People
Ivan introduces us to those who have influenced or inspired him.
People
Growing Old
Aging isn’t decline—it’s where mastery can emerge. Purpose is what keeps it going.
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Thoth, Thamos, and Truth
Thoth was an Ancient Egyptian deity who served as the scribe of the gods and was said to have invented writing and hieroglyphics. He was the creator of science, religion, philosophy, and magic, as wel...
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The Anatomy of Melancholy
Robert Burton (1577-1640) was an English scholar at Oxford who wrote one of the most successful books of all time, called The Anatomy of Melancholy. How successful was it? From its first printing in 1...
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The Leap of Faith
Søren Kierkegaard was a nineteenth century Danish philosopher and theologian, who wanted to deepen our inward relationship with God by emphasizing individual existence. In so doing, he became the foun...
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Aristocratic Life in Pre-Revolutionary Russia (1917)
According to my grandfather, Serge Obolensky, and contrary to popular belief, aristocratic life in Russia under the Czar was not a life of luxury. One sees photographs of the aristocracy in jewels and...
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The Woman of the Snow: Alexandra David-Néel
“Suffering raises up those souls that are truly great; it is only small souls that are made mean-spirited by it.”
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Fleeting Genius: Rory McEwen
Sometimes people enter our lives, and we note there is something extraordinary about them. When that happens when we are very young, we rarely realize the wider significance of that other person until...
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On David Mamet
One of my favorite writers is David Mamet. He is a fascinating source of inspiration. (See his Three Uses of the Knife: On the Nature and Purpose of Drama for an interesting read.)
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Boccaccio
Giovanni Boccaccio was born in 1313, grew up in Florence, and died in 1375. He survived the Great Plague that struck Florence in 1348 and began work on The Decameron shortly thereafter.
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On David Hockney
I consider David Hockney one of the world’s finest artists. Born in Britain, he moved to Los Angeles. He currently lives in France. The subject of Perspective is of particular interest to him.
People
Some thoughts on Music and Math
I have heard that musicians tend to be good mathematicians, and mathematicians tend to be good musicians.
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Stephen Sondheim
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I spent time watching Stephen Sondheim interviews. I must admit that I was not overly familiar with his work. I am more so now, and I’m seriously impressed. His intervie...
People
Booth Tarkington
Booth Tarkington (1869-1946) is a relatively unknown author today which is odd considering he is one of only three writers to have won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction twice (the others being Faulkner a...
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Persephone
At this point of the year, the equinox (literally, equal night) occurs. The spring, or vernal, equinox takes place in March in the Northern Hemisphere and marks the autumnal equinox in the Southern. I...
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Marcel
While flipping through an anthology of military writings, I came across a selection by Marcel Proust. Yes, the novelist. In the passage, Proust has a question about military strategy. More precisely, ...
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Paracelsus
n what is now Switzerland, at some point in the year 1493, Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim was born. Later, he was known simply as Paracelsus and became the father of what woul...
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Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840) was one of the most celebrated violinists (and guitarists) of the 19th century and the first real violin virtuoso of international fame. How good was he? It was said that ...
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Marilyn and Joe
One of the effects that makes certain music performers so electric is the interaction between the performer and the audience. In a live concert, both parties feed off each other, and the result is lik...
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Heraclitus: A Philosopher for Today
One of the more well-known philosophers of Greek antiquity was Heracleitus. What is not so well known is his profound influence on Western thought through the many centuries that followed.
