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lyondustin

Thus Spake Dustin

I love reading about Eastern Orthodoxy, scripture, and nonfiction works that challenge me to expand my view of the world.

SPOILER ALERT!

Review of Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Flow (P.S.) - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (New York: Harper Perennial, 1990). Pp. 303. Paperback $15.99.

 

This book was this month's selection for the book group I'm in. Being that we are all local religious leaders, we have a common interest. Each month a different member of the group gets to make a book selection; I believe this is the strength of the group, because the other members of my group have made selections of books I wouldn't otherwise have picked up. This book is probably one of those books. In fact, despite the book being 24 years old, I had never heard of this title. Nonetheless, I'm glad it was recommended because it was able to articulate how it is that one experiences happiness within life. For me, Csikszentmihalyi was able to take a generalization (the feeling of happiness) and define it in a very specific way so that it was a usable concept for various areas of life.

 

Right away Csikszentmihalyi states that in order to be happy we have to be able to control our consciousness. This means we are free of our natural impulses, and we are free to choose our own goals, rather than excepting those that are dangled in front of us. The mark of someone who is able to control their consciousness is their ability to focus their attention on what they want to focus it on. In short, they are able to keep a tight rein on their emotional lives, which is contrary to some modern trends.

 

When one is able to control their consciousness, then they are able to experience what Csikszentmihalyi calls "flow." Everyone has probably had this experience. An example would be when you are so engaged in a project (reading a good book, working on a painting, writing a piece of literature, making music, etc.) that all time seems to pass by unnoticed, hunger never occurs to you, and your mind thinks of nothing else other than the project at hand. This engagement is flow, and this is what leads to happiness in life.

 

It's important to note that wealth, health, and power don't necessarily produce the right conditions for flow. In fact, the conditions for flow are being able to control your consciousness so that you can: 1) confront tasks you believe you can complete; 2) concentrate on what you're doing; 3) set clear goals; 4) ask for immediate feedback; 5) act with deep, but effortless, involvement; 6) experience a sense of control over our project; 7) experience your concern for self disappear; and, finally, 8) have the experience of time altered.

 

After the introductory chapters in which Csikszentmihalyi explains what flow is and what sorts of conditions make flow possible, he turns to discussing how to raise children in an optimal way. He briefly touches on how the American experience of the teenager, which is a modern concept to begin with, creates conditions that inhibit flow. Mostly this stems from the lack of control a teenage has over their lives - in general, they aren't able to set their own goals, which is a key factor for flow. This was a concept I would like to have seen fleshed out more.

The next few chapters were very interesting; they described the different sorts of activities in which people experience flow - thus living happier lives. As Csikszentmihalyi is describing the activities, he explains why it is that they lead to flow. He explores the mind as a source of flow (such as memorizing things, writing, studying history, and studying science). He explores work as a source of flow, or, one could also say, how to make work a source of flow. He explores experiencing flow within society - such as engaging in politics. He explores the body as a source of flow (such as yoga, martial arts, physical education, sex, music, art, and food). He does mention, several times, that watching television (including watching sports) does not, typically, lead to flow experiences; yet, this is America's biggest past time.

Finally, Csikszentmihalyi ends his book discussing how to make the over-all picture of one's life become one 'big' flow experience. In short, it's about making our goals and what we do come together harmoniously.

In conclusion, I'm glad I read this book. I've experienced flow moments before (especially in blogging, reading, and painting icons), but I never was able to articulate why it was that I particularly got 'lost' in those moments. After having read this book, I now more fully understand what was happening and how those moments lead to satisfaction, happiness, in my life. I guess I could say, now that I've read this book, I'm glad I decided to undertake this review blogging!

Review of Byzantium by Cyril Mango

Byzantium: The Empire Of New Rome - Cyril A. Mango

Cyril Mango, Byzantium: The Empire of New Rome (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1980). Pp. 334. Hardback $17.50.

 

This book is a bit old, but it's still a very good introduction for Eastern Roman Empire - a.k.a., the Byzantium Empire.

 

What makes this book a good introduction is that it's not your standard introduction that progresses chronologically through the history of a people. This book has very little information regarding events, names, dates, and such. Instead, Mango seeks to introduce the Byzantine Empire in three different ways: the aspects of Byzantine life, the conceptual world of Byzantium, and the legacy of the empire.

 

In the part that speaks of the aspects of Byzantine life, Mango writes about the people and language of the empire, which was very interesting. Byzantium was a very diverse empire, and much more than an empire of "Greeks." In this respect he has a lot to say to the Orthodox Churches that exist in America as they try to form an American identity. He also writes about how society and the economy was structured. In this way, one gets a sense of every day life. He also writes about the development and disappearance of cities, monasticism, and education. By the end of this section, one has a good sense of what life in the Empire was like from various different angles.

In the part that speaks about the conceptual world of Byzantium, Mango address the way the Byzantines understood themselves, the world, and the future. He looks at good vs. evil. He also explores how the Byzantines understood the larger world around them, and other peoples. We also learn about how the people of the Byzantine empire understood their past and their future, and what life ideal should be like. This chapter almost felt as if I was reading a book about the theology of the Orthodox Church. Mango draws very heavily on the Church Fathers, and other Patristic sources, as they were the ones that influenced how society understood itself. If anyone is interested in Eastern Orthodoxy, this chapter is must read.

Finally, Mango writes about the legacy of the Empire - what it has for us in the 21st century. Namely, he looks at the literature of the Empire, which can still be read today - and is still largely used by the Orthodox Church. He also looks at the art and architecture of the empire, which is the most visible and accessible aspect of the Byzantines.

In short, I highly recommend this book if one is looking for a good introduction - especially if you want a book that is more than just dates and events.

SPOILER ALERT!

Review of On Anarchism by Noam Chomsky

Chomsky on Anarchism - Noam Chomsky

Noam Chomsky, On Anarchism (New York: The New Press, 2013). Pp. 170. Paperback $15.95.

 

A few weeks ago I had read a book about the Middle East. This book was structured as a conversation between a few experts, one of whom was Noam Chomsky. Some of things he said interested me very much; so much so that I decided to learn a bit more about his political philosophy, generally. This book was the introduction for which I was looking.

Though the chapters are composed from letters, articles, and speeches given elsewhere, they are a good compilation that gives the reader a good idea of how Noam Chomsky structures his argument for Anarchism.

 

The term "anarchism" is a bit misleading here. Many people will automatically associate it with chaos, however, there's much more to it than simple chaos. The idea is that Anarchism seeks to dismantle authority and oppression that survives from the past that no longer functions to help society. These authorities may have been needed in the past, but societies don't stagnate, and, therefore, society always needs to re-evaluate its needs by way of government structures.

It seemed, to me, that Anarchism is able to stand in the middle ground between the two famous European political philosophies of Libertarianism and Socialism. Generally speaking, Libertarianism seeks to have as little government as possible, whereas Socialism seeks to have all property and economic activity within the authority of government.

 

Anarchism seeks to have labor and economic production owned by those involved in the production of items - so it's not private ownership, but neither is is public/government ownership. These would be voluntary associations - similar to what we may call labor unions. This structure would do away with capitalism, as we think of it. No longer would people be bound to work for others who own the company (as it is today in America), in what Chomsky calls "wage slavery." Instead, those who are actually doing the work would have part ownership in the company through these associations. Then the social, cultural, and economic associations that are formed would elect people to form government structures. In this way, we would be much more democratic than we are today - current American politics is a mix of popularity contests and influence of corporate money, which often contradicts the interests/vote of the people.

 

Chapter three is about the Spanish Revolution and the brief Anarchist society that was set up there - a society that many people call the closest we've come to actually putting these theories into action. Chomsky's evaluation was to look at how people wrote about this government to show that history is biased. This chapter forms a large part of the book, and I'm not sure it was helpful in an introductory book, such as this. It was very involved and in-depth, and it can easy be skipped if one is more interested in the theory of Anarchism.

 

Chapter four is an interview with Chomsky that is a bit biographical. It was very interesting, and it gives the reader a sense of how Chomsky came to his views. It also gives a brief history of Anarchism in American, and how America has evolved through the various political philosophies.

Chapter five engages Anarchism further and evaluates it alongside other political philosophies. His goal, in this chapter, is to show how Anarchism is like language. Just as language needs rules for communication to be clear, so too does society need rules. If language has too many rules, or too few, then one won't be understood; and so it is also with societies, which need some structure for creativity and economic freedom - but it's a fine balance between too many rules and too few.

For anyone interested in our future, I highly recommend this book. If nothing else, it will get one thinking about how we've structured our society, and how to best proceed into the future.

Review of Kings of the Narrow Gate

The Kings of the Narrow Gate - T.W. Trenkle

T.W. Trenkle, The Kings of the Narrow Gate (Dubuque: King's Gate Books, 2014). Pp. 244. Paperback $19.95.

This book tells the story of the author's true experience of poverty, racism, and homelessness in Dubuque, IA. Dubuque has branded itself as the "Masterpiece on the Mississippi," and it has even won some national "best city" awards. However, the author wrote this book to show that Dubuque has a long ways to go to live up to this idealized version of itself.

The book centers around a pawn shop in Dubuque that gives away free food to the homeless. Each chapter tells someone's story, and how they've struggled with poverty, racism, homelessness, drugs, murder, or tough luck. Some of these stories are very moving, and the author does a very good job at exposing the dark side of Dubuque. I believe the author's intent at exposing this side of Dubuque was to raise awareness in hopes of getting these people some help. Only the future will tell if this book produces the changes needed to make a better society for everyone.

The reason I gave this book 2 stars was due to the writing style (which makes the book very difficult to read), and the many grammatical problems within the book. For example, the author uses a lot of metaphors, so much so that they loose meaning and impact.

The author also likes to tell his stories through the voices of other people. Often each chapter is a conversation that the author overheard between a group of people at the pawn shop. However, each time the author fails to give the reader the necessary, or sufficient, background information. Thus the reader is left in the dark trying to figure out what the conversation is about.

A few of the stories also lack chronological coherence. The author will start a story, jump forward in time, then, without warning, jump back in time. This often leaves the reader confused as to what exactly is happening. Twice I had to look up the events the author was describing in archived editions of the Telegraph Herald (Dubuque's newspaper) in order to understand.

Finally, this edition lacks basic editing. There are a few places where the line ends in the middle of a sentence, and then picks up in the next paragraph. There are also simple grammatical mistakes (e.g., "CD's" when he means "CDs," or "1930's" when he means "1930s").

I think with a good editor, this book could be very powerful in getting the stories of Dubuque's poor out in the world.

SPOILER ALERT!

Review of Five Moral Pieces

Five Moral Pieces - Alastair McEwen, Umberto Eco

Umberto Eco, Five Moral Pieces (New York: Harcourt, Inc., 2001), translated by Alastair McEwen. Pp. 111. Hardcover $23.00.

 

I had never read anything by Umberto Eco, and I knew that he is a leading thinker of our time. This was the book I picked up to read to acquaint myself with his philosophy and writing style.

 

It's a fairly short book. It's comprised of five chapters, which are essentially five independent essays. The essays are: Reflections on War, When the Other Appears on the Scene, On the Press, Ur-Fascism, and Migration, Tolerance, and the Intolerable. This review will comment on two of the essays, and then conclude with some general remarks.

 

The first essay I want to comment on is Reflections on War. Eco starts the essay by arguing that intellectuals have an obligation to speak out about war. And if they choose to remain silent, then they have an obligation to say why it is that they are silent.

 

He then progresses to his argument as to why war is not a good option for modern society. This probably comes as no surprise to those familiar with Eco; what did surprise me, however, was the way he made is argument. One would expect an anti-war (pro-peace?) argument to proceed along the lines of how unjust war is due to its inhumanity; however, Eco's argument is more along the lines of how modernity has changed the rules so much that war isn't war anymore. Allow me to list his points:

1 - Nuclear weapons, if used, mean that no one would win. They would only destroy the planet.

2 - War no longer has two clear cut sides. Each side's media can be reporting news from behind 'enemy' lines, which makes it harder to 'demonize' the enemy (e.g., Americans reporting in Baghdad when the U.S. was attacking Iraq). Also, because America is a melting-pot, people who may identify with the enemy may be living among you.

3 - Modern technology and communication means that anyone can communicate (and thus sympathize) with the enemy.

4 - A global economy (and global consumer base) means that war plays havoc with the market.

5 - Modern technology means that war is no longer like a chess game (your enemy moves, and then you move, and so on). Now, it's as if both sides are moving randomly (all at the same time), and may even be attacking pieces of the same color.

 

Eco concludes that warfare is no longer practical. Instead, we need to evolve a new way to 'war' with one another. He suggests that the new way be a 'cold war.' He writes that is has, "proved a very humane and mild solution in terms of casualties, and cold warfare can even boast victors and vanquished." A very interesting idea.

The other essay I want to comment on is On the Press. This was a very interesting essay, mostly focused on the Italian media. He's arguing that television has destroyed the ability of the media to have engaging conversations and inform the public of important issues. The problem started when people turned to television for their news instead of newspapers. Newspapers, faced with a declining readership, changed its structure to that of the dailies (more entertainment driven, rather than news driven); the dailies respond by changing their structure, as do the monthlies, and so on. It gets so bad, that papers are reporting on what the television, and other papers, are saying about the news, rather than simply reporting the news. He goes on and lists the way the structure inhibits the media from really reporting the news.

He gives two conclusions as to how to solve the issue of the media. He suggests that papers go back to simply reporting a few lines about important events around the world. This way, each reader can be informed about the basic facts of news from around the world. The other solution is to stop treating the papers as a source of entertainment news, and cover events from around the world with in-depth articles. However, he admits that both these solutions require an educated readership to be able to determine what's important for them.

 

I wish conclude with a few brief comments about this work overall. I greatly enjoyed his arguments, and I found them easy to follow. I did notice that Eco's style of writing and expounding his arguments was similar to C.S. Lewis's. Though they would, no doubt, come to different conclusions, the feel of the argument, for me, was similar. Go figure. At any rate, I recommend this book.

Review of Perilous Power

Perilous Power: The Middle East and US Foreign Policy - Gilbert Achcar

Noam Chomsky and Gilbert Achcar, Perilous Power: The Middle East and U.S. Foreign Policy; Dialogues on Terror, Democracy, War, and Justice, Expanded Edition (Boulder: Paradigm Publishers, 2009). Pp. 319. $29.95.

 

This book is a fantastic source of information for those who want to understand the current political makeup of the Middle East. The book derives from a three-day conversation in January of 2006 between Chomsky and Achcar, which was moderated by Stephen Shalom. The final text was edited, and footnotes were profusely added after the conversations. The edition I read has an epilogue, which was written six months later (July of 200); and a postscript, which was written two years (2008) later. Needless to say, it's now 2014, and another updated could be written.

 

Topics covered include: 1) terrorism; 2) fundamentalism and democracy; 3) U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East; 4) the War in Iraq and its aftermath; 5) the War in Afghanistan and its aftermath; 6) the situations of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the Kurds (of Iraq and Turkey), and Lebanon; and 7) the Israel-Palestine conflict.

 

The conversation between these two brilliant scholars is eye-opening. Their major premise is that the U.S.'s goal is to control the world's economy (i.e., power). To do that they need to control the oil supply, which would give them power over other countries (including European countries) because the U.S. could threaten to 'turnoff the oil.’ They explain how this motivation leads the U.S. to: undermine democracy (all over the world - including in the U.S. itself); go to war with and invade with certain countries (Iraq), but not others; topple particular leaders, but not others; and install some leaders who are actually worse for their countries than the leaders who were removed.

 

In fact, they show how the current policy of the U.S. is actually anti-democracy. For example, the U.S. worked against free elections in Venezuela and Nicaragua (pg. 49-50). They also ask if America can truly be called a democracy when polls often reveal that Americans are at odds with congress on certain policies (e.g., going to war, universal healthcare).

 

My favorite section of the book was the section on fundamentalism (pp. 27 ff.) - perhaps because I'm in the religion 'business.' Their argument is that from the turn of the 20th century onward, there was a strong tendency towards secular nationalism rising in the Middle East. In fact, it sounds as if this nationalism was very progressive in many respects. However, U.S. government backed Islamic fundamentalists in order to bring instability to the region - or, at the very least, opposed secular nationalists, which lead to a vacuum that was filled by fundamentalists. The U.S. feared that secular nationalism would lead to strong and powerful Middle Eastern countries that would use the oil for their own economic development. In order to keep control over the oil (and also from keeping the U.S.S.R. and Europe from getting control of the oil), the U.S. consistently backed the fundamentalists, who created instability and prevented powerful Middle Eastern countries from developing.

 

The discussion goes from Middle Eastern fundamentalism to U.S. fundamentalism, which has only recently become a political force. Their argument is that C.E.O.s and other powerful businessmen foster Christian fundamentalism in order "to shift the focus of many voters from the issues that really affect their interests (such as health, education, economic issues, wages) over to religious crusades to block the teaching of evolution, gay rights, and abortion rights" (pg. 31).

 

Chomsky continues by saying, "These [the religious/social issues] are all issues, for example, about which CEOs just don't care very much. They care a lot about the other issues [health, education, economic, wages]. And if you can shift the focus of debate and attention and presidential politics and so on to questions that are quite marginal for the wealthy - questions of, say, gay rights - that's wonderful for people who want to destroy the labor unions, construct a social/political system for the benefit of the ultrarich, while everyone else barely survives" (pg. 31). In other words, they are arguing that Christian fundamentalism is actually hurting the majority of the population (main street), all while making a very small percentage very rich (wall street).

 

In general the book is very readable. The reason I didn't give it the full number of stars available is that it can get very deep very quickly - to the point of name-dropping. It would have been helpful to have glossary of terms and people, a map, a timeline of events, and perhaps an appendix that quickly summarized the history and movements within each of the countries discussed.  In all, however, with the current situation, I would highly recommend everyone reading this book.

SPOILER ALERT!

Review of Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes

Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels - Kenneth E. Bailey

Kenneth E. Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2008). Pp. 443. Paperback $30.00

 

I was at an Eastern Orthodox clergy conference and our guest speaker was speaking about how to improve our preaching. He suggested that one way to make improvements was to really get to know scripture. He mentioned that the famous fourth century saint, John Chrysostom, the golden-mouthed - well known for his preaching - spent several years alone doing nothing but reading and studying scripture before he began to preach. This, it seems, was what set him apart. I decided that I should take this speakers words to heart and really delve into scripture, as St. John had.

 

One of the first books I read after this conference was N.T. Wright's new book, Surprised by Scripture (review to come later). One chapter in that book was about women in scripture, and, in this chapter, Wright relied heavily on this Presbyterian minister named Kenneth Bailey, who I had not heard of. However, Wright's argument was convincing enough for me to want to learn more. So I headed over to Amazon and purchased Bailey's Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes.

 

Wow, am I glad I purchased this book! It was simply eye opening for this priest who has western eyes. Bailey has spent a considerable amount of his life teaching in the Middle East, and thus is well acquainted with Eastern customs. What also makes Bailey so refreshing is his level of expertise with this culture. He's able to give valuable insight into various cultural aspects of the biblical story, aspects that westerners often miss. He then is able to illustrate how that helps the reader's understanding of what's really going on and what's really being said by the author of that particular biblical book. In some instances, he shows that a Middle Eastern understanding of the text actually gives the text the opposite meaning westerners typically assign to it.

I was recommending this book to a friend and they asked, "Well, that's fine that Bailey understands contemporary modern Middle Eastern culture, but does that mean it translates to an understanding of first century Middle Eastern culture, the culture of Jesus and the New Testament?"
In this case I think it does. After reading the book, it becomes clear that Bailey has also done his historical research and only brings in contemporary culture when it's appropriate to the story he's discussing.

 

He has divided his book up into several sections: 1) the birth of Jesus, 2) the beatitudes, 3) the Lord's prayer, 4) the dramatic actions of Jesus, 5) Jesus and women, and finally, 6) the parables of Jesus. My favorite sections were the ones on women, and the parables (though I noticed that many reviews on other sites really enjoyed the Christmas section). Each section has several chapters. Each chapter begins with a short introduction where Bailey poses the questions raised by the text. He then does a grammatical and systematic breakdown of the text, followed by commentary. It is in the commentary that Bailey's magic is worked.

I believe that any who really wants to understand the biblical text would do well to pick up this book. I highly recommend it. I also believe that it would be an ideal book for a Bible study. Each chapter is self sufficient, thus a study could go chapter by chapter, or pick out chapters that are of particular interest to the group.

I'll end this review by saying, if you think you know the biblical story, you may want to think again!

SPOILER ALERT!

Review of Freakonomics

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything - Stephen J. Dubner, Steven D. Levitt

Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (New York: William Morrow, 2005). Pp. 242. Hardcover $25.95.

 

Last week I participated in Dubuque's 'Circles Initiative,' which is part of their 'Bridges Out of Poverty' program. During the program we watched Robert Reich's Inequality for All. I found this documentary very fascinating and it led me to my local library to do more research. I ended up reading Robert Reich's Beyond Outrage, and Bill Clinton's Back to Work. As I was discussing these books with a friend, he suggested - and ultimately loaned - Freakonomics to me.

 

The premise of the book is that Steven Levitt is an economist who is uninterested in doing traditional economics, especially the kind that involves mathematics. (I don't blame him.) He is, however, good at asking nontraditional, yet very interesting, questions that economics can help answer. In this respect, he has found his niche and had done very well for himself.

Apparently, Levitt was approached to write this book, but, being a nontraditional economist, he was uninterested in writing. Why write when you can continue to ask and research fascinating questions? Nonetheless, Levitt remembered being interviewed by a journalist named Stephen Dubner, and he liked the resulting article that Dubner had written. So, a partnership was born, and this book was written.

 

From the very beginning they both insist that this book really doesn't have a unifying theme (e.g., pg. 14, pg. 205). Instead, they argue, it is simply a book of questions that Levitt has asked - or has had asked of him - in which economics had the answers. (Is this the Seinfeld of books - something about 'nothing'?) I'm not sure I'm convinced.

 

In the introduction they mention that there are a few fundamental ideas with economics: 1) Incentives are the cornerstone of modern life; 2) The conventional wisdom is often wrong; 3) Dramatic effects often have distant, even subtle, causes; 4) 'Experts' - from criminologists to real-estate agents - use their informational advantage to serve their own agenda; and 5) Knowing what to measure and how to measure it makes a complicated world much less so. I would argue that the book is essentially a large proof for these assumptions.

 

These proofs, as I found out, come in the form of simple questions; but the explanations of the answers will simply amaze you. For example, who knew that drug dealers live with their mothers because their world is structured as other big businesses (such as Wal-Mart), and the average 'worker,' albeit illegal, makes less than minimum wage? Who knew that real-estate agents are more interested in selling your house quickly, rather than letting it set on the market for a few weeks more to get a higher price (the extra amount of money is only a few hundred dollars in their pocket, and it isn't worth the extra effort on their part)? Who knew that the Superman radio show made the KKK look ridiculous, thus affecting their membership? Who knew that beginning of abortion in America would lead to less crime because it shrank the population of those who lived in poverty - those who would have been committing the crimes? And so on.

In short, this is a recommended read. It won't be a waste of time.

 

Secret Book Paintings

Reblogged from Cheekylala's Random Ramblings:

Secret Fore-Edge Paintings Were Revealed in Early 19th Century Books

 

It's amazing! I can't even imaging how much work and patience this book art required. The outcome is splendid, and unexpected! Like a hidden treasure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/09/fore-edge-book-paintings

Observations: Life With God

Observations: Life With God - Paul a Griffin This book is written as a short devotional through the eyes of a teacher, father, husband, and Christian. By means of these 24 observations (ranging from 2-3 pages each), the author reflects on his relationship with God, and gives the reader a glimpse into his soul. In Genesis God renames Jacob giving him the name Israel by saying, "Your name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed." Perhaps, through the struggles and joys depicted in this book, the author has also earned the name Israel.