Writes Cassiacum: A Place to Think : https://kerrywalters.substack.com/
2024-08-03 - In Praise of Foxes & Babblers
- https://kerrywalters.substack.com/p/in-praise-of-foxes-and-babblers
- ”The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one important thing.” —Archilochus.
- Hedgehogs are specialists who dig in. Foxes are generalists who dabble in multiple things. Academia seems to prefer hedgehogs and look down upon foxes. I’ve heard the term hedgehog in one of Jim Collins’ books, probably Good to Great. I think he also seemed to praise companies or leaders who were like hedgehogs.
- St. Paul was called as a babbler or seed picker by philosophers in Athens when he went to preach there. ‘Seed picker’ is a bird that picks many seeds without knowing what to do with them. They used it as a derogatory term.
- Kerry views himself as a fox/babbler/seed-picker/dilettante, whatever you call a generalist.
- The article makes a case for being a generalist, someone who while exploring different fields could unlock interconnectedness between them. A generalist approach allows for a more comprehensive view of reality which is tough to get for someone focused on just one field.
2024-07-26 - Barabbas - A Saint for Those Trapped In-Between
- https://kerrywalters.substack.com/p/a-saint-for-those-trapped-in-between
- Great article on Pär Lagerkvist’s novel “Barabbas” (Nobel prize, 1951). Need to add to my ‘to-read’ list.
- Barabbas sees Jesus while on the road to crucifixion as is not able to understand how a lean powerless man can be powerful. Why are people saying things about him that seem baseless?
- He wants to believe in Jesus based on what he hears but it beats logic and he is not able to have faith.
- When he is condemned to slave labor he has ‘Jesus Christ’ etched on the disk on his neck after seeing the piety of another prisoner. But he is not able to fully believe.
- He sees Rome burning and thinks Christians are burning it and finally feels like Christ has come to show his power. Then he comes to know that it was done by Nero, the emperor.
- He is cast into a jail along with St. Peter. He is still not able to have faith in spite of being surrounded by the faithful.
7/14 - “Vengeance Rot You All!“
- https://kerrywalters.substack.com/p/vengeance-rot-you-all
- After centuries of ‘revenge is sin’, ‘vengeance is for the Lord’, etc., is vengeance and lawlessness making a comeback? People think they are morally right to seek revenge but they haven’t looked at the past properly.
- ”Titus Andronicus” a not-so-famous play by Shakespeare is a great example of the destructive power of revenge seeking.
- Vengeance spirals into chaos. The stakes are higher at each round.
- Vengeance dehumanizes its targets, fragments society, and leads to the breakdown of law and order.
- Revenge-seekers become a law unto themselves