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Spectator
5 days ago
- Health
- Spectator
Trump's right, there's power in positive non-thinking
Though I'm no fan of Donald Trump, time and again I'm delighted by the alternately crazy and sane things he says, and the way he knows the difference; he's the antithesis of our politicians, who say crazy things they sincerely believe are sane. This week he spoke to the BBC's Gary O'Donoghue, who asked him about the Pennsylvania assassination attempt. As the BBC reported: When asked if the assassination attempt had changed him, the president conveyed a hint of vulnerability as he said he tries to think about it as little as he can. 'I don't like dwelling on it because if I did, it would be, you know, might be life-changing, I don't want it to have to be that.' Elaborating, he said he liked 'the power of positive thinking, or the power of positive non-thinking'. I've believed in the power of positive non-thinking for a long time, and at the ripe old age of 66 it's bounced me through heart-breaking incidents which would have floored a lot of other people – or at least been an excuse for a fully catered pity-party over on Facebook. Of course, one gets the usual misery-buckets muttering about how one is 'in denial' – but that's one of the few ways the poor saps get their kicks, in my experience, so it would be mean to deny them it. There's growing evidence to show that the stiff upper lip is the superior way to tackle life's little speedbumps. A study from the University of Cambridge claims that 'the commonly held belief that attempting to suppress negative thoughts is bad for our mental health could be wrong' after 'researchers at the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit trained 120 volunteers worldwide to suppress thoughts about negative events that worried them, and found that not only did these become less vivid, but that the participants' mental health also improved.' It seems obvious, doesn't it? As Professor Michael Anderson put it: We're all familiar with the Freudian idea that if we suppress our feelings or thoughts, then these thoughts remain in our unconscious, influencing our behaviour and wellbeing perniciously. The whole point of psychotherapy is to dredge up these thoughts so one can deal with them and rob them of their power. In more recent years, we've been told that suppressing thoughts is intrinsically ineffective and that it actually causes people to think the thought more – it's the classic idea of 'Don't think about a pink elephant'. Suppressing thoughts even improved mental health among participants with likely post-traumatic stress disorder. In general, people with worse mental health symptoms at the outset of the study improved more after suppression training – but only if they suppressed their fears. This directly contradicts the notion that suppression is a maladaptive coping process. Of course, all the misery guts out there will moan that the scientists involved in this jolly experiment are most likely 'in denial' themselves; misery loves company, and as they generally only attract the company of other miseries, it's a vicious circle-jerk of communal caterwauling which is often effective in drowning out any empirical research or common-sense consensus which may arise. We all have friends who appear to get a high from parading their lows; we've all read the stats about educated young women being the most anxious when you'd think it was uneducated old men who had the most to be anxious about in the current climate. Though ostensibly they're worrying about politics, this worrywart tendency often carries into their private lives. When you see groups of men together, they're usually having a laugh; when you see groups of women sitting together, they're often moaning about men – sometimes what's wrong with the ones they've got, and sometimes how they don't have one to moan about. I don't ever recall sitting around with a group of girls moaning about the wrongs men have done me; if you don't like the one you've got, go and get another one. And if you moan about men to women regularly, you're probably a lesbian and afraid to face the fact. Give it a whirl, why don't you – it's fun, so long as you don't talk about your feelings too much, in which case you'll be back on the misery merry-go-round in no time. Though I favour living life on the light side with a minimum of introspection, I allow for a bit of misery in the arts. From Morrissey to Brief Encounter to Madame Bovary, if I can find a piece of art that will leave me feeling good by feeling bad, I'm all over it. Is this how I manage my emotional equilibrium (give or take the odd suicide bid) – by a kind of lyrical bloodletting? Whatever the reason, I thoroughly recommend it – along with the great Stoic quote, for when trouble befalls, from Marcus Aurelius: ''It is my bad luck that this has happened to me.' No, you should rather say: 'It is my good luck that, although this has happened to me, I can bear it without pain, neither crushed by the present nor fearful of the future.' Because such a thing could have happened to any man, but not every man could have borne it without pain. So why see more misfortune in the event than good fortune in your ability to bear it?' I believe that it was Socrates who said that 'the unexamined life is not worth living' – but then the old fool also said that 'no one does wrong voluntarily'. Looking around at the morass of self-pity, which is bankrupting us financially and intellectually, I'd say that it's the over-examined life which isn't worth living. Those of us who exercise President Trump's power of positive non-thinking are the ones who exhibit a resilience which is sorely lacking.
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
'Period parody run riot' The 39 Steps Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Pitlochry Festival Theatre Neil Cooper Four stars John Buchan probably couldn't have predicted what liberties maverick film director Alfred Hitchcock would take with his 1915 novel, in which dashing Richard Hannay takes flight to Scotland after a night at the theatre throws him into a world of intrigue and adventure. Hitchcock too might have raised an eyebrow regarding how writer Patrick Garland transformed his 1935 big screen adaptation into a pocket sized stage pastiche requiring just four actors to do the business. Garland's irreverent hybrid of Hitchcock and Buchan's creations has run and run for two decades now and counting. Ben Occhipinti's new Pitlochry Festival Theatre production breathes fresh life into a show that has tremendous fun with the existing material while managing to put a personal stamp on things. This is led by Alexander Service as Hannay, who flaunts his character's matinee idol looks with a nice line in self parody as he flees from his bachelor pad that has just acquired a murdered German fugitive as part of the furniture. READ MORE: The panoply of skullduggery and accidental romance that follows sees Blythe Jandoo too play assorted leading ladies with similar lashings of style, charm and comic strip satire aplenty. This is especially the case with Pamela, who ends up in an involuntary clinch with Hannay on the train to Scotland in order to help throw the cops off the scent, then later spends the night with him in handcuffs. Chris Coxon and Stephanie Cremona keep things rattling along as the show's self styled Clowns, changing hats, coats and accents in rapid fire succession as assorted pulp fiction spies, Highland hoteliers and the Mr Memory vaudeville turn that sets things in motion. All this takes place on Liz Cooke's sliding doors set featuring a mini revolve and a track that allows miniature trains and Highland sheep alike to speed their way home. The end result sees a Freudian dream team forever in motion in a period parody run riot.
Indian Express
14-07-2025
- General
- Indian Express
8 literary classic you can read in under 2 hours
Good things often come in small packages, and literature is no exception. Not every great work of literature is a 1,000-paged doorstopper weighed down by dense prose, labyrinthine themes, or academic obscurity. Some of the most enduring literary classics are concise enough to be devoured in a single sitting, yet linger in the mind for years. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said: 'It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what others say in a whole book.' In that spirit, we have curated eight short literary masterpieces that prove brevity is no barrier to brilliance. Whether you are chasing a reading goal or simply looking for something to lose yourself in for a couple of hours, these compact classics pack a punch with minimal page count. When Gregor Samsa, a travelling salesperson, wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a monstrous vermin – most Kafka scholars identify the insect as a cockroach – his first concern (disturbingly, one which would plague most working-class people) is not his grotesque form, but missing work. As Gregor's condition worsens, his once-dependent family turns on him. The denigration and alienation take a psychological toll and he begins to identify himself as vermin. Kafka's 1915 novella is a psychological dive into the dehumanising effect of modern Capitalist society where people are reduced to commodities, to be junked once they cease to be of use. It is testament to the profundity of this slim book that it has been interpreted in a variety of ways: a Freudian deep dive into horrors within the unconscious landscape, a Marxist indictment of the alienating effects of Capitalism, or simply a metaphor for illness. Unsettling and unforgettable, The Metamorphosis is a must read. Reading time: ~1.5 hours Length: ~60 pages 'All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.' Orwell's timeless masterpiece, a meditation on power and corruption, allegorically breaks down how ideology is used to justify oppression. In the novella, an optimistic uprising by overworked farm animals soon transforms into dictatorship. Orwell charts the rise and fall of Animalism, a stand-in for Communism, as pigs seize power from their human oppressors, only to become even more tyrannical. Written in accessible prose, Animal Farm is a political parable that distills political history by explaining how revolutions take place, the mechanics of propaganda, and the allure of power. Reading time: ~1.5 hours Length: ~90 pages George and Lennie are itinerant ranch workers in 1930s California who dream of owning land one day. Lennie, mentally disabled but physically strong, depends on George's protection and storytelling to survive. When they find work at a new ranch, their dream seems almost tangible, until the tide turns against them. The novel is a meditation on the elusive American Dream. Originally conceived as a 'play-novelette,' the book's tight structure and emotionally loaded scenes make it a gripping read. Reading time: ~1.75 hours Length: ~100 pages Meursault, an Algerian office worker, murders a man on a beach for no apparent reason. What follows is a courtroom drama where Meursault's indifference, not the crime itself, becomes his greatest offense. It is a commentary on the absurdity of existence and the alienation of modern life. A cornerstone of existentialist literature, The Stranger challenges readers to confront the meaning (or meaninglessness) of morality, emotion, and social convention. Stripped of sentimentality, it is a brutally honest portrait of a man who refuses to lie about who he is. Reading time: ~1.75 hours Length: ~100 pages Set in 19th-century New Orleans, The Awakening follows Edna Pontellier, a wife and mother who begins to question her limited role in society. Through a summer of sensual discovery and existential reflection, Edna seeks emotional, artistic, and sexual liberation. Her pursuit for freedom brings isolation. Considered scandalous when it was released in 1899, it is now celebrated as a feminist classic. The novella confronts the cost of selfhood in a world that punishes women for wanting more. Reading time: ~1.5 hours Length: ~90 pages An aging Cuban fisherman, Santiago, has not caught fish in 84 days. On the 85th, he hooks a giant marlin and wages a solitary, days-long battle far from shore. Hemingway's fable-like novella is a meditation on perseverance, pride, and what it means to be a 'man.' The Old Man and the Sea was Hemingway's last major work published during his lifetime, and won him the Pulitzer Prize. Reading time: ~1.75 hours Length: ~95 pages Ivan Ilyich, a respected judge in imperial Russia, lives follows a daily routine, until a terminal illness forces him to confront the void beneath it all. As he lies dying, his reflection peels back the illusion of a 'good life' built on social conformity, career ambition, and hollow relationships. Tolstoy's novella confronts the themes of life and death. Reading time: ~1.5 hours Length: ~80 pages From the writer of Moby Dick comes an enigmatic tale of a Wall Street lawyer who hires a mild-mannered copyist, Bartleby, who begins refusing all tasks with a polite but firm: 'I would prefer not to.' Is Bartleby mentally ill? A rebel? A ghost? Melville never answers. It is a meditation on passivity, alienation, and the toll of modern existence. Reading time: ~1.5 hours Length: ~70 pages
Chicago Tribune
13-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: Ald. Walter Burnett and the divine right to bequeath your political office to your progeny
For the second time in his long political career, Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. is maneuvering to find employment for one of his grown children in the 'family business.' Burnett has been in the news lately as Mayor Brandon Johnson's preferred choice to lead the Chicago Housing Authority. The 27th Ward alderman, 61, who serves as Johnson's vice mayor and Zoning Committee chairman, has said he will resign his aldermanic seat at the end of this month whether he gets the CHA job or not. And, in true Chicago political tradition, he has someone in mind to succeed him as alderman following his 30 years in that post: That person, naturally, just happens to be a blood relative. Burnett wants his 29-year-old son, Walter Burnett III, appointed, and Johnson has signaled he plans to follow Burnett's wishes. If all goes as expected, Walter Burnett III will be the second of Burnett's grown children to be appointed to elected office without first winning an election. In 2019, Burnett worked to get his stepson, Jawaharial 'Omar' Williams, appointed as Illinois House representative for the West Side's 10th District, succeeding Melissa Conyears-Ervin when she won election as Chicago treasurer. Back then, in justifying his push for his stepson, Burnett let forth one of the Freudian slips for the ages when it comes to Chicago politics: 'I don't know of any other family business — I shouldn't say family business — but if your kids work hard … that's what I work for, to promote my kids, help my kids if they do well.' 'I shouldn't say family business.' No, Ald. Burnett, you shouldn't. And you knew at the time that wasn't the right thing to say, even though it revealed precisely how you and so many others (as you repeatedly emphasize) who've won elected office in this city view what's supposed to be a public trust — as an enterprise transferable by birth or family relation. Like some kind of medieval baron. The effectiveness of appointing people to open seats (in this case, left open deliberately by Burnett to pass onto his son) is undeniable. Williams, Burnett's stepson, faced opposition in the first Democratic primary following his 2019 appointment. But he ran unopposed in both primaries after that. The seat presumably is his as long as he wants it. Assuming he's appointed 27th Ward alderman, Walter Burnett III will be in an even better position than his stepbrother. He'll have the same name as the guy who preceded him for three decades. By all means, we'd have no problem with Burnett's son running on his own for the seat, and his name likely would give him a distinct advantage in that scenario. But handing the post to him in this fashion would confer an almost insurmountable edge. That's by design. We should say here that we believe Walter Burnett Jr. has served the city well over his three decades. He's a voice of reason on the City Council and someone who has earned respect from people on both the left and right. We don't agree with him on everything, of course, but we consider him an asset to the council. We strongly disagree with his views on the divine right of family members to enter the 'family business,' however. Burnett naturally references families with names like Daley to justify his unapologetic nepotism. Fair enough. There are plenty of other families that have done the same — the name Jackson comes to mind. So does the name Stroger. Burnett points, too, to the same dynamic in private enterprise. Certainly in family-owned businesses, preference given to the next generation for leadership is a feature. But here's the difference: Those businesses are owned by the families. As in any other line of work, the owners are the ultimate decision-makers. In politics, officeholders are supposed to be strictly occupants of a seat. They aren't owners of their offices, instead owing their professional allegiances to taxpayers and constituents, even over and above their families. At least that's how it's supposed to work. That brings us to Burnett's namesake son. What are his qualifications? His father points to experience with Goldman Sachs. According to the LinkedIn profile for Walter Burnett III, he worked at Goldman for four years in New York but left the company nearly three years ago. There is no professional experience listed on his profile since then. Ald. Burnett put us in touch with his son, who tells us he's been consulting for developers in the hospitality and retail worlds, as well as rap artists, and has done some consulting work for nonprofits. Walter Burnett III says he wants to give back to the community and sees a role for younger people like himself to get involved in politics. And, confirming our misgivings about this whole affair, he said of politics, 'That's my family's business.' 'He's very attentive, he's very well-read,' the elder Burnett told Tribune reporters, referring to his son. 'It's not about money for him, because he gave up a lot of money to come back home and be connected to his neighborhood.' We understand both Burnetts' arguments, but these are not compelling qualifications to be appointed to the City Council. Let's be honest: The younger Burnett's qualifications to be alderman are his first and last names. That's not sufficient for this plum. The old school of Chicago politics has gotten a well-deserved drubbing of late, with powerhouses like former Ald. Ed Burke and House Speaker Michael Madigan, once viewed as untouchable, convicted of felonies in the conduct of their offices. Read the room, Ald. Burnett and Mayor Johnson. It's no longer appropriate — if it ever was — for influential local pols to treat their offices like personal heirlooms to bestow.
Boston Globe
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
A ‘Back to the Future' that reminds you of the past
Wherever that DeLorean took me, it would surely be a better time and place. But the universe had other plans, so here are a few thoughts: Advertisement 'Back to the Future' is a throwback in more than one sense. It can no longer be assumed that a stage musical drawn from a nonmusical hit movie will be dreck. The 2017 Broadway musical adaptation of 'Groundhog Day' was pretty good. The 2019 Broadway musical adaptation of very good. The musical adaptation of ' But 'Back to the Future: The Musical' reminds you why journeys from screen to stage are often a bad idea, destined to land with a splat: Because they are driven, so to speak, by the imperatives of the box office rather than any kind of artistic inspiration or aspiration. Advertisement The best adaptations have something to say. 'Back to the Future' doesn't have much more to say than: Give us your money. While there are some changes from the movie, a chief problem with this touring production is that That narrows the interpretive range any of the performers can traverse. While the cast is certainly game, their struggles to make something fresh out of something so pre-fabricated, such an industrial product, are evident. Lucas Hallauer, who physically resembles the younger Fox, plays restless teenager Marty McFly. Marty is rightly embarrassed by his parents, the ultra-wimpy George (Mike Bindeman, seemingly trying to out-geek Crispin Glover) and slovenly Lorraine (Zan Berube). It's 1985, fully three decades after high school, but George is still being pushed around by Biff (Nathaniel Hackmann), the hulking, none-too-bright fellow who bullied George back then and still has designs on Lorraine. Within that stifling environment, Marty is understandably eager for adventure. An opportunity for that presents itself when nuclear physicist/mad scientist Doc Brown (David Josefberg) enlists him to help in an attempt to travel through time in the aforementioned DeLorean. ( But when Doc experiences radiation poisoning while handling plutonium, Marty tries to go for help in the DeLorean, then accidentally stomps on the accelerator too hard and ends up back in 1955. There he encounters his father, George, and his mother, Lorraine, both of them teenagers. George is the same hapless nerd, but Lorraine is … different. Advertisement She always told Marty and his siblings that she was prim and proper when she was in high school. Marty discovers that she was neither. Soon he is experiencing the Freudian nightmare of being hit on by his mom. For reasons that have to do with the space-time continuum, Marty's very existence hinges on whether he can get George and Lorraine to fall in love. For Marty to be returned to 1985 – to go back to the future — he and the 1955 version of Doc Brown need to harness the power of a lightning strike on town's clocktower. The nonstop musical and video bombardment in 'Back to the Future' seems designed to pummel the audience into submission and persuade them that their money was well spent. But it comes across as a sign of desperation in the effort to create a live simulacrum of a beloved movie. A joke in which 1955 George is perplexed by Marty's use of the word 'heavy,' which is not funny the first time, is for some reason brought back a second time. There is some Boston-based pandering: a Tom Brady reference, a throwaway line about the 'Green Monstah.' One number features the chorus in top hats and tails, for some reason. It should be noted, however, that the chorus is first-rate, the best thing about this 'Back to the Future.' It's far from the first time that has been true in a production that's arrived in Boston from Broadway. Advertisement In the number that opens Act Two, Doc Brown sings 'I can't wait to be/In the 21st century!' You might want to reconsider that, Doc. BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL Book by Bob Gale. Music and lyrics by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard. Directed by John Rando. Choreography, Chris Bailey. Presented by Broadway In Boston. At Citizens Opera House, Boston. Through July 20. Tickets from $40. Don Aucoin can be reached at
