The Monday Mix (21/06/2021)
Hey friends,
Today is the longest day of the year if you’re in the northern hemisphere. Where I live, the sun won’t set until after 10 pm, which is crazy even though I’m used to it after all these years.
The summer solstice as its known is what the world-famous monument Stonehenge was erected in honour of. The pagans built their belief around the moon and the Earth’s movements around the sun.
Cool fact aside, I’m going to share another of my older essays with you today. This one looks at self-talk and how important it is for our mental health and wellbeing.
The Way We Talk To Ourselves Tells Us More Than We Realise
QAnon and on
This is a fantastic piece about the rise of QAnon and the prevalence of conspiracy theories in today’s culture. As the author states, these theories have dampened down since Trump left office, but there are a lot of people still susceptible to them should another figure come to the fore ready to stir up trouble. If that happens, the consequences won’t be pretty.
The Guardian Long Read
This is more of a general share rather than a particular article. This series of articles is too good not to share. The clue is in the name, these are all articles of a substantial length. But, they look at a wide range of topics and their length means they can be dealt with on a much more in-depth level. There are some gems in here. A particular favourite is the one on the Gatwick Drone.
The Age of Consequences
Environmentalism is something I’m passionate about. I’d also describe myself as centre-left. Reading this article was a kick in the teeth, but one deep down I knew was warranted. Climate change is going to get worse before, or if it gets better. This will cause widespread harm, upheaval and an opportunity for demagogies to exploit people’s worst fears. If not handled correctly, climate change could hand great power to ruthless leaders who promise simple solutions to complex problems.
Book I’m reading - Man Alone With Himself
This is a collection of aphorisms and short essays by the philosopher Freidrich Nietzsche. I’ve not read much of Nietzsche so it’s interesting to see his viewpoints and philosophical thoughts. A good book to read if you want to understand his often subversive views.
Quote I’m pondering - “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they don’t want to hear. - George Orwell
Until next time,
Tom