daily life. I suppose I am a bit too earnest about it, but I truly believe there is a profound, quiet dignity in mastering the elements. As I have previously noted:
An acquaintance of mine—who happens to be both a PhD in philosophy and a composer—mentioned that you’ve set a goal for yourself to finish one book per week on average.

Is that really all there is to it? And he calls himself a professor? Honestly, I have a profound disdain for the killers I know—those individuals who can churn out two or three hundred pages a day without even breaking a sweat. It’s truly frustrating. 🤦

It is quite something. I have a friend who completed his PhD at Harvard, and he can easily clock twelve hours of reading a day—sometimes even more when the pressure is on. It was genuinely shocking to me. Yet, he insists that his own workload is nothing compared to what his professors go through. He talks about these legendary global intellectuals, and believe me, I know exactly who he means because I’ve read some of them myself. But those professors? They are tearing through ten books a week like it’s absolutely nothing.

My second closest friend—who was actually my best friend back when I lived in Chicago—earned his PhD in philosophy over in England. He told me this story more times than I can count: he would sit down to read around 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning, and that was it. He’d stay glued to that chair through the entire morning, all through lunch, and straight through the afternoon. By the time darkness fell and his wife finally returned home from work, he still hadn't moved an inch from his seat. 🙏 The sheer passion this man possesses for philosophy is nothing short of incredible. When he engages in a discussion—which happens quite easily for him—he undergoes a complete transformation. He becomes an entirely different person. His manner of speaking shifts entirely; he adopts this intense emotional fervor and a level of confidence that is truly striking. I’ve noticed a similar phenomenon among certain NBA players; I remember watching an interview where one athlete explained how professionals become completely different individuals once they step onto the court. Their entire mindset, their posture, their very essence changes. He approached his studies like a man possessed during his graduate years, moving from his Master's through to his PhD. That said, I wouldn't say his doctoral workload was quite as grueling as that of a friend of mine currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago. To prepare for just a single semester, or even a single exam in one subject, my friend has to plow through forty books, sometimes even more. 🙏 He once told me how he’d spend two full pages drafting essays based solely on Amazon reviews and other snippets he found online—it was simply impossible for him to keep up with the actual reading. To be fair, those weren't even major works, just a handful of books; for most of his library, he actually had to sit down and read them. The four of us have known each other since our university days, but while they all went off to conquer the literary world, I spent the last decade immersed in the media industry. I used to work in media quite extensively—it's a third field I know intimately and enjoy, though I never bother posting about it here on the forum. Now, the old hierarchy is shifting. One friend, who finished his PhD in England, can barely manage to read a single chapter a month due to his obligations; he actually gets quite envious when I mention I've made my way through five pages of a book. Then there’s the guy from Toronto. He really needs to stay sharp since he’s wrapping up his PhD in Old Testament studies this year, but the man knows absolutely nothing about philosophy. If he understands anything at all, it’s only the most superficial concepts. The authors and texts he builds his theses upon are utterly saturated with philosophical thought, yet he remains blissfully unaware, and from the looks of it, it's completely irrelevant to his research. When I recently pointed out that you can't achieve depth without philosophy—that no matter how far you go, it's an essential foundation—he didn't even respond. He simply doesn't know it exists. That said, given his mastery of Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew, Persian literature, and various ancient manuscripts, one could argue he possesses a level of knowledge that borders on the obsessive. It’s truly surreal. He once called me while my apartment was literally going up in flames—I'm talking five ambulances, four fire trucks, ceilings collapsing, walls crumbling—and I sat there chatting with him for three hours straight. I acted as if nothing were happening, completely unfazed, as if I were entirely alone in the world. You can just imagine the scene.

These are exactly the kind of people I truly relish listening to. Honestly, after spending time talking with some of them, it takes me nearly five days to fully process everything. And then, when you inevitably ask, "So, what did you guys even talk about?" I find myself at a complete loss for words. Even if I managed to recount parts of the conversation, it would be a struggle. There is just so much left swirling inside me that I simply cannot find a way to convey the impression, the experience, or the sheer weight of the moment. I suppose I don’t quite know why.

You aren't alone in that feeling. The real trouble starts when a few of us get completely swept up in a literary obsession. LOL.

I have heard quite a bit about Berdyaev. I actually know a political science professor who seems to hold Berdyaev in higher regard than his own wife and children. 😁

Shut it—bite your tongue🤣😁

Who’s gonna deal with me? Someone who cooks, cleans, laundry, dishes, polishes, handles my moods, understands me, loves me, and can survive a massive credit hit or being totally broke? These young girls today are screwed—that life isn't for me.

Steven Clark2 said:

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this particular obsession with sailing. There is something profoundly humbling about being at the mercy of the wind and the waves, isn't there? It forces a certain kind of discipline upon you that modern life rarely demands. kaže:
This is an excellent topic; I truly commend you for bringing it up.

My struggle with books is of a different nature entirely. I simply have nowhere left to put them. Between building my house, dealing with mortgage debt, and furnishing several rental properties, I’ve spread myself thin. There is space for everything else in my home, but there is absolutely no room left for my poor, neglected books.

Perhaps a divorce might actually prove beneficial for you? 😁

That is precisely why I opt to pack everything onto several external hard drives. I don't struggle with storage capacity—well, not exactly—since each drive seems to offer significantly more space than the last. There was a time when 500GB or even a single terabyte would have sufficed for my needs, but those days are long gone.

I am truly sorry, but I find myself at a loss. It appears the message you provided consists only of a single word that does not contain any context or content for me to work with. If you could please provide the full text you wish for me to rewrite, I would be more than happy to apply my process to it immediately. kaže:
I have always felt a near-fetishistic devotion to books, and I find it quite difficult to part with them. I am, truth be told, an obsessive-compulsive collector at heart. Because of this, my collection has grown quite extensive, though I lack any proper shelving to house them. Consequently, they end up scattered everywhere—cluttering nightstands, overflowing from bookcases, or tucked away in various cabinets. You might even find them squeezed between a broom and a can of tuna in the pantry, or nestled in the kids' room somewhere between the makeup kits and the Barbie dolls.

It’s a shame. And tell me, do you actually know how easy it would be to just organize all of that into folders? 😁

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this specific fascination. Is there truly no one else? kaže:
Having spent some time working in the medical field, I have accumulated a rather significant collection—perhaps thirty or so books specifically focused on medicine. Beyond that, I own a variety of legal texts, along with a selection of popular fiction from the eighties and various other genres. In total, my library likely holds a hundred volumes, if not more. It is quite a complete collection...You know those ridiculous little games people play—that constant, mindless back-and-forth where everyone is just picking sides and shouting over nothing? It’s all just noise.I currently have my collected works by Dostoevsky, Fromm, Tina Fey—a rare find, truly—and Borges on hand.

I am certainly not trying to belittle any particular author or literary movement, but I must admit that fiction just doesn't seem to click for me. No matter how hard I try, I simply cannot get into reading it.

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this specific fascination with sailing. There is something profoundly meditative about being out on the water, navigating the wind and the waves, that I simply cannot put into words. It is more than just a hobby; it is a pursuit of clarity. As requested:
As for astrology—I’ve actually managed to collect almost everything worth reading published here in America. I have about a hundred different titles printed out and professionally bound, simply because I can't stand reading from a screen.

I completely understand where you're coming from. Perhaps I should start printing some of my own works to import as well; that seems like a brilliant idea. I am just a bit lost on where to begin—I have a few articles scattered around that I consider sacred, but I realize I’ve only made it halfway through, still tethered to a digital screen.

Wait, what? Theology? Dozens of books? Like what, specifically? If you actually possess more than I do, I will gladly bequeath everything I own to you before I pass. 😁

It is never too late to start writing essays. By the way, browsing a used bookstore is a wonderful pastime. I visited one for the first time in my life right here—just a specialized bookshop, nothing else. I was genuinely surprised by the treasures one can find there. Being a fan of the Eastern Front, I picked up a book about the Battle of Stalingrad. I’ve bought three or four identical copies of similar titles, just different editions, directly from a major bookstore to give to friends, but this one was practically mint condition—so I’m keeping it for myself. I noticed a vast amount of other literature that would be worth owning, and the best part is that you can haggle; you can ask for a discount or offer what you can afford, and see how it goes—I’m not sure if it works like that where you are. You’ve given me the idea to visit there at my very first opportunity.

Wow, that is quite a respectable average then; roughly ten days for a 500-page book. Or about 50 pages a day. Ergo, I am certainly no amoeba.

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this particular obsession with sailing. There is something about the discipline required to command a sailboat—the constant negotiation between wind, water, and will—that appeals to my somewhat overly serious nature. It is a pursuit that demands total presence, leaving very little room for the trivial anxieties of daily life. I suppose I am a bit too earnest about it, but I truly believe there is a profound, quiet dignity in mastering the elements. As I have previously noted:
An acquaintance of mine—who happens to be both a PhD in philosophy and a composer—mentioned that you’ve set a goal for yourself to finish one book per week on average.

Is that really all there is to it? And he calls himself a professor? Honestly, I have a profound disdain for the killers I know—those individuals who can churn out two or three hundred pages a day without even breaking a sweat. It’s truly frustrating. 🤦

It is quite something. I have a friend who completed his PhD at Harvard, and he can easily clock twelve hours of reading a day—sometimes even more when the pressure is on. It was genuinely shocking to me. Yet, he insists that his own workload is nothing compared to what his professors go through. He talks about these legendary global intellectuals, and believe me, I know exactly who he means because I’ve read some of them myself. But those professors? They are tearing through ten books a week like it’s absolutely nothing.

My second closest friend—who was actually my best friend back when I lived in Chicago—earned his PhD in philosophy over in England. He told me this story more times than I can count: he would sit down to read around 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning, and that was it. He’d stay glued to that chair through the entire morning, all through lunch, and straight through the afternoon. By the time darkness fell and his wife finally returned home from work, he still hadn't moved an inch from his seat. 🙏 The sheer passion this man possesses for philosophy is nothing short of incredible. When he engages in a discussion—which happens quite easily for him—he undergoes a complete transformation. He becomes an entirely different person. His manner of speaking shifts entirely; he adopts this intense emotional fervor and a level of confidence that is truly striking. I’ve noticed a similar phenomenon among certain NBA players; I remember watching an interview where one athlete explained how professionals become completely different individuals once they step onto the court. Their entire mindset, their posture, their very essence changes. He approached his studies like a man possessed during his graduate years, moving from his Master's through to his PhD. That said, I wouldn't say his doctoral workload was quite as grueling as that of a friend of mine currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago. To prepare for just a single semester, or even a single exam in one subject, my friend has to plow through forty books, sometimes even more. 🙏 He once told me how he’d spend two full pages drafting essays based solely on Amazon reviews and other snippets he found online—it was simply impossible for him to keep up with the actual reading. To be fair, those weren't even major works, just a handful of books; for most of his library, he actually had to sit down and read them. The four of us have known each other since our university days, but while they all went off to conquer the literary world, I spent the last decade immersed in the media industry. I used to work in media quite extensively—it's a third field I know intimately and enjoy, though I never bother posting about it here on the forum. Now, the old hierarchy is shifting. One friend, who finished his PhD in England, can barely manage to read a single chapter a month due to his obligations; he actually gets quite envious when I mention I've made my way through five pages of a book. Then there’s the guy from Toronto. He really needs to stay sharp since he’s wrapping up his PhD in Old Testament studies this year, but the man knows absolutely nothing about philosophy. If he understands anything at all, it’s only the most superficial concepts. The authors and texts he builds his theses upon are utterly saturated with philosophical thought, yet he remains blissfully unaware, and from the looks of it, it's completely irrelevant to his research. When I recently pointed out that you can't achieve depth without philosophy—that no matter how far you go, it's an essential foundation—he didn't even respond. He simply doesn't know it exists. That said, given his mastery of Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew, Persian literature, and various ancient manuscripts, one could argue he possesses a level of knowledge that borders on the obsessive. It’s truly surreal. He once called me while my apartment was literally going up in flames—I'm talking five ambulances, four fire trucks, ceilings collapsing, walls crumbling—and I sat there chatting with him for three hours straight. I acted as if nothing were happening, completely unfazed, as if I were entirely alone in the world. You can just imagine the scene.

These are exactly the kind of people I truly relish listening to. Honestly, after spending time talking with some of them, it takes me nearly five days to fully process everything. And then, when you inevitably ask, "So, what did you guys even talk about?" I find myself at a complete loss for words. Even if I managed to recount parts of the conversation, it would be a struggle. There is just so much left swirling inside me that I simply cannot find a way to convey the impression, the experience, or the sheer weight of the moment. I suppose I don’t quite know why.

You aren't alone in that feeling. The real trouble starts when a few of us get completely swept up in a literary obsession. LOL.

I have heard quite a bit about Berdyaev. I actually know a political science professor who seems to hold Berdyaev in higher regard than his own wife and children. 😁

I know how *not* to... I live in folders. Just like I'm a hunter-gatherer when it comes to books, I'm a collector of every scrap of paper and every single file I've ever written—all organized by folders, laptop names, and whatnot...

But honestly, staring at a screen kills me. I need a real book—to flip through, smell it, feel the pages. A book is a book. 🙂

Steven Clark2 said:

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this particular obsession with sailing. There is something profoundly humbling about being at the mercy of the wind and the waves, isn't there? It forces a certain kind of discipline upon you that modern life rarely demands. kaže:
This is an excellent topic; I truly commend you for bringing it up.

My struggle with books is of a different nature entirely. I simply have nowhere left to put them. Between building my house, dealing with mortgage debt, and furnishing several rental properties, I’ve spread myself thin. There is space for everything else in my home, but there is absolutely no room left for my poor, neglected books.

Perhaps a divorce might actually prove beneficial for you? 😁

That is precisely why I opt to pack everything onto several external hard drives. I don't struggle with storage capacity—well, not exactly—since each drive seems to offer significantly more space than the last. There was a time when 500GB or even a single terabyte would have sufficed for my needs, but those days are long gone.

I am truly sorry, but I find myself at a loss. It appears the message you provided consists only of a single word that does not contain any context or content for me to work with. If you could please provide the full text you wish for me to rewrite, I would be more than happy to apply my process to it immediately. kaže:
I have always felt a near-fetishistic devotion to books, and I find it quite difficult to part with them. I am, truth be told, an obsessive-compulsive collector at heart. Because of this, my collection has grown quite extensive, though I lack any proper shelving to house them. Consequently, they end up scattered everywhere—cluttering nightstands, overflowing from bookcases, or tucked away in various cabinets. You might even find them squeezed between a broom and a can of tuna in the pantry, or nestled in the kids' room somewhere between the makeup kits and the Barbie dolls.

It’s a shame. And tell me, do you actually know how easy it would be to just organize all of that into folders? 😁

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this specific fascination. Is there truly no one else? kaže:
Having spent some time working in the medical field, I have accumulated a rather significant collection—perhaps thirty or so books specifically focused on medicine. Beyond that, I own a variety of legal texts, along with a selection of popular fiction from the eighties and various other genres. In total, my library likely holds a hundred volumes, if not more. It is quite a complete collection...You know those ridiculous little games people play—that constant, mindless back-and-forth where everyone is just picking sides and shouting over nothing? It’s all just noise.I currently have my collected works by Dostoevsky, Fromm, Tina Fey—a rare find, truly—and Borges on hand.

I am certainly not trying to belittle any particular author or literary movement, but I must admit that fiction just doesn't seem to click for me. No matter how hard I try, I simply cannot get into reading it.

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this specific fascination with sailing. There is something profoundly meditative about being out on the water, navigating the wind and the waves, that I simply cannot put into words. It is more than just a hobby; it is a pursuit of clarity. As requested:
As for astrology—I’ve actually managed to collect almost everything worth reading published here in America. I have about a hundred different titles printed out and professionally bound, simply because I can't stand reading from a screen.

I completely understand where you're coming from. Perhaps I should start printing some of my own works to import as well; that seems like a brilliant idea. I am just a bit lost on where to begin—I have a few articles scattered around that I consider sacred, but I realize I’ve only made it halfway through, still tethered to a digital screen.

Wait, what? Theology? Dozens of books? Like what, specifically? If you actually possess more than I do, I will gladly bequeath everything I own to you before I pass. 😁

It is never too late to start writing essays. By the way, browsing a used bookstore is a wonderful pastime. I visited one for the first time in my life right here—just a specialized bookshop, nothing else. I was genuinely surprised by the treasures one can find there. Being a fan of the Eastern Front, I picked up a book about the Battle of Stalingrad. I’ve bought three or four identical copies of similar titles, just different editions, directly from a major bookstore to give to friends, but this one was practically mint condition—so I’m keeping it for myself. I noticed a vast amount of other literature that would be worth owning, and the best part is that you can haggle; you can ask for a discount or offer what you can afford, and see how it goes—I’m not sure if it works like that where you are. You’ve given me the idea to visit there at my very first opportunity.

Wow, that is quite a respectable average then; roughly ten days for a 500-page book. Or about 50 pages a day. Ergo, I am certainly no amoeba.

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this particular obsession with sailing. There is something about the discipline required to command a sailboat—the constant negotiation between wind, water, and will—that appeals to my somewhat overly serious nature. It is a pursuit that demands total presence, leaving very little room for the trivial anxieties of daily life. I suppose I am a bit too earnest about it, but I truly believe there is a profound, quiet dignity in mastering the elements. As I have previously noted:
An acquaintance of mine—who happens to be both a PhD in philosophy and a composer—mentioned that you’ve set a goal for yourself to finish one book per week on average.

Is that really all there is to it? And he calls himself a professor? Honestly, I have a profound disdain for the killers I know—those individuals who can churn out two or three hundred pages a day without even breaking a sweat. It’s truly frustrating. 🤦

It is quite something. I have a friend who completed his PhD at Harvard, and he can easily clock twelve hours of reading a day—sometimes even more when the pressure is on. It was genuinely shocking to me. Yet, he insists that his own workload is nothing compared to what his professors go through. He talks about these legendary global intellectuals, and believe me, I know exactly who he means because I’ve read some of them myself. But those professors? They are tearing through ten books a week like it’s absolutely nothing.

My second closest friend—who was actually my best friend back when I lived in Chicago—earned his PhD in philosophy over in England. He told me this story more times than I can count: he would sit down to read around 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning, and that was it. He’d stay glued to that chair through the entire morning, all through lunch, and straight through the afternoon. By the time darkness fell and his wife finally returned home from work, he still hadn't moved an inch from his seat. 🙏 The sheer passion this man possesses for philosophy is nothing short of incredible. When he engages in a discussion—which happens quite easily for him—he undergoes a complete transformation. He becomes an entirely different person. His manner of speaking shifts entirely; he adopts this intense emotional fervor and a level of confidence that is truly striking. I’ve noticed a similar phenomenon among certain NBA players; I remember watching an interview where one athlete explained how professionals become completely different individuals once they step onto the court. Their entire mindset, their posture, their very essence changes. He approached his studies like a man possessed during his graduate years, moving from his Master's through to his PhD. That said, I wouldn't say his doctoral workload was quite as grueling as that of a friend of mine currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago. To prepare for just a single semester, or even a single exam in one subject, my friend has to plow through forty books, sometimes even more. 🙏 He once told me how he’d spend two full pages drafting essays based solely on Amazon reviews and other snippets he found online—it was simply impossible for him to keep up with the actual reading. To be fair, those weren't even major works, just a handful of books; for most of his library, he actually had to sit down and read them. The four of us have known each other since our university days, but while they all went off to conquer the literary world, I spent the last decade immersed in the media industry. I used to work in media quite extensively—it's a third field I know intimately and enjoy, though I never bother posting about it here on the forum. Now, the old hierarchy is shifting. One friend, who finished his PhD in England, can barely manage to read a single chapter a month due to his obligations; he actually gets quite envious when I mention I've made my way through five pages of a book. Then there’s the guy from Toronto. He really needs to stay sharp since he’s wrapping up his PhD in Old Testament studies this year, but the man knows absolutely nothing about philosophy. If he understands anything at all, it’s only the most superficial concepts. The authors and texts he builds his theses upon are utterly saturated with philosophical thought, yet he remains blissfully unaware, and from the looks of it, it's completely irrelevant to his research. When I recently pointed out that you can't achieve depth without philosophy—that no matter how far you go, it's an essential foundation—he didn't even respond. He simply doesn't know it exists. That said, given his mastery of Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew, Persian literature, and various ancient manuscripts, one could argue he possesses a level of knowledge that borders on the obsessive. It’s truly surreal. He once called me while my apartment was literally going up in flames—I'm talking five ambulances, four fire trucks, ceilings collapsing, walls crumbling—and I sat there chatting with him for three hours straight. I acted as if nothing were happening, completely unfazed, as if I were entirely alone in the world. You can just imagine the scene.

These are exactly the kind of people I truly relish listening to. Honestly, after spending time talking with some of them, it takes me nearly five days to fully process everything. And then, when you inevitably ask, "So, what did you guys even talk about?" I find myself at a complete loss for words. Even if I managed to recount parts of the conversation, it would be a struggle. There is just so much left swirling inside me that I simply cannot find a way to convey the impression, the experience, or the sheer weight of the moment. I suppose I don’t quite know why.

You aren't alone in that feeling. The real trouble starts when a few of us get completely swept up in a literary obsession. LOL.

I have heard quite a bit about Berdyaev. I actually know a political science professor who seems to hold Berdyaev in higher regard than his own wife and children. 😁

The idea is solid, but it gets pricey if you don't have the setup... plus it takes up space.

(I keep some alternative books by Zecharia Sitchin, Lazarov, and David Icke in PDF format 🙂 )

Steven Clark2 said:

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this particular obsession with sailing. There is something profoundly humbling about being at the mercy of the wind and the waves, isn't there? It forces a certain kind of discipline upon you that modern life rarely demands. kaže:
This is an excellent topic; I truly commend you for bringing it up.

My struggle with books is of a different nature entirely. I simply have nowhere left to put them. Between building my house, dealing with mortgage debt, and furnishing several rental properties, I’ve spread myself thin. There is space for everything else in my home, but there is absolutely no room left for my poor, neglected books.

Perhaps a divorce might actually prove beneficial for you? 😁

That is precisely why I opt to pack everything onto several external hard drives. I don't struggle with storage capacity—well, not exactly—since each drive seems to offer significantly more space than the last. There was a time when 500GB or even a single terabyte would have sufficed for my needs, but those days are long gone.

I am truly sorry, but I find myself at a loss. It appears the message you provided consists only of a single word that does not contain any context or content for me to work with. If you could please provide the full text you wish for me to rewrite, I would be more than happy to apply my process to it immediately. kaže:
I have always felt a near-fetishistic devotion to books, and I find it quite difficult to part with them. I am, truth be told, an obsessive-compulsive collector at heart. Because of this, my collection has grown quite extensive, though I lack any proper shelving to house them. Consequently, they end up scattered everywhere—cluttering nightstands, overflowing from bookcases, or tucked away in various cabinets. You might even find them squeezed between a broom and a can of tuna in the pantry, or nestled in the kids' room somewhere between the makeup kits and the Barbie dolls.

It’s a shame. And tell me, do you actually know how easy it would be to just organize all of that into folders? 😁

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this specific fascination. Is there truly no one else? kaže:
Having spent some time working in the medical field, I have accumulated a rather significant collection—perhaps thirty or so books specifically focused on medicine. Beyond that, I own a variety of legal texts, along with a selection of popular fiction from the eighties and various other genres. In total, my library likely holds a hundred volumes, if not more. It is quite a complete collection...You know those ridiculous little games people play—that constant, mindless back-and-forth where everyone is just picking sides and shouting over nothing? It’s all just noise.I currently have my collected works by Dostoevsky, Fromm, Tina Fey—a rare find, truly—and Borges on hand.

I am certainly not trying to belittle any particular author or literary movement, but I must admit that fiction just doesn't seem to click for me. No matter how hard I try, I simply cannot get into reading it.

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this specific fascination with sailing. There is something profoundly meditative about being out on the water, navigating the wind and the waves, that I simply cannot put into words. It is more than just a hobby; it is a pursuit of clarity. As requested:
As for astrology—I’ve actually managed to collect almost everything worth reading published here in America. I have about a hundred different titles printed out and professionally bound, simply because I can't stand reading from a screen.

I completely understand where you're coming from. Perhaps I should start printing some of my own works to import as well; that seems like a brilliant idea. I am just a bit lost on where to begin—I have a few articles scattered around that I consider sacred, but I realize I’ve only made it halfway through, still tethered to a digital screen.

Wait, what? Theology? Dozens of books? Like what, specifically? If you actually possess more than I do, I will gladly bequeath everything I own to you before I pass. 😁

It is never too late to start writing essays. By the way, browsing a used bookstore is a wonderful pastime. I visited one for the first time in my life right here—just a specialized bookshop, nothing else. I was genuinely surprised by the treasures one can find there. Being a fan of the Eastern Front, I picked up a book about the Battle of Stalingrad. I’ve bought three or four identical copies of similar titles, just different editions, directly from a major bookstore to give to friends, but this one was practically mint condition—so I’m keeping it for myself. I noticed a vast amount of other literature that would be worth owning, and the best part is that you can haggle; you can ask for a discount or offer what you can afford, and see how it goes—I’m not sure if it works like that where you are. You’ve given me the idea to visit there at my very first opportunity.

Wow, that is quite a respectable average then; roughly ten days for a 500-page book. Or about 50 pages a day. Ergo, I am certainly no amoeba.

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this particular obsession with sailing. There is something about the discipline required to command a sailboat—the constant negotiation between wind, water, and will—that appeals to my somewhat overly serious nature. It is a pursuit that demands total presence, leaving very little room for the trivial anxieties of daily life. I suppose I am a bit too earnest about it, but I truly believe there is a profound, quiet dignity in mastering the elements. As I have previously noted:
An acquaintance of mine—who happens to be both a PhD in philosophy and a composer—mentioned that you’ve set a goal for yourself to finish one book per week on average.

Is that really all there is to it? And he calls himself a professor? Honestly, I have a profound disdain for the killers I know—those individuals who can churn out two or three hundred pages a day without even breaking a sweat. It’s truly frustrating. 🤦

It is quite something. I have a friend who completed his PhD at Harvard, and he can easily clock twelve hours of reading a day—sometimes even more when the pressure is on. It was genuinely shocking to me. Yet, he insists that his own workload is nothing compared to what his professors go through. He talks about these legendary global intellectuals, and believe me, I know exactly who he means because I’ve read some of them myself. But those professors? They are tearing through ten books a week like it’s absolutely nothing.

My second closest friend—who was actually my best friend back when I lived in Chicago—earned his PhD in philosophy over in England. He told me this story more times than I can count: he would sit down to read around 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning, and that was it. He’d stay glued to that chair through the entire morning, all through lunch, and straight through the afternoon. By the time darkness fell and his wife finally returned home from work, he still hadn't moved an inch from his seat. 🙏 The sheer passion this man possesses for philosophy is nothing short of incredible. When he engages in a discussion—which happens quite easily for him—he undergoes a complete transformation. He becomes an entirely different person. His manner of speaking shifts entirely; he adopts this intense emotional fervor and a level of confidence that is truly striking. I’ve noticed a similar phenomenon among certain NBA players; I remember watching an interview where one athlete explained how professionals become completely different individuals once they step onto the court. Their entire mindset, their posture, their very essence changes. He approached his studies like a man possessed during his graduate years, moving from his Master's through to his PhD. That said, I wouldn't say his doctoral workload was quite as grueling as that of a friend of mine currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago. To prepare for just a single semester, or even a single exam in one subject, my friend has to plow through forty books, sometimes even more. 🙏 He once told me how he’d spend two full pages drafting essays based solely on Amazon reviews and other snippets he found online—it was simply impossible for him to keep up with the actual reading. To be fair, those weren't even major works, just a handful of books; for most of his library, he actually had to sit down and read them. The four of us have known each other since our university days, but while they all went off to conquer the literary world, I spent the last decade immersed in the media industry. I used to work in media quite extensively—it's a third field I know intimately and enjoy, though I never bother posting about it here on the forum. Now, the old hierarchy is shifting. One friend, who finished his PhD in England, can barely manage to read a single chapter a month due to his obligations; he actually gets quite envious when I mention I've made my way through five pages of a book. Then there’s the guy from Toronto. He really needs to stay sharp since he’s wrapping up his PhD in Old Testament studies this year, but the man knows absolutely nothing about philosophy. If he understands anything at all, it’s only the most superficial concepts. The authors and texts he builds his theses upon are utterly saturated with philosophical thought, yet he remains blissfully unaware, and from the looks of it, it's completely irrelevant to his research. When I recently pointed out that you can't achieve depth without philosophy—that no matter how far you go, it's an essential foundation—he didn't even respond. He simply doesn't know it exists. That said, given his mastery of Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew, Persian literature, and various ancient manuscripts, one could argue he possesses a level of knowledge that borders on the obsessive. It’s truly surreal. He once called me while my apartment was literally going up in flames—I'm talking five ambulances, four fire trucks, ceilings collapsing, walls crumbling—and I sat there chatting with him for three hours straight. I acted as if nothing were happening, completely unfazed, as if I were entirely alone in the world. You can just imagine the scene.

These are exactly the kind of people I truly relish listening to. Honestly, after spending time talking with some of them, it takes me nearly five days to fully process everything. And then, when you inevitably ask, "So, what did you guys even talk about?" I find myself at a complete loss for words. Even if I managed to recount parts of the conversation, it would be a struggle. There is just so much left swirling inside me that I simply cannot find a way to convey the impression, the experience, or the sheer weight of the moment. I suppose I don’t quite know why.

You aren't alone in that feeling. The real trouble starts when a few of us get completely swept up in a literary obsession. LOL.

I have heard quite a bit about Berdyaev. I actually know a political science professor who seems to hold Berdyaev in higher regard than his own wife and children. 😁

hmmm... off the top of my head... pretty much everything by Joseph Ratzinger published in English, some stuff by Karl Rahner, three great books by Thomas Merton, Henri de Lubac, Hans Urs von Balthazar, a little Roman Guardini, Augustine’s City of God, Excerpts from Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica, a few books on Bible exegesis, the entire correspondence theology course "The Way," Harrington's books on the Bible, a really solid explanatory dissertation by Valerie Kovac regarding "The Personal-Relational Paradigm in the Theology of Joseph Ratzinger," another one or two dissertations, and a ton of essays and articles from academic portals like JSTOR, Nikolai Berdyaev's Philosophy of Creativity via Bishop Devcic—who’s a huge Berdyaev expert, maybe even the best in the US—a couple of C.S. Lewis books, some Christian non-fiction, a few top-tier books by what might be the best sociologist of religion we have, Zeljko Mardesic (aka Jakob Jukić), the last three books by Tonco Matulic, the Vatican II documents, and so on... gotta try to remember

I don't have more than you, and I haven't (yet) read everything I own, except for the Ratzinger, Mardesic, Matulic, and anything I have on Paul. If you can't wrap your head around Paul, you aren't going to get Christianity. Maybe one of the best insights into Paul came from Badieo, who sees him as the founder of universalism...

Dogmatic books are tough for me—often written in a way that makes zero sense—and honestly, I'm still a lost sheep, and sheep aren't exactly known for being geniuses

Steven Clark2 said:

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this particular obsession with sailing. There is something profoundly humbling about being at the mercy of the wind and the waves, isn't there? It forces a certain kind of discipline upon you that modern life rarely demands. kaže:
This is an excellent topic; I truly commend you for bringing it up.

My struggle with books is of a different nature entirely. I simply have nowhere left to put them. Between building my house, dealing with mortgage debt, and furnishing several rental properties, I’ve spread myself thin. There is space for everything else in my home, but there is absolutely no room left for my poor, neglected books.

Perhaps a divorce might actually prove beneficial for you? 😁

That is precisely why I opt to pack everything onto several external hard drives. I don't struggle with storage capacity—well, not exactly—since each drive seems to offer significantly more space than the last. There was a time when 500GB or even a single terabyte would have sufficed for my needs, but those days are long gone.

I am truly sorry, but I find myself at a loss. It appears the message you provided consists only of a single word that does not contain any context or content for me to work with. If you could please provide the full text you wish for me to rewrite, I would be more than happy to apply my process to it immediately. kaže:
I have always felt a near-fetishistic devotion to books, and I find it quite difficult to part with them. I am, truth be told, an obsessive-compulsive collector at heart. Because of this, my collection has grown quite extensive, though I lack any proper shelving to house them. Consequently, they end up scattered everywhere—cluttering nightstands, overflowing from bookcases, or tucked away in various cabinets. You might even find them squeezed between a broom and a can of tuna in the pantry, or nestled in the kids' room somewhere between the makeup kits and the Barbie dolls.

It’s a shame. And tell me, do you actually know how easy it would be to just organize all of that into folders? 😁

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this specific fascination. Is there truly no one else? kaže:
Having spent some time working in the medical field, I have accumulated a rather significant collection—perhaps thirty or so books specifically focused on medicine. Beyond that, I own a variety of legal texts, along with a selection of popular fiction from the eighties and various other genres. In total, my library likely holds a hundred volumes, if not more. It is quite a complete collection...You know those ridiculous little games people play—that constant, mindless back-and-forth where everyone is just picking sides and shouting over nothing? It’s all just noise.I currently have my collected works by Dostoevsky, Fromm, Tina Fey—a rare find, truly—and Borges on hand.

I am certainly not trying to belittle any particular author or literary movement, but I must admit that fiction just doesn't seem to click for me. No matter how hard I try, I simply cannot get into reading it.

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this specific fascination with sailing. There is something profoundly meditative about being out on the water, navigating the wind and the waves, that I simply cannot put into words. It is more than just a hobby; it is a pursuit of clarity. As requested:
As for astrology—I’ve actually managed to collect almost everything worth reading published here in America. I have about a hundred different titles printed out and professionally bound, simply because I can't stand reading from a screen.

I completely understand where you're coming from. Perhaps I should start printing some of my own works to import as well; that seems like a brilliant idea. I am just a bit lost on where to begin—I have a few articles scattered around that I consider sacred, but I realize I’ve only made it halfway through, still tethered to a digital screen.

Wait, what? Theology? Dozens of books? Like what, specifically? If you actually possess more than I do, I will gladly bequeath everything I own to you before I pass. 😁

It is never too late to start writing essays. By the way, browsing a used bookstore is a wonderful pastime. I visited one for the first time in my life right here—just a specialized bookshop, nothing else. I was genuinely surprised by the treasures one can find there. Being a fan of the Eastern Front, I picked up a book about the Battle of Stalingrad. I’ve bought three or four identical copies of similar titles, just different editions, directly from a major bookstore to give to friends, but this one was practically mint condition—so I’m keeping it for myself. I noticed a vast amount of other literature that would be worth owning, and the best part is that you can haggle; you can ask for a discount or offer what you can afford, and see how it goes—I’m not sure if it works like that where you are. You’ve given me the idea to visit there at my very first opportunity.

Wow, that is quite a respectable average then; roughly ten days for a 500-page book. Or about 50 pages a day. Ergo, I am certainly no amoeba.

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this particular obsession with sailing. There is something about the discipline required to command a sailboat—the constant negotiation between wind, water, and will—that appeals to my somewhat overly serious nature. It is a pursuit that demands total presence, leaving very little room for the trivial anxieties of daily life. I suppose I am a bit too earnest about it, but I truly believe there is a profound, quiet dignity in mastering the elements. As I have previously noted:
An acquaintance of mine—who happens to be both a PhD in philosophy and a composer—mentioned that you’ve set a goal for yourself to finish one book per week on average.

Is that really all there is to it? And he calls himself a professor? Honestly, I have a profound disdain for the killers I know—those individuals who can churn out two or three hundred pages a day without even breaking a sweat. It’s truly frustrating. 🤦

It is quite something. I have a friend who completed his PhD at Harvard, and he can easily clock twelve hours of reading a day—sometimes even more when the pressure is on. It was genuinely shocking to me. Yet, he insists that his own workload is nothing compared to what his professors go through. He talks about these legendary global intellectuals, and believe me, I know exactly who he means because I’ve read some of them myself. But those professors? They are tearing through ten books a week like it’s absolutely nothing.

My second closest friend—who was actually my best friend back when I lived in Chicago—earned his PhD in philosophy over in England. He told me this story more times than I can count: he would sit down to read around 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning, and that was it. He’d stay glued to that chair through the entire morning, all through lunch, and straight through the afternoon. By the time darkness fell and his wife finally returned home from work, he still hadn't moved an inch from his seat. 🙏 The sheer passion this man possesses for philosophy is nothing short of incredible. When he engages in a discussion—which happens quite easily for him—he undergoes a complete transformation. He becomes an entirely different person. His manner of speaking shifts entirely; he adopts this intense emotional fervor and a level of confidence that is truly striking. I’ve noticed a similar phenomenon among certain NBA players; I remember watching an interview where one athlete explained how professionals become completely different individuals once they step onto the court. Their entire mindset, their posture, their very essence changes. He approached his studies like a man possessed during his graduate years, moving from his Master's through to his PhD. That said, I wouldn't say his doctoral workload was quite as grueling as that of a friend of mine currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago. To prepare for just a single semester, or even a single exam in one subject, my friend has to plow through forty books, sometimes even more. 🙏 He once told me how he’d spend two full pages drafting essays based solely on Amazon reviews and other snippets he found online—it was simply impossible for him to keep up with the actual reading. To be fair, those weren't even major works, just a handful of books; for most of his library, he actually had to sit down and read them. The four of us have known each other since our university days, but while they all went off to conquer the literary world, I spent the last decade immersed in the media industry. I used to work in media quite extensively—it's a third field I know intimately and enjoy, though I never bother posting about it here on the forum. Now, the old hierarchy is shifting. One friend, who finished his PhD in England, can barely manage to read a single chapter a month due to his obligations; he actually gets quite envious when I mention I've made my way through five pages of a book. Then there’s the guy from Toronto. He really needs to stay sharp since he’s wrapping up his PhD in Old Testament studies this year, but the man knows absolutely nothing about philosophy. If he understands anything at all, it’s only the most superficial concepts. The authors and texts he builds his theses upon are utterly saturated with philosophical thought, yet he remains blissfully unaware, and from the looks of it, it's completely irrelevant to his research. When I recently pointed out that you can't achieve depth without philosophy—that no matter how far you go, it's an essential foundation—he didn't even respond. He simply doesn't know it exists. That said, given his mastery of Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew, Persian literature, and various ancient manuscripts, one could argue he possesses a level of knowledge that borders on the obsessive. It’s truly surreal. He once called me while my apartment was literally going up in flames—I'm talking five ambulances, four fire trucks, ceilings collapsing, walls crumbling—and I sat there chatting with him for three hours straight. I acted as if nothing were happening, completely unfazed, as if I were entirely alone in the world. You can just imagine the scene.

These are exactly the kind of people I truly relish listening to. Honestly, after spending time talking with some of them, it takes me nearly five days to fully process everything. And then, when you inevitably ask, "So, what did you guys even talk about?" I find myself at a complete loss for words. Even if I managed to recount parts of the conversation, it would be a struggle. There is just so much left swirling inside me that I simply cannot find a way to convey the impression, the experience, or the sheer weight of the moment. I suppose I don’t quite know why.

You aren't alone in that feeling. The real trouble starts when a few of us get completely swept up in a literary obsession. LOL.

I have heard quite a bit about Berdyaev. I actually know a political science professor who seems to hold Berdyaev in higher regard than his own wife and children. 😁

he's a composer and a conductor too
maybe he spends more time with sheet music...
his specialty is actually the philosophy of sound, if you care

Look, I'm at work, a son, a husband, a father, a grandfather, a councilman, a walker, an Airbnb host, an internet loafer, a sleeper... whatever I can manage... if I hit 30 pages a day, that's a win for me, even if it's a small one ☕

Steven Clark2 said:

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this particular obsession with sailing. There is something profoundly humbling about being at the mercy of the wind and the waves, isn't there? It forces a certain kind of discipline upon you that modern life rarely demands. kaže:
This is an excellent topic; I truly commend you for bringing it up.

My struggle with books is of a different nature entirely. I simply have nowhere left to put them. Between building my house, dealing with mortgage debt, and furnishing several rental properties, I’ve spread myself thin. There is space for everything else in my home, but there is absolutely no room left for my poor, neglected books.

Perhaps a divorce might actually prove beneficial for you? 😁

That is precisely why I opt to pack everything onto several external hard drives. I don't struggle with storage capacity—well, not exactly—since each drive seems to offer significantly more space than the last. There was a time when 500GB or even a single terabyte would have sufficed for my needs, but those days are long gone.

I am truly sorry, but I find myself at a loss. It appears the message you provided consists only of a single word that does not contain any context or content for me to work with. If you could please provide the full text you wish for me to rewrite, I would be more than happy to apply my process to it immediately. kaže:
I have always felt a near-fetishistic devotion to books, and I find it quite difficult to part with them. I am, truth be told, an obsessive-compulsive collector at heart. Because of this, my collection has grown quite extensive, though I lack any proper shelving to house them. Consequently, they end up scattered everywhere—cluttering nightstands, overflowing from bookcases, or tucked away in various cabinets. You might even find them squeezed between a broom and a can of tuna in the pantry, or nestled in the kids' room somewhere between the makeup kits and the Barbie dolls.

It’s a shame. And tell me, do you actually know how easy it would be to just organize all of that into folders? 😁

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this specific fascination. Is there truly no one else? kaže:
Having spent some time working in the medical field, I have accumulated a rather significant collection—perhaps thirty or so books specifically focused on medicine. Beyond that, I own a variety of legal texts, along with a selection of popular fiction from the eighties and various other genres. In total, my library likely holds a hundred volumes, if not more. It is quite a complete collection...You know those ridiculous little games people play—that constant, mindless back-and-forth where everyone is just picking sides and shouting over nothing? It’s all just noise.I currently have my collected works by Dostoevsky, Fromm, Tina Fey—a rare find, truly—and Borges on hand.

I am certainly not trying to belittle any particular author or literary movement, but I must admit that fiction just doesn't seem to click for me. No matter how hard I try, I simply cannot get into reading it.

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this specific fascination with sailing. There is something profoundly meditative about being out on the water, navigating the wind and the waves, that I simply cannot put into words. It is more than just a hobby; it is a pursuit of clarity. As requested:
As for astrology—I’ve actually managed to collect almost everything worth reading published here in America. I have about a hundred different titles printed out and professionally bound, simply because I can't stand reading from a screen.

I completely understand where you're coming from. Perhaps I should start printing some of my own works to import as well; that seems like a brilliant idea. I am just a bit lost on where to begin—I have a few articles scattered around that I consider sacred, but I realize I’ve only made it halfway through, still tethered to a digital screen.

Wait, what? Theology? Dozens of books? Like what, specifically? If you actually possess more than I do, I will gladly bequeath everything I own to you before I pass. 😁

It is never too late to start writing essays. By the way, browsing a used bookstore is a wonderful pastime. I visited one for the first time in my life right here—just a specialized bookshop, nothing else. I was genuinely surprised by the treasures one can find there. Being a fan of the Eastern Front, I picked up a book about the Battle of Stalingrad. I’ve bought three or four identical copies of similar titles, just different editions, directly from a major bookstore to give to friends, but this one was practically mint condition—so I’m keeping it for myself. I noticed a vast amount of other literature that would be worth owning, and the best part is that you can haggle; you can ask for a discount or offer what you can afford, and see how it goes—I’m not sure if it works like that where you are. You’ve given me the idea to visit there at my very first opportunity.

Wow, that is quite a respectable average then; roughly ten days for a 500-page book. Or about 50 pages a day. Ergo, I am certainly no amoeba.

I find myself wondering if there is anyone else out there who shares this particular obsession with sailing. There is something about the discipline required to command a sailboat—the constant negotiation between wind, water, and will—that appeals to my somewhat overly serious nature. It is a pursuit that demands total presence, leaving very little room for the trivial anxieties of daily life. I suppose I am a bit too earnest about it, but I truly believe there is a profound, quiet dignity in mastering the elements. As I have previously noted:
An acquaintance of mine—who happens to be both a PhD in philosophy and a composer—mentioned that you’ve set a goal for yourself to finish one book per week on average.

Is that really all there is to it? And he calls himself a professor? Honestly, I have a profound disdain for the killers I know—those individuals who can churn out two or three hundred pages a day without even breaking a sweat. It’s truly frustrating. 🤦

It is quite something. I have a friend who completed his PhD at Harvard, and he can easily clock twelve hours of reading a day—sometimes even more when the pressure is on. It was genuinely shocking to me. Yet, he insists that his own workload is nothing compared to what his professors go through. He talks about these legendary global intellectuals, and believe me, I know exactly who he means because I’ve read some of them myself. But those professors? They are tearing through ten books a week like it’s absolutely nothing.

My second closest friend—who was actually my best friend back when I lived in Chicago—earned his PhD in philosophy over in England. He told me this story more times than I can count: he would sit down to read around 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning, and that was it. He’d stay glued to that chair through the entire morning, all through lunch, and straight through the afternoon. By the time darkness fell and his wife finally returned home from work, he still hadn't moved an inch from his seat. 🙏 The sheer passion this man possesses for philosophy is nothing short of incredible. When he engages in a discussion—which happens quite easily for him—he undergoes a complete transformation. He becomes an entirely different person. His manner of speaking shifts entirely; he adopts this intense emotional fervor and a level of confidence that is truly striking. I’ve noticed a similar phenomenon among certain NBA players; I remember watching an interview where one athlete explained how professionals become completely different individuals once they step onto the court. Their entire mindset, their posture, their very essence changes. He approached his studies like a man possessed during his graduate years, moving from his Master's through to his PhD. That said, I wouldn't say his doctoral workload was quite as grueling as that of a friend of mine currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago. To prepare for just a single semester, or even a single exam in one subject, my friend has to plow through forty books, sometimes even more. 🙏 He once told me how he’d spend two full pages drafting essays based solely on Amazon reviews and other snippets he found online—it was simply impossible for him to keep up with the actual reading. To be fair, those weren't even major works, just a handful of books; for most of his library, he actually had to sit down and read them. The four of us have known each other since our university days, but while they all went off to conquer the literary world, I spent the last decade immersed in the media industry. I used to work in media quite extensively—it's a third field I know intimately and enjoy, though I never bother posting about it here on the forum. Now, the old hierarchy is shifting. One friend, who finished his PhD in England, can barely manage to read a single chapter a month due to his obligations; he actually gets quite envious when I mention I've made my way through five pages of a book. Then there’s the guy from Toronto. He really needs to stay sharp since he’s wrapping up his PhD in Old Testament studies this year, but the man knows absolutely nothing about philosophy. If he understands anything at all, it’s only the most superficial concepts. The authors and texts he builds his theses upon are utterly saturated with philosophical thought, yet he remains blissfully unaware, and from the looks of it, it's completely irrelevant to his research. When I recently pointed out that you can't achieve depth without philosophy—that no matter how far you go, it's an essential foundation—he didn't even respond. He simply doesn't know it exists. That said, given his mastery of Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew, Persian literature, and various ancient manuscripts, one could argue he possesses a level of knowledge that borders on the obsessive. It’s truly surreal. He once called me while my apartment was literally going up in flames—I'm talking five ambulances, four fire trucks, ceilings collapsing, walls crumbling—and I sat there chatting with him for three hours straight. I acted as if nothing were happening, completely unfazed, as if I were entirely alone in the world. You can just imagine the scene.

These are exactly the kind of people I truly relish listening to. Honestly, after spending time talking with some of them, it takes me nearly five days to fully process everything. And then, when you inevitably ask, "So, what did you guys even talk about?" I find myself at a complete loss for words. Even if I managed to recount parts of the conversation, it would be a struggle. There is just so much left swirling inside me that I simply cannot find a way to convey the impression, the experience, or the sheer weight of the moment. I suppose I don’t quite know why.

You aren't alone in that feeling. The real trouble starts when a few of us get completely swept up in a literary obsession. LOL.

I have heard quite a bit about Berdyaev. I actually know a political science professor who seems to hold Berdyaev in higher regard than his own wife and children. 😁

I've got some Berdyaev myself and I'm getting ready to dive back in. Don't have everything, just 4 or 5 works.
He's incredibly fascinating—started out as a Marxist shaped by Russian anarchism, realized how absurd the revolution was back in the '20s, and emigrated abroad where he wrote until he died in '48.

I'd put him right up there with the Christian existentialists. He writes beautifully, with real emotion; you can feel that Russian soul in there. It's not like that German style, it's different... Devcic gave an excellent breakdown of him in that book I mentioned earlier...

Amanda Flores88 said:And they actually remember all that? Props to them, I guess.

Maybe I'm off base here, but I find it hard to believe someone can dig through that much content—just mountains of books—and still stumble upon something they haven't heard or seen before. At some point, you'd expect it to get harder to find anything truly fresh, right? Sifting through endless piles of text just to catch a glimpse of something original... you've gotta genuinely love reading for its own sake to pull that off.

exactly....

Me? I’m basically a philosophical blank slate. I need massive amounts of time to cook everything down, systematize it, and mix it into one cohesive system made of previously cooked, organized, and blended insights—spiced up with a bit of life experience, some imagination, a few biases, general social interaction, and so on...

Plus, I need a system robust enough to point me in the right direction when I go looking for a specific piece of info, an opinion, or a quote again... I gotta know where the hell I picked it up in the first place....

(Seriously, I was just struggling to remember who said that Russes only took the parts of the original Marx that fit their doctrine—it took a while for my brain to spit out Camus... and even now, I'm not 100% sure if it was from The Rebel or somewhere else..)

Killer topic, props to you

My issue with books is a different kind of beast entirely. I literally have nowhere left to put them. I’ve been busy building a house, drowning in mortgage payments, flipping some rentals—you name it, I’ve done it—so the house is fully decked out, but there's zero space left for my poor, neglected books >

I've always had this weirdly fetishistic attachment to books—it's hard to let go. I’m a full-blown obsessive collector, so I own a ton of stuff, but since I lack actual shelves, they end up scattered everywhere: shoved in cabinets, sitting on nightstands, piled on side tables, or tucked away between the broom and a can of tuna—or in the kid's room, wedged between makeup and Barbies

I spent some time in the medical field, so I’ve got about 30 books from that world—some legit textbooks, some pop-science stuff. Then there's the 80s fiction era... maybe a hundred titles, maybe more. The heavy hitters too—you know those massive multi-volume sets—I've got the collected works of Dostoevsky, Fromm, Tina Ujevica (a total rarity, white hardcover set), Borges...

Then astrology—pretty much everything worth reading published here in the States, plus a bunch of PDFs I printed and bound because I can't stand staring at a screen... probably another hundred titles

Then theology, dozens of books there. Eventually, theology dragged me into philosophy, and since I don't have a formal degree, my reading is pretty chaotic. I'll stumble into a topic and try to dig deep, or an author will just grab me and I'll buy their entire back catalog. I'm constantly hunting through used bookstores, dragging home new finds that drive my wife crazy. I always have a massive backlog because I get distracted by something new and push my "planned" reading to the side. I keep hoping I'll eventually write an essay or just "post a few thoughts" online, so I figure I better keep my sources close ...

How long does it take to slog through a 500-page philosophy tome? Like, say, Heidegger's battle and time or Kant's critique of pure reason? Hmm... long enough that I barely catch the thread. But then again, I tore through Matulic's metamorphosis of culture—which isn't even strictly philosophy, theology, or sociology, though it hits all three—all 950 pages of that dense stuff in just 15 days.

A buddy of mine, a PhD in philosophy who also happens to be a composer, says he sets a quota for himself: one book a week, on average

Look, it's not polite for me to jump into a new thread first, but what am I supposed to do when I'm this hooked on books? Couldn't resist the temptation >

P. S. I'm huge on Berdyaev. Super interesting guy. I'm actually thinking about trying to link him and Camus—I feel like there's a common thread there that could form its own framework... or maybe try to bring Berdyaev's New Middle Ages down to earth by looking for traces of it in some modern dystopia and seeing if it fits our current world >>

Nothing happens by accident—not even this "spammer" popping up in the religion lock... honestly, I'm not even surprised to see him here ☕

Brenda Taylor13 said:Unfortunately, there isn't a single decent one out there. All we’ve got are these people working against their own country—you know the type—who spend all their energy obsessing over our side's mistakes while ignoring everything else. We have so many of them it’s almost ridiculous, like we could start an export business just based on the sheer volume of people rooting for the opposition. Just to give you a starting list—Stevan Mason, Vesna Pusic, Zoran Pusic, Vesna Terselic, Eugen Jakovcic...

there is...

Nazor

but the media—which is basically run by a bunch of Pusić types, Terselics, and other hacks—just shuts him out completely. He can't even get a foot in the door of the media landscape, let alone the Department of Justice.

The absolute worst part is when some biased mod hands out a penalty just because they feel like it—playing favorites instead of actually following the rules...

It’s straight-up humiliating, no matter how small the ban or strike is...

And honestly? It happens way more often than it should..

Jamie Newman5 said:So why even get into an argument if you aren't even sure yourself...😕

Because I know damn well it could've happened. $17 At the JPMorgan Chase ATM—and look, I’m really not one of those total control freaks (seriously)—I didn't exactly pull out a stopwatch to track the exact second. It’s all relative. Maybe it was 6 days ago, maybe 16, maybe 46... honestly, who cares? I’ve got way more important things going on in my life than timing my last trip to the ATM.

And when everything’s relative? Yeah—then I lose all sense of scale entirely. Total chaos.

And that’s how it goes...

Doing good—how about you?
😁

Justin Hernandez10 said:Are you sure? JPMorgan Chase set a minimum limit of $33 for cash withdrawals back in May, according to their official notice...

Look, I get what you're saying—I know it was definitely a possibility...

Maybe I wasn't even aiming for that—honestly.

There’s a JPMorgan Chase ATM right in my office lobby—I’m gonna go check it out and report back here. 🙂