Orts #782
Today just as in Burton's, or indeed Galen's day, we seek remedies for our most troubled states. We might forget how embodied are our "mental" disturbances and think it best to dope our brains with targeted pills, but in most cases and in our ordinary daily lives we know that our states of mind are deeply affected by the condition of our whole bodies, by what we eat, by how much we exercise or sleep--and by how well we are loved.
-- Noga Arikha, in an essay, As a Lute Out of Tune: Robert Burton's Melancholy, in The Public Domain Review, Selected Essays, Volume 1: the First Three Years
The Babylonians carried their sick onto the public square. The doctor was the people; each passer-by, out of humanity and civility, was obliged to inquire into their condition and give them some salutary advice, according to his experience. We do hardly any differently. There is not the simplest little woman whose mumblings and magic formulas we do not employ; and for my taste, if I had to take any, I would accept this medicine more willingly than any other, inasmuch as at least there is no harm to be feared from it.
-- Montaigne, in an essay, Of the resemblance of children to fathers
Failure is a necessary part of life. Nobody is perfect, but we can certainly keep trying to be our best selves. As long as we stay open-minded, optimistic, and aware of how gravely we have fucked up beyond any possibility of recovery, we’ll be just fine.
— the conclusion of an online essay, 5 Mistakes Every Woman should Dwell On,
http://reductress.com/post/5-mistakes-every-woman-should-dwell-on/
Bonus factoid: There are more gun shops in the US than Starbucks, McDonald’s and supermarkets put together. http://indy100.independent.co.uk/article/there-are-more-gun-shops-in-the-us-than-starbucks-mcdonalds-and-supermarkets-put-together–W1NPIvYg84b