Category Archives: Arts

Arts, Literature, Philosophy

The Stoic: The Power of a Mantra

CLARITY

“Erase the false impressions from your mind by constantly saying to yourself, I have it in my soul to keep out any evil, desire or any kind of disturbance – instead, seeing the true nature of things, I will give them their only due. Always remember this power that nature gave you.” – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 8.29

ANYONE who has taken a yoga class or been exposed to Hindu or Buddhist thought has probably heard of the concept of a mantra. In Sanskrit, it means ‘sacred utterance’ – essentially a word, a phrase, a thought, even a sound – intended to provide clarity or spiritual guidance. A mantra can be especially helpful in the meditative process because it allows us to block out everything else while we focus.

It’s fitting, then, that Marcus Aurelius would suggest this Stoic mantra – a reminder or watch phrase to use when we feel false impressions, distractions, or the crush of everyday life upon us. It says, essentially, ‘I have the power within me to keep that out. I can see the truth.’

Change the wording as you like. That part is up to you. But have a mantra and use it to find the clarity you crave.

See also:

. The Stoic: Be Ruthless To The Things That Don’t Matter

. The Stoic: Control & Choice

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Arts, History, Russia, Society, Soviet Union, United States

Short Essay: The Start of The ‘Cold War’

(1946-1948)

AFTER THE SECOND WORLD WAR the responsibility for supervising the defeated Germany was divided among the Allied victors. West Germany was occupied by British and American troops, while East Germany was occupied by Russia. Berlin, the capital of Germany, was also divided into East and West, but embedded within East German territory.

On 24 July 1948, Soviet troops set up a blockade, severing the road and rail links between West Germany and Berlin. It was a calculated act of aggression against the West, and was felt as such. The West came close to declaring war on Russia and was only put off by the thought of Stalingrad. In fact, it later turned out that Stalin did not have sufficient troops or equipment in the Russian sector (later East Germany) to launch a war on the British and American sectors (later West Germany). If the British and American troops had fought their way through the Soviet blockade, there would probably have been no further military action from Moscow, but at the time the level of risk was unknown.

The day after the Berlin blockade started an airlift began, with British and US aircraft flying in food and supplies for the people living in West Berlin – some 2million of them. The blockade continued and by September the aircraft were ferrying in 4,500 tons of supplies a day. The blockade was maintained for almost 18 months.

Relations between the West and the Soviet Union naturally cooled over the Berlin blockade. The US Presidential adviser Bernard Baruch described the situation as a “Cold War”, coining the phrase that would characterise the state of the world for the next half-century. The Soviets were not firing guns at anyone, but their behaviour was certainly hostile and intimidating.

This state of frozen hostility went on for over 40 years. It led directly to a dangerous arms race in which the latest atomic weapons were stockpiled. As the science of rocketry developed, America and the Soviet Union equipped their arsenals with rockets and missiles that could carry nuclear warheads right across the Arctic Ocean or from one side of Europe to the other. The cost of these intercontinental ballistic missiles (IBMs) was enormous, a huge drain on the economic resources of the countries involved.

A climate of fear was generated. Both sides wanted to test their latest nuclear bombs, and the bomb test explosions were in themselves intended to deter the enemy. By the late 1950s it was evident that dangerous levels of radiation were being pumped into the atmosphere by these test explosions, and anxious people were concerned their life expectancy was being shortened by the increase risk of serious illness. In the West, there was also a heightened fear that real, full-scale war would break out, a Third World War that might be shorter but far more violent than the two previous world wars, a war that could and probably would destroy both sides.

Perhaps in the knowledge that an old-style military war would probably annihilate everything and everyone, America and the Soviet Union played out their fierce rivalry in a Space Race. The competition to launch satellites, space probes and land men on the Moon was a kind of displacement activity, an acting-out of the Cold War in a contest of supremacy over space technology.

. Appendage

Cold War

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Arts, Drama

Whodunnit: The Captive

LATERAL THINKING DRAMA & CONUNDRUM

Issue No. 7 in the Whodunnit crime series. Tap into your inner detective by explaining why Inspector Parnacki has become more suspicious of one the suspects in this case.

ROSALYN Reyes had been missing for three days, and when she was discovered, it was only by the thinnest thread of luck. Andrew Baum was an enthusiastic walker and knew much of the local countryside like the back of his hand. Taking a welcome day off from work, he decided to go for a hike in Easton woods and follow a trail he had not tried before. After walking for some time, he took a wrong turn and found himself at odds with his map.

. Previously Whodunnit: ‘The Necklace’

He was about to retrace his steps when he realised he could hear a very faint sound of someone crying. Following the sound led him to a clearing, in which stood a rickety shack. Inside, he discovered the missing young woman, uninjured, but chained securely to a pole. As soon as she was safe, the police put up a dragnet around that part of the woods and waited. Over the course of the afternoon, three men were apprehended in the area.

That was where the good luck ended. Miss Reyes knew nothing whatsoever about her captor. She had woken on the first day to find herself restrained and blindfolded, and had remained that way throughout. Not only had she not seen her captor, he had also refrained from touching her, and had only spoken to her very minimally in a highly contrived hoarse whisper. Material found in the shack suggested that he was preparing a ransom demand to deliver to her parents, but again, there was nothing in it that would help identify the kidnapper. As a final blow, none of the three suspects had been carrying anything incriminating on their persons.

Inspector Parnacki smoothed out his moustache, fiddling with the ends irritably. He needed a lead suspect in order to justify an in-depth investigation. A stroll would help him to gather his thoughts, he decided. He packed a pipe, picked up the interview reports, and made his way to a local park.

Newton Stevens was an impecunious odd-job man who lived at Easton, a couple of miles from the woods. His transcript was quite irascible. “Of course I was in the woods. I’m always in the woods, aren’t I? No crime to trap rabbits, leastways not last time I looked. I was going to check on my snares. Friday, ain’t it? What else I am supposed to do on a Friday? Nothing, that’s what, not since darned Adrian stopped work on that darned wall. Eh? Shack? Of course I don’t live in a shack, you darned fool. It’s a cabin, and it’s in Easton. Shack indeed. You better turn me loose quickly, or so help me, I’ll lose the light, and then it’ll be boiled greens for dinner. No way for a man to live, boiled greens. Not without some rabbit.”

Terence Moss worked at a drinking establishment in Easton. “I didn’t do anything wrong,” his transcript began. “You’ve got no right to arrest a man like that for just having a walk. If you worked in a bar like the Imperial, you’d want to get some peace and quiet of an afternoon yourself. I don’t know what you’re after, but you’ve got the wrong man. No opium, no hashish, I don’t do any of that stuff. I haven’t stolen anything since I was twelve. No, I don’t recognise that shack. Never been near it. Don’t even know where it is. Never seen that woman. I’d remember if anyone even slightly like that had ever been into the Imperial. Look, you know where I work and live. Just let me out of here, will you? I really can’t afford to lose this job. I haven’t done anything!”

Matthew Bird, finally, was a service engineer with a pipe-manufacturing company in Easton. “My last job had run long, so I decided to stroll in the woods while I had my packed lunch. Cheese and pickle sandwich. Very nice. I often do go for a little lunchtime walk, if it’s been a tough morning. Nice to have a little break from it all, you know? My boss won’t be very sympathetic about the amount of time this is taking now, however. I understand you’re just doing your job, but surely, we can get this sorted out swiftly. Why don’t you put me in a line-up? I’d be delighted to . . . Well yes, of course, I want to be helpful. No, that shack doesn’t look familiar, I’m afraid. Hardly seems the sort of place to develop steam-pipe problems. No, I’m afraid that girl doesn’t look familiar either.”

Parnacki tapped his pipe thoughtfully, and read over the transcripts again. His eyes brightened, and he turned to start back to the station.

Who has made Inspector Parnacki suspicious, and why?

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