Naomi Kanakia

https://www.woman-of-letters.com/p/hinduism-doesnt-exist
As per the article - Two processes bring people into hinduism - brahminization (adopting high-caste purity practices) and kshatriyization (adopting Hindu dogma without all purity observances).
- It kind of contradicts what Naomi says about hinduism in the article. Hinduism, from my perspective is thousands of mini religions in one umbrella.
- The article is right in saying that it is a set of practices. But by saying that you can bring people into hinduism by adopting to purity practices of one group is acknowledging that the religion is controlled by a minority group, though not formally, but informally.
- I think Hindus are thousands of unique communities with their own deities. All Shivites and Vaishavites are not brahmins, and I’m not sure if everyone is trying to mimic purity rites of brahmins.
As per the article - “I think for Christians this is difficult to understand, because Christianity is very heavy on dogma, but low on ritual.”
- This is a bit harsh coming from someone so well read.
- As an Orthodox Christian from India I feel that Christianity could be heavy on ritual and low on dogma. Christianity is way more broader than what most of the people, including western christians understand. So it is understandable that a non-christian might have this view.

https://www.woman-of-letters.com/p/the-incoherence-of-the-literary-critics
Learnt that OTT could stand for over-the-top praise and advise to someone! OTT generally means streaming platforms like Netflix, Prime, etc. Couple of years ago (during covid) OTT was the in-thing to do as a side business.
Naomi gives OTT inspiration to her friend who is mostly whining and crying. She helps her win some award which launches her into fame and money. But that friend doesn’t repay when the time comes unfortunately.
She mentions Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian became famous because of the institutional backing and that is true of any modern book. The book itself is great. But there could be so many McCarthys out there. I’ve heard Blood Meridian mentioned by Jared Henderson also. I’ve got to read this sometime.
She makes some predictions about how Substack will evolve.
My note - “Thought-provoking post on multiple things - friendship, networking, literary recognition, substack, writing career, etc. The phrase - “Genius is more common than we think” made me think. If you’re a genius and helped a fellow genius become famous and they don’t reciprocate, the public may be aware of only one genius. Social conditions do play a role in how some places and people get recognized and some don’t. People who are able to influence may not even have a wider knowledge than their circle of expertise.”

https://www.woman-of-letters.com/p/western-civilization-vs-world-literature
Ordered the The New Lifetime Reading Plan after reading this post.
Adler’s “Great Books” (Great Books of the Western World) does not cover eastern literature.
Western conservatives support western canon since it is rooted in their culture. Yes, the argument that one needs to understand one’s culture before understanding others is valid. But the argument that this is great and others are not, without reading others, is not valid. For a better world view, it is better to read western and eastern books.
The NLRP is a better choice from this perspective.

https://www.woman-of-letters.com/p/one-simple-method-for-reading-more
Eliminate other sources of entertainment so that reading remains the only thing. This includes writing.
Reading is not instantly gratifying like social media, games, etc., but rewarding in the long run.
My comment - A pragmatic take on improving the amount of time you spend on reading - eliminate other pleasures that compete for your time (and dopamine), including the pleasure of writing! I recommend reading only the first part of the post and not the latter part about insane Sado. (just joking. a jest reference to Naomi asking readers to read only the 4th memoir from Lady Hyegyeong’s memoirs).

✍️ Rob's Notes