Urban Spiritual Malaise?

Slackers of the world unite! https://t.co/JOVtYSoyE0

— John Robb (@johnrobb) June 1, 2021

A Cult of Virginity

Tie it to legalism and elevating some form of consecrated life as being more "noble" than that of the ordinary Christian vocation, and what results? Things to consider, also in relation to the Latin emphasis on clerical celibacy and their relative absolutism with respect to ecclesial divorce.

CWR Dispatch: Peter M.J. Stravinskas

Uh... No.

Austen knows virtue for women. But she knows very little about virtue for men.

Amanda Patchin: “Jane Austen is, more than Plato, more than Aristotle, more than Alisdair MacIntyre, the philosopher of virtue. . . . Thus, she is the author to read as you embark on the new year.” https://t.co/zAmgFgMKWj pic.twitter.com/QRNrGBcDrL

— Front Porch Republic (@FrontPorchRepub) January 1, 2021

Another Tony Blauer Interview

That’s for the interview- it was really interesting to learn about some of the similarities in our work. https://t.co/Lz3M2oSCUi

— tonyblauer (@tonyblauer) December 2, 2020

How serious are you about the integrity of your scenario training?
Watch this video dissection of an attack on an Israeli soldier: https://t.co/aqrFHiI3Gz

— tonyblauer (@tonyblauer) December 1, 2020

I just uploaded “Tactical Pushups with Coach Blauer” to #Vimeo: https://t.co/tmU07NU51c

— tonyblauer (@tonyblauer) December 1, 2020

Building Positive Habits

In my SEAL training I learned to develop positive habits that affect real change by identifying the negative self-talk I wanted to fix. https://t.co/K6aY21QkaP

— SOFREP (@sofrepofficial) November 28, 2020

Gratitude as a Civic Virtue

In time for Thanksgiving, I joined the WCC podcast for a discussion of gratitude as a civic virtue.https://t.co/9tA7Zu2MFp

— Pavlos Papadopoulos (@pleonidasp) November 18, 2020

True Leadership?

Doubtful. More like a counterfeit that is akin to being a presumptuous functionary.

A primer for newly elected Councilmember’s in CA. My book recommendations to help with your learning curve. https://t.co/V7XKwzdkiF pic.twitter.com/hFBuv4DmZA

— Michele (@Michele714) November 9, 2020

Related:

It was a pleasure to be on the show. @StrongTowns has been a refuge for me over the past few years as a non-partisan, local-focused network figuring out how to make their communities stronger from human, fiscal, and environmental perspectives #triplebottomline #positiveaction https://t.co/2dupaSYs4E

— Chelsea Lawson (Ursaner) (@pwnerchelsea) November 6, 2020

Bottum-Up Revolution Podcast

Andy Smarick on Political Prudence

But really, this is an anti-Trump piece. He thinks that people can have sufficient governing experience for the state or even for the Federal Government? Hell, no. And bureaucracy or meritocracy cannot provide "exerptise" to assist the Chief Executive.

Grateful to @smarick for writing this and drawing on my own thoughts on political prudence. I agree wholeheartedly with what he's up to in this piece.

On Practical Wisdom in Statecraft | City Journal https://t.co/rHElv1YY2S

— Jennifer A. Frey (@jennfrey) October 19, 2020

City Journal

McGinley Riding His Hobby Horse

The Virtue Of Getting Along by Brandon McGinley

The "social virtues" are important but by themselves they cannot create true fraternity, community, and solidarity if there are substantive differences in culture and identity. One may even have to be "not nice" and recognize that someone who lives nearby is not a person with whom one wants to associate, because they are working against the interests of you and yours. In many areas, social atomization has already taken place for 4 or more generations, and the social virtues won't put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

Schumacher on Wisdom

"#Wisdom demands a new orientation of science and technology towards the organic, the gentle, the non-violent, the elegant and beautiful" ~E.F. Schumacherhttps://t.co/PTu9IjxSER

— Schumacher Center for a New Economics (@Center4NewEcon) October 21, 2020

Me: Find Your Tribe, Prepare for the Future

Paul Gottfried today at American Greatness: "The Left is more emotionally and, in some cases, more heroically committed to what it wants. We need to change that." While conservatives fight over gifts and approval, the left plays for keeps. https://t.co/y3aAqzijBd

— Pedro 🎃 Gonzalez (@emeriticus) October 6, 2020

Bringing Back the Front Porch

Consider the comeback made long ago, I think. Still, give it a read, as there’s not enough good we can say about porches.

Long out of fashion, the front porch is proving its value as a place to interact with neighbors while maintaining social distancing. https://t.co/DXQJyTiYr6

— Noah Toly (@noahtoly) September 28, 2020

Chinese Male Feminists

simping and peddling dubious history...

BBC's coverage on this recent rise of "female virtual" lessons in China. "Career women don't end well." "Women must always obey the orders of their fathers, husbands and sons."—These courses share the same moral cornerstone with the new Mulan: 孝 7/https://t.co/sIlO0KyJVZ

— Tony Lin (@tony_zy) September 6, 2020

我不知道这是道具组在电脑上找的字体还是专门写的，总之一股小学生正楷习作风格。可能是为了开模方便，把笔画都刚好连在圆周上，横和撇完全没有舒展地等长约束在圆内，以及起撇的大顿笔，难看出戏到爆。魏碑里好看的「孝」字不要太多。剑上那几个字没了圆框稍微好一点点，但也是很无语的正楷。 pic.twitter.com/G41q34PBf8

— fivestone (@fivestone) September 7, 2020

Hi, the unroll you asked for: @xujnx: https://t.co/Ofdz3b2hvt Share this if you think it's interesting. 🤖

— Thread Reader App (@threadreaderapp) September 5, 2020

Funny how many of these Chinese male feminists are not living in China. The CCP would have no problem subverting xiao to the interests of the state.

Patriotism

"Those who insist they are on the right side of history are mistaken to think they have mapped the mind of God. To appear to resist the decrees of Providence—like the forgotten people on November 8, 2016?" https://t.co/8ou1We9PhF

— Modern Age (@ModAgeJournal) August 28, 2020

PATRIOTS AND POPULISTS: FROM BURKE TO TRUMP by Ian Crowe
If Burke is being used to promote civic nationalism and "national community," maybe it's time to leave Burke to the professional conservatives and start referring to other authorities for the tradition which we wish to pass along.

A Man's Word

"I made a promise, and I'd rather lose it [the ranch and the land] than break it. And he'd rather me lose it too."John Dutton, Yellowstone, S03E08

I don't know what surprises the season finale may have, but we will see how many of the season's story arcs are wrapped up neatly.



Updated:

On the latest episode of the Working Cows podcast, @AllanRSavory joins @YPClayConry to continue an earlier discussion about saving western ranching culture. https://t.co/hN5gzQ9i6U

— Savory Institute (@SavoryInstitute) August 11, 2020

Civic Muscle

Scott Roulier considers how we might grow “civic muscle,” which “describes a citizen-centered democracy, where citizens themselves, viewed as agents of change and not mere voters, assume much of the responsibility for the quality of our public life.”https://t.co/ZulbUY2Vkl pic.twitter.com/bYjj3xQgZq

— Front Porch Republic (@FrontPorchRepub) July 31, 2020

A Lesson of Chastity

Academic Fantasy Continue During Collapse

Conservatives interested in education reform ought to study the Italian Renaissance, which saw independent schools dedicated to the study of humane letters spring up independent of the calcified institutions of the medieval university, which only feinted at liberal education 1/8

— John Peterson (@thejohnpeterson) June 21, 2020

Reminds me of Hankins' book.

...classical schools. Do not narrow your focus or specialize but study the human things--including Greek and Latin-- and pass them on. When this republic crumbles, which could happen anytime, there will be many centers of power, and many opportunities for the truly educated 5/8

— John Peterson (@thejohnpeterson) June 21, 2020

And then there is the nod to modern egalitarian sensibilities.

But more likely the collapse of American imperium will magnify, not diminish, the opportunity for men and women of true learning to be more fully human in the classical sense, to participate in the life of the city, to rule and be ruled in turn. A mere six centuries separates 7/8

— John Peterson (@thejohnpeterson) June 21, 2020

No Solutions

AmConMag: Why Statecraft Is Still Soulcraft by Andy Smarick
Without personal character development, good self-government becomes impossible.

I wrote a long essay for @amconmag on character, virtue, and public life. https://t.co/kJgXIJGsai @RSI

— Andy Smarick (@smarick) June 6, 2020

State leaders should consider how best to formally integrate character education—especially moral and civic character—into policy issues. Civics is a natural place to begin. A 2016 study found that while most states have some kind of assessment for civics, only 15 make demonstrated proficiency on such tests a condition of high school graduation, and only 17 include civics and social studies in their accountability systems. And of course, the extent to which moral or civic character is reflected in these assessments varies.

1. The state has no interest in real republicanism and political liberty. The virtue it wants can't even be called obedience, since obedience must be rightly ordered to valid laws and legitimate authority and the common good. What it wants is servitude.
2. American public education, in form or content, has very little to do with classical paideia or the proper education of citizens into virtue, which is a responsibility not only of teh family or clan, but of the community as a whole.
3. The author of course doesn't bring up feminism and false egalitarianism and how that distorts our notions of citizenship. There can be no addressing of the problem of the state without addressing its weaponized ideology of feminism.

Be the Change You Want to See

That change does start with one's self. But "manning up" doesn't happen through reading books or watching movies, even if moral imagination is important for paideia. It happens in the context of a community of men. Find your tribe.

“If you’re a young man going crazy as the country around you goes through unprecedented changes while pretending everything is under control, you might benefit from reading on.” h/t @titusfilm https://t.co/CVIZjaz8Nn

— The American Mind (@theammind) June 2, 2020

The American Mind