Category: around the web

For simple but wise life advice, Arthur C. Brooks at Atlantic is a consistently useful resource. His little essays perfectly fit in a world of pragmatism and individual efforts to survive if not thrive. Brooke, a Harvard social scientist, is approachable and down-to-earth. Watch or listen for echoes of the Stoics, Cynics, and Taoists. Brooke also has a pocast titled How to Build a Happy Life and writtes his short pithy practical pointed little essays every week or so. Here are a few recent favorites from the last couple of months:

How to Want Less
Art Should be a Habit, Not a Luxury
Live Like the Ancient Cynics
Listen to Your Own Advice
When You Can’t Change the World, Change Your Feelings
How to Identify What You Enjoy
Quit Lying to Yourself
No One Cares!
What Winter-Haters Get Wrong
How to Know That You Know Nothing
How Not to Be Your Own Worst Enemy
How to Know You’re Lonely
How to be Self-Aware

URL: the essays: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/arthur-c-brooks/;
the podcast: https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/how-to-build-a-happy-life/

The byline for the Daily Philosophy website and blog is “Philosophy for life. Every day.” The site covers philosophical topics applied to non-philosophers, that is, intelligent readers seeking intelligent discussion of issues and angles to everyday questions, with series of themes a frequent and useful feature.

Of special interest to Hermitary readers is a series of articles under the category of hermits. Some articles and essays (so far) include:

By David E. Cooper: “Huts, Homelessness and Heimat: Chomei and Heidegger” and “The Rhetoric of Refuge: on the wish to retreat from the world”;

By Andreas Mattias, Daily Philosophy editor: “The Hermit of Suwarrow: the adventures of Tom Neale;” One Hundred Days in a Hermit’s Hut: Jane Dobisz on living alone in the woods”
“Hermits and Happiness: the long tradition of leaving it all behind.”

We are happy to welcome Professor Matthius as a friend of Hermitary and look forward to featuring his website in the future!

A pseudonymous Baron Otto von Tu (in real life, humorist Doug Skinner) is the author of the Club Recluse handbook, the “club” being fellow-hermits. The little 1997 pamphlet published by Vaudevisual Press of New York City is described thusly on the Printed Matter website:

“The Club Recluse Handbook is a guide manual for living alone and enjoying it. Created by Baron Otto von Tu for himself in 1997 who finally gave in to sharing it with the public, stating “I ask only that you make no attempt to contact me; that you do not send me a copy; and that I receive 70% of all profits.

“The book is dedicated to those thousands of staunch hermits who have embellished human history – particularly those who were so reclusive that their names have not come down to us.

“Sections include how to make a living through antisocial employments, solo entertainment, and a New Year’s Eve kit for celebrating alone. Members are not solicited, and, once enrolled, never hear from the club again or meet fellow members.”

URLs: https://www.printedmatter.org/catalog/56786/ and http://www.dougskinner.net/?s=club+recluse