8 Comments
deletedJun 14·edited Jun 14
Comment deleted
Expand full comment
author

Hadn't heard that video with Marshall Mcluhan. Thanks for the share. I've also observed that the medium used to transmit information affects the information and, inevitably, itself becomes part of information transmitted.

Agreed that the shallowness of on-demand, "instant answers" culture can become a habit that's difficult to break.

Expand full comment
deletedJun 15
Comment deleted
Expand full comment
author

I've heard of 'Amusing Ourselves to Death,' but not 'Technopoly.' Looked up each online. The titles seem to be playing catch-up with anthropology and history, in the sense that none of this is really a new thing for humans. Culture has always depended on technology, especially "high culture" of art. Media and politics have always been performances. The tools might be new, but the human phenomenon isn't.

I was a guest on Brian Wilson's "Now For Something Completely Different" show, episode released Thursday. We talked about politics and religion and I made the point that government has always -- always! -- been religious. From the proto-State of tribalism to large States of modernity, they are all religious. They have to be. You must believe in government -- that it tells you something true, worth exalting and worth sacrificing for, about humanity and purpose -- for it to be effective as a social order.

A misidentifying of novelty is what made the COVID hoax so widespread. So many people were convinced the pathogen was so different than anything else humans have ever encountered! So many people were convinced that novel tactics were needed to "defeat" this alleged new pathogen and new disease.

Things are rarely as new as they seem :-)

Expand full comment
deletedJun 15·edited Jun 15
Comment deleted
Expand full comment
author

Maybe the books played up the novelty in the promos to grab the normies? To be frank, I'm lousy at that. I have no idea how to attract normies to my work :-D

Expand full comment
deletedJun 15
Comment deleted
Expand full comment
Jun 12Liked by Domenic C. Scarcella

I love my quiet time in prayer and meditation. I knew of St Anthony but not the rich history you shared. I love the new St Anthony prayer

Expand full comment
author

Agreed on all! In preparing this article, I read several brief accounts of Anthony's life and ministry and learned some things.

And the new St. Anthony prayer emerged after I thought I was finished; figured the body of the article could use a better closer, and then I went searching the thesaurus and the rhyming dictionary and mulling over some possibilities. I like how it turned out, too :-)

Expand full comment
Jun 20Liked by Domenic C. Scarcella

Dear St Anthony bails me out often-

I love to meditate and admittedly it’s the one form of prayer that gets put on the back burner. Must get back.

One Lent my deal was to meditate every day for the season: BEST Lent ever!

Great article, Dom!

Expand full comment
author

Thanks, Maria!

Lent . . . have you ever picked up a good habit for Lent and tried to continue it beyond Lent? I tried doing that this year with limiting sweets to Sundays (or Saturday nights; vigil rules! :-D ).

I think -- though I can't recall exactly -- that I increased praying he Stations of the Cross one Lent and it spurred me to do it beyond Lent.

Expand full comment