This seems to be the crux of it: "our neoliberal culture lacks even a vocabulary of care—a sign of the degree to which we now live in a shared condition of carelessness."
Unfortunately, in our neoliberal culture, we only come to long for and appreciate care when we ourselves or someone close to us deeply needs it. Thanks, Elias, for helping to bring the word "care" forward in our vocabulary and, ultimately, our practice.
Arendt is truly important, as you point out, not only in terms of what she articulates but the method, the sheer thinking process a reader can witness while reading her.
The passage on loneliness made me think of another idea, solitude, that comes up in Origins and also in Life of the Mind (1977). In the latter, emphasis is on thinking intentionally, in dialogues with oneself. She describes a Socratic 'two-in-one' (p. 187) that 'heals the solitariness of thought, in its inherent duality points to the infinite plurality which is the law of the earth'.
There is a kind of generative harmony being hinted at here, 'The partner who comes to life when you are alert and alone is the only one from whom you can never get away - except by ceasing to think' (p. 188). 'The self, too, is a kind of friend' (p. 189).
It is this sense of friendship I wish to cultivate in this new year. Thank you for writing this piece. Looking forward to more.
This seems to be the crux of it: "our neoliberal culture lacks even a vocabulary of care—a sign of the degree to which we now live in a shared condition of carelessness."
Unfortunately, in our neoliberal culture, we only come to long for and appreciate care when we ourselves or someone close to us deeply needs it. Thanks, Elias, for helping to bring the word "care" forward in our vocabulary and, ultimately, our practice.
Arendt is truly important, as you point out, not only in terms of what she articulates but the method, the sheer thinking process a reader can witness while reading her.
The passage on loneliness made me think of another idea, solitude, that comes up in Origins and also in Life of the Mind (1977). In the latter, emphasis is on thinking intentionally, in dialogues with oneself. She describes a Socratic 'two-in-one' (p. 187) that 'heals the solitariness of thought, in its inherent duality points to the infinite plurality which is the law of the earth'.
There is a kind of generative harmony being hinted at here, 'The partner who comes to life when you are alert and alone is the only one from whom you can never get away - except by ceasing to think' (p. 188). 'The self, too, is a kind of friend' (p. 189).
It is this sense of friendship I wish to cultivate in this new year. Thank you for writing this piece. Looking forward to more.
Anshul, thanks for alerting me to this passage--wonderful. I hope you'll feel free to offer additional thoughts here!
"Don't mourn, organize" (Mother Jones)
👍 That’s where I’m going with this!
right on