№ 419. Caring for the Soul

"All of this is therapy the way Socrates used the word: it keeps your soul healthy and vital, and that is the best way to prevent soul sicknesses like depression and frustration. Every day you have choices. You can do things that wound your soul, like being dominated by the work ethic or compulsively seeking more money and possessions, or you can be around people who give you pleasure and do things that satisfy a desire deep inside you. Make this soul care a way of life, and you may discover what the Greeks called eudaimonia—a good spirit, or, in the deepest sense, happiness."

"When people observe the ways in which the soul is manifesting itself, they are enriched rather than impoverished. They receive back what is theirs, the very thing they have assumed to be so horrible that it should be cut out and tossed away. When you regard the soul with an open mind, you begin to find the messages that lie within the illness, the corrections that can be found in remorse and other uncomfortable feelings, and the necessary changes requested by depression and anxiety."---Thomas Moore

№ 418. Ad Astra

When we dream about
our future, we plunder scenes,
plots and peoples. Like

mobius loops wrung taut,
we fuse words, knives and prayers.
We build sand castles,

kites plastered on sticks,
and tin men to slay terrors.
Then wake up consumed.


 

№ 417. The Giving Tree

№ 416. Waking Up to Binary Dreams: A.I. in Ed

"Every educational expert I spoke to for this story began by making the same point: to understand how AI could improve teaching and learning, you need to think about how it is reshaping the nature of work.

As machines become better at rote tasks, humans will need to focus on the skills that remain unique to them: creativity, collaboration, communication, and problem-solving. They will also need to adapt quickly as more and more skills fall prey to automation. This means the 21st-century classroom should bring out the strengths and interests of each person, rather than impart a canonical set of knowledge more suited for the industrial age.

AI, in theory, could make this easier. It could take over certain rote tasks in the classroom, freeing teachers up to pay more attention to each student. Hypotheses differ about what that might look like. Perhaps AI will teach certain kinds of knowledge while humans teach others; perhaps it will help teachers keep track of student performance or give students more control over how they learn. Regardless, the ultimate goal is deeply personalized teaching."

№ 415. Bellini is a Papa-Paparrazi

With my cellphone, it's been a cinch
taking shots of food and travel.
I've long ditched my DSLR for the handy all-in-one gadget.

Maybe it’s just as well that Bellini—as well as other photographers, of any genre—have laid down their Leicas and Nikons. The current culture of Me, Me, Me and anyone who can hack an online account has taken away a significant chunk of the paparazzi’s power, and the need to spring attacks to show how celebrities look and act when stripped of glamor and polish. Anyone with a mobile phone can now act just as despicably—or honorably, as revelations can swing both ways. Anyone with just enough crazy and lack of conscience can be a harbinger of the truth, whatever truth it may be.

№ 414. Books Through Square Lenses

"Read! Whether your path is to build an empire or to find the lifelong companionship of music, every path is possible with that power. It all begins with one word; the same word that was delivered to an ancient prophet on the wings of an archangel: اقرأ" --- Mohammed Fairouz, from the book "A Velocity of Being, Letters to a Young Reader".