The Monday Mix (28/06/2021)
Hi friends,
Today’s email is a little late due to some unbelievable football matches. If you haven’t watched any of Euro 2020, I recommend you jump on YouTube and watch the highlights of today’s matches. Some unbelievable scenes in both games.
Even if you don’t like football, you’ll be able to appreciate the drama.
I haven’t written a new essay for a few weeks, something I hope to rectify in the next few days. So here’s one of my older, but popular essays looking at how the way people speak reveals more than you might realise.
This One Thing Says More About A Person Than You Realise
The $10 million athlete in Disc Golf!?
This article was shared by Ryan Holiday in his most recent newsletter but it was too good not to share here. It’s an incredible story about the lesser-known world of disc golf, literally throwing a frisbee into a giant cup, which has spawned a $10 million dollar athlete!
What this story reveals more than anything else is just how much you can make from something as niche as disc golf. The modern world is a wondrous and baffling place at times.
The Coolest Streets In The World
I’m a keen traveller and even run a travel blog if you didn’t already know. Get over there and check it out! The pandemic has meant less travel for me. In fact, the only place I’ve ‘travelled’ to is just over the border into Wales, which hardly counts as travelling.
This article by Timeout has some delightful streets which I’ve had the pleasure of visiting and others I’d love to check out. More than anything, it’s made me even more eager to get back out into the world once I’m fully vaccinated and borders start to reopen.
The Revolt Against Liberalism
This is a fantastic article from one of my favourite series of essays, The Guardian Long Read. It looks at how the rule of law has been undermined in Hungary and Poland and the reasons why this happened.
The mode of government has been dubbed illiberal democracy by the leader of Hungary, Viktor Orban and poses a challenge for Europe and the world. It harks back to a world that once was and needs new enemies to keep their base on side.
If you’re wondering what challenges democracies across the globe will face in the coming years, this article is a good place to start.
Las Meninas
Below is the famous painting, Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez. It’s an astonishing photo, but there’s one question which is on my mind when looking at it.
Who is the subject of this painting?
Book I’m reading - The Rules of Contagion
This is an apt book to read considering what we’ve experienced over the past year, and are still dealing with today. It not only will teach you more about how viruses spread, but how social contagion and the spread of ideas work too. A fantastic read I can’t recommend enough.
Quote I’m pondering - “It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.” - Seneca
That’s all for now, keep an eye out for my monthly reading list on Wednesday!
Tom.