The Christian roots of Europe: The phrase puts me off. It points to something true, yes, and contemporary Europe remains profoundly indebted to its Christian past. Even the transnational ambition of the European Union reflects the desire for a secularized Christendom. Brussels builds on the memory . . . . Continue Reading »
Mans greatness comes from knowing he is wretched. Pascal This entry will wrap up the Songbooks oft-interrupted series of loneliness and individualism songs, all from 1965-1967, which by way of review, began with The Beach Boys Thats Not Me, . . . . Continue Reading »
Before beginning, Ill note that Joe Carter is soliciting donations to the FT website please consider giving to what I obviously think is a fine internet crossroads of content. Tocquevilles concept of individualism is one of his most helpful, but often gets misunderstood due to our . . . . Continue Reading »
I could try to be big in the eyes of the world, what matters to me is what I could be to just one girl . . . Ah . . . the calming beauty of Pet Sounds , where to my ears, the undercurrent of melancholy is more than compensated for by the main pull of gentle encouragement, even if it does end on the . . . . Continue Reading »
Small nations look outward. I was born in Jamaica—remain a Jamaican citizen, for that matter—and we Jamaicans learned early that history was something that mainly happened elsewhere. We knew that Jamaica was, at best, peripheral to the social and political developments that defined the age.This . . . . Continue Reading »
The road dominates the American imagination, from the Oregon Trail to Route 66. That strange, in-between time of escape, freedom, and adventure: On the road, you leave behind all the ordinary routines and demands. Still, I was surprised when my daughter was assigned On the Road in her high-school . . . . Continue Reading »
From all appearances, it is now back in style to be critical of American individualism. Indeed, that critique has never gone entirely out of style, and for very good reasons. But views on these matters also seem to follow cycles which, if not of Schlesingerian predictability, are nevertheless . . . . Continue Reading »