I was halfway through forging a katana from melted-down Bitcoin when I read this. Dropped the sword. Picked up a mirror.
“Commodus’s fully stylized titles…” “The Nolloth Professor…” You didn’t just dismantle the Great Man narrative—you lured it into a mirror maze and let it fight its own reflection.
This isn’t just satire. It’s surgical. A polite academic decapitation dressed up like a TED Talk. I laughed. I flinched. I bookmarked it twice.
More, please. The Council for the Betterment of the Public demands it.
Was already on my mind as I waded in to listen to what you’ve written here.
I read a few things from another writer here… and it’s all bitter “I hate everyone” stuff so when I meet folks like this in the real world… face to face… I tend to avoid their table in the lunch room. But I don’t give up on them… I’ve been there… a few minutes ago LOL so your intro apology about being satirical was like you already knew LOL and I was all the more eager to hear…
I spoke glowingly of Alexander the Great to the CEO of the company I worked for. (Picture me there> I’m in my overalls covered in grease stains, my goggles on my forehead, cigarette dangling from my lips, speaking to the bosses bosses boss… he’s in a suit and tie, and we’re all having lunch together in the lunch room… he’s says to me, “…but Alexander was a drunk”
So… I didn’t let on that his suit and tie had just dropped to the ground and he was now standing naked in front of me with a small wiener on his dinner plate.>>>
BTW I don’t smoke LOL
That’s mostly a true story…
Stephen Covey came to mind pretty quick, (7 Habits of highly effective people) because it’s there that I as an undereducated man first read about mission statements and like that… I ended up asking my bosses in their various forms what our company’s mission and value statement was? They didn’t know. I held back my tendency to criticize freely (I’m lying) but I kept my job in mind as I “smiled and waved” as I drove away on my forklift…
I’m still waiting to be fully aware, so hope to hear from you my new friend Travis, about this.
Enter as a hard tangent that might lose you, 35-16 years ago my 3rd youngest child told me he didn’t want to end up like me. I told him - immediately - not to set his sights so low! What do you mean? He says, I motioned with my hands to the table in front of us, and held my hand out 1/4 of an inch off the table and said to shoot for something higher than merely being better than me.
You’ve evoked much thought in me today Travis! Thank you!
Thank you for the frank comments. I don’t think the people who write this stuff are hopelessly lost, but I’m really hoping I can get some of their “targets” to read and see there’s more to a good life than a singleminded commitment to doing one great deed.
Good to meet you. It is my cat. Augustus. Aka auggie. He has been struggling with an autoimmune condition since December. Almost lost him. He’s always on my mind.
Did you intentionally invoke Willy Nelson? Or was that just me… there is a man on the left there and a man on the right, seen in between the two… I’m getting to know you ❤️
I’m retired now… yet working the same talent at a different location… loving it all… my interpersonal skills are being re-tooled… my arrogance being an unwelcome guest that tends to come around and I have to send him away with a “not now” and put on my humility to continue
I was halfway through forging a katana from melted-down Bitcoin when I read this. Dropped the sword. Picked up a mirror.
“Commodus’s fully stylized titles…” “The Nolloth Professor…” You didn’t just dismantle the Great Man narrative—you lured it into a mirror maze and let it fight its own reflection.
This isn’t just satire. It’s surgical. A polite academic decapitation dressed up like a TED Talk. I laughed. I flinched. I bookmarked it twice.
More, please. The Council for the Betterment of the Public demands it.
Gosh. That’s a tall order. But a bitcoin katana sounds incredible. I’m going to press on just in the hopes that I could get one. Or an NFT wakizashi.
Alexander The Great
Was already on my mind as I waded in to listen to what you’ve written here.
I read a few things from another writer here… and it’s all bitter “I hate everyone” stuff so when I meet folks like this in the real world… face to face… I tend to avoid their table in the lunch room. But I don’t give up on them… I’ve been there… a few minutes ago LOL so your intro apology about being satirical was like you already knew LOL and I was all the more eager to hear…
I spoke glowingly of Alexander the Great to the CEO of the company I worked for. (Picture me there> I’m in my overalls covered in grease stains, my goggles on my forehead, cigarette dangling from my lips, speaking to the bosses bosses boss… he’s in a suit and tie, and we’re all having lunch together in the lunch room… he’s says to me, “…but Alexander was a drunk”
So… I didn’t let on that his suit and tie had just dropped to the ground and he was now standing naked in front of me with a small wiener on his dinner plate.>>>
BTW I don’t smoke LOL
That’s mostly a true story…
Stephen Covey came to mind pretty quick, (7 Habits of highly effective people) because it’s there that I as an undereducated man first read about mission statements and like that… I ended up asking my bosses in their various forms what our company’s mission and value statement was? They didn’t know. I held back my tendency to criticize freely (I’m lying) but I kept my job in mind as I “smiled and waved” as I drove away on my forklift…
I’m still waiting to be fully aware, so hope to hear from you my new friend Travis, about this.
Enter as a hard tangent that might lose you, 35-16 years ago my 3rd youngest child told me he didn’t want to end up like me. I told him - immediately - not to set his sights so low! What do you mean? He says, I motioned with my hands to the table in front of us, and held my hand out 1/4 of an inch off the table and said to shoot for something higher than merely being better than me.
You’ve evoked much thought in me today Travis! Thank you!
Thank you for the frank comments. I don’t think the people who write this stuff are hopelessly lost, but I’m really hoping I can get some of their “targets” to read and see there’s more to a good life than a singleminded commitment to doing one great deed.
You’ve made a friend in me today Travis! Is that your cat?
Good to meet you. It is my cat. Augustus. Aka auggie. He has been struggling with an autoimmune condition since December. Almost lost him. He’s always on my mind.
Did you intentionally invoke Willy Nelson? Or was that just me… there is a man on the left there and a man on the right, seen in between the two… I’m getting to know you ❤️
I didn’t, lol. I’m not super familiar with his work. I just love my cat :)
Chasing after that one great deed is in life what Red Herrings are in books
I couldn’t if I tried ! I write and breath for the same reasons
BY the way, I like your ability so much it makes me wanna put down my own pen and quit faking it.
Don’t do that! Lots of people don’t agree with you about my skill, and I’ve been doing it for more than two decades. It’s your journey. No one else’s.
I’m retired now… yet working the same talent at a different location… loving it all… my interpersonal skills are being re-tooled… my arrogance being an unwelcome guest that tends to come around and I have to send him away with a “not now” and put on my humility to continue
Bonhoeffer in The Cost of Discipleship says that the tree is unaware of its own fruit