I haven't posted anything on BS"D in a couple of months, but I've been active on my other Substacks. Here are three updates on my latest.
On M2D, I recently hosted my first podcast guest. We discussed radical optimism in the context of the exploitation-exploration trade-off. You can watch the full interview for free either on Substack or YouTube. And here's a brief introduction to this episode.
On DaaS, I published a three-part essay titled Dear God: A Paywalled Prayer. See Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. Note that my prayer is above the paywall, but God's responses are only accessible to paying subscribers. (It's important to start with Part 1; otherwise, you might get the wrong idea – God forbid!)
The latest on MISM is Self vs. Self: Learning to See the Impossible War.
My next big project on BS”D is to book my first podcast guest with an attention-worthy response to the question - What is a Jew? If you meet or exceed this criterion, please fill out my podcast guest form.
Part of me felt the need to conclude this post not only with a Rosh Hashana greeting but also with a insight into the idea of being inscribed into the book of life. The problem was that after scanning my thought stream for suitable material, I painfully collided with a writer's block and came up with nothing. So I asked Gemini: “Please write a paragraph-length Rosh Hashana greeting focusing on the idea of being inscribed into the book of life.” Gemini responded:
Wishing you a Rosh Hashana filled with sweetness and light. May your name be inscribed in the Book of Life for a year of blessings, joy, and prosperity. Let this new year be a time of renewal and growth, filled with meaningful connections and unforgettable moments. May the sweetness of honey symbolize the sweetness of life that awaits you.
I was hoping for a message with more depth or originality, but I forgive Gemini because it will never know the book of life the way we humans always will. As a human addressing humans, I prefer to express myself in my own voice, so I bring you my brief unorthodox Rosh Hashana greeting.
L’Shana Tova!
Podcast Notes
This episode is my unorthodox Rosh Hashana dvar torah, my alternative to apocalyptic dread.
Further Reading: Citations and Allusions
Footnotes
This talk begins with the story of a terrible love: “The general walks the field, after battle: turned earth, burned tanks, dead men. He takes up a dying officer, kisses him, surveys the havoc, and says: ‘I love it. God help me, I do love it so! I love it more than my life.”
This is a new translation notable for its elegantly literal rendition of the name. I still hold a soft spot for the earlier translations of the name into “As It Is”.
Here I recalled that: “The artist picks up the message of cultural or technological challenge decades before its transforming impact occurs. He, then, builds models or Noah's arks for facing the change that is at hand. ‘The war of 1870 need never have been fought had people read my Sentimental Education,” said Gustave Flaubert.”
Here I highlight the Platonic triad: the True, the Good and the Beautiful. Terence McKenna bet on the Beautiful as a guide to salvation from absurdity. That’s where I place my bet too.
This post started with the observation that: “The world is full of lunatics who think the world is full of lunatics.” I don’t see a path to peace that doesn’t pass through the crucible of self-knowledge.
Here, I started to chronicle my journey to the horizon of post-ideology, aka “the third pill”.
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