I saw the tall smokestacks of industry
Etched against the eastern skies
And cities that were a pillar of fire by night
And clouds of rolling smoke by day...
I saw New York, a city so large it frightened me,
Cliff dwellings as high as Kentucky mountains,
The streets and avenues were deep gorges
Between high walls of multicolored stone.
And while it interested me
To see how fellow Americans lived,
I longed for Kentucky sunlight, sights and sounds
And for logshacks and the lonesome waters.
- Jesse Stuart
Happy Friday!
Here are five things I want to share with you this week:
(1) Virtue Lab: Over at Virtue Lab I share some thoughts about the importance of moral excellence and the danger of living a fragmented life. Virtue Lab is a newsletter all about putting virtue into practice. The first fifty subscribers will receive lifetime access.
(2) Reading: I recently finished Sönke Ahrens’, How to Take Smart Notes: One Simple Technique to Boost Writing, Learning, and Thinking. I took a deep dive into all things “Zettelkasten.” My big takeaway, I need to develop a system for processing my reading notes in a way that leads to future projects. However, in my current season of life, it is difficult to find sufficient time and energy to think for long periods of time. The method Ahrens proposes is appealing, but I can’t seem to make it work for me. If you have any thoughts or advice, feel free to send me a message on twitter.
(3) The Summer of Cities: This summer the topic of “the city” keeps coming up in my feed. First, over on his blog, Alan Jacobs has been writing through his thoughts on Augustine’s City of God in Zettlekasten style. Second, The Bible Project podcast has been working through the biblical theme of “The City.” Both of these threads are incredibly fascinating!
(4) Research: I’m currently working through a few articles looking at course-based character interventions. In this study, the authors look at the impact of a course entitled “Commencing Character,” on the development of virtues.The findings demonstrate that courses which focus explicitly on character formation in undergraduate students can effectively influence the development of targeted virtues.
(5) On Substack: I’ve enjoyed reading and engaging with Joel Carini’s newsletter, The Natural Theologian. Joel’s most recent post, “Toward a Sophisticated Realism,” was an especially encouraging read.
Until next time,
Tanner