Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Mike Kay's avatar

I personally believe that the ability to describe one's world view leads to self-understanding, which is always a useful accomplishment when it comes to navigating this world.

A very personal piece, but a very concise one.

Expand full comment
Sectionalism Archive's avatar

Yeaaap, eucatastrophe is also sort of seen in Sorelian and Fascist aesthetic thought, the idea of "creative destruction" or that creation and destruction are not opposites but that destruction is simply a quality of creation. When something is destroyed something new is created. The opposite of creation is really stagnation or decay/entropy. Shiva (who is viewed as the god of destruction) is also sometimes equated with the Intellect, which is clearly a creative force. The Germans and Italians loved "ruin architecture" and returned Italy's ancient ruins to their pristine state because they viewed ruins as desirable in themselves. Buildings were not just built to be aesthetic in their own use, but after their destruction. Because everything has its day, nothing lasts forever. The Italian Futurists were similarly obsessed with notions of dynamism and depicting movement in a still image.

In Tolkein, I would say that it makes itself most clear in the destruction of the ring itself. No man can willfully destroy the ring, Frodo comes close but fails. It is like an asymptote, the closer you get the more the power of the ring increases up to infinity. It takes an act of self-destruction to destroy the ring -- Gollum tripping into Mt. Doom. Evil, by definition, is self-destructive...

On the topic of golf, I've always liked going to the range and just swinging for an hour or two, but I was surprised to see how much people really build themselves up on hating golf. They think it's boring because they don't like to watch it -- somewhat fair, I don't really enjoy watching golf unless it's the final holes and any mistake could change the outcome of the round. Like the US Open was on a week or so ago and it was a good ending, albeit disappointing for McIlroy fans. But a lot of these people have never played golf, it's very chill experience if you're in good company. The anti-golfers will at this point try and concoct some sort of moral argument for why they don't like golf, when the real reason is a sort of ressentiment for the sport of "rich white men". They'll say: "Don't you think all of that land we use for golf courses could be used for more important things?" By which, of course, they are referring to the endless monsoon of obese guatemalan immigrants in demand of government housing. Le sigh.

The "zone" really is such an interesting and hard to explain phenomenon. It's hard to initiate in yourself, it just has to happen. I've experienced it lifting, when things just click in place and you are having great form. I've experienced it gaming, playing Super Smash Bros and just being able to act without thinking first.

Expand full comment
2 more comments...

No posts