It’s free. No spam. Unsubscribe whenever you want.
Hi All!
Here is the current issue of my weekly “Sunday Share,” a list of what I have been engaging with, excited by or otherwise found intriguing.
What I’m reading —
The 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan Peterson
Any author who describes Dostoyevsky as the greatest novelist of all time gets an immediate thumbs up from me. As a teenager, I would exhaust flashlight batteries under the covers until 3am, illicitly reading Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov and The Idiot when I was supposed to be fast asleep. In fact I chose to go to Churchill College, Cambridge to study directly with George Steiner the author of Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky. Sort of like “The Rolling Stones or the Beatles?” You guessed it, I’m a Stones guy. Can’t stand the Beatles… way too saccharine… Stones equals blues, Beatles equals British music hall which is most definitely not to my taste.
Then the next thumbs up from me for Jordan Peterson was his ability to get me to ascribe value to the Bible, the Old Testament in particular. While I was sent to Anglican schools in England, the language and the whole vibe of Christianity just didn’t ever resonate for me. But give me Buddhism or Taoism and I’m your friend for life. Peterson helped open my eyes to the hundreds of thousands of years of empirical wisdom and insight that the Old Testament summates—if still not in the kind of language I can easily tolerate. I feel more open-minded which is always a good thing.
As I continued to read The 12 Rules, I was struck over and over by the sheer practicality of the advice. Peterson helps me want to be a better person, plain and simple. And he lays out an inspiring package of mindsets/blueprints to make it happen.
As big a contribution for me—and this is the area where he has got into hot water—is his nuanced breakdown of and warnings about the perils of totalitarianism, whether from the left or the right. It is always a salutary reminder of just how close humanity always is to slipping into chaos and mayhem. And we appear to be heading into another era where Hitlerian dishonesty is laying the groundwork for mass-havoc to be unleashed on the world yet again, if we don’t act quickly to prevent the slide.
What I’m listening to —
Tulku
I have been in the mood to be transported into rapture recently, so I’ve returned to a wonderful couple of favorites from Tulku, Season of Souls and Trancendence. Both of these put me into that relaxed, inspired place where haunting melodies and sensual rhythms evoke the deeper reaches of the soul and hint at ecstatic mysteries beckoning to be revealed. I need that in my life right now!
Have a listen and let me know what you think.
Have you checked out my new book The Illustrated Wild Boy yet? Here’s a nice review about it from a reputable source:
“An absorbing memoir perfectly complemented by exquisite art.” — Kirkus Reviews
Thoughts, comments, wishes, suggestions? Hit me up by email at johnrducane@gmail.com