5 Quick Things #404 đި
real happiness, embracing discomfort, good eye contact, & a hand from the hidden country
Hi there,
âMrs. O, can we have more classes like this?â is always music to my ears when I hear comments like this as students file out to their next class.
I heard this from a few students this week, and because I was desperate to come up with an in-class project to review all the material weâd covered thus far since September, I whipped up an idea that morning. I divided the students into groups of five, then gave them modern-day scenarios: a local service business that encourages its employees to tell its clients something (an appliance, a car) is about to break down even though itâll probably last several more years; a soldier ordered to participate in a drone strike with probable civilians (including children) nearby; students at public school demanding that a controversial guest speaker be uninvited because their topic could potentially cause harm, and the like. I then gave each group ten questions specific to their scenario in order to review what Western civilization has received from the three ancient cities thatâve poured its foundation: Jerusalem, Athens, and Rome. After answering the questions, they then had to come to a decision about what should be done in their modern scenario, decipher which ancient city most affected their ethical decision, then defend their answer to the class. It was a lively conversation, one that was much too short for our 1.5-hour class.
(If youâre curious, the city that was most cited? Athens, the birthplace of philosophy and democracy.)
âŚFor the rest of the school year, weâre unpacking the events that led to the legalization (and therefore spread) of Christianity, the inevitable fall of the Roman Empireâand why, and all the pieces that fall into place to set the table for the time periods weâll cover next year: the âDarkâ Ages, Middle Ages, and Renaissance. Iâm stoked.
Seven more weeks of the school year, but whoâs counting! âŚMarcus Aureliusâ Meditations is next week to kick off our study of Stoicism.
5 Quick Things âď¸
1. One of the more fun names on Substack, Griffin Gooch, has written a lengthy-but-worth-it (meaning: very readable) treatise on how to be happy. Through all the meta-analyses of various studies that actually say something, heâs synthesized it into ten big things, looking at it through a Christian lens: âIf we define happiness as maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain through pursuing dopamine loops and passive living, then yesâthatâs definitely not much of a priority for us in Godâs mind. But a happiness that comes from living a rich, moral life thatâs centered around Him and His kingdom is something followers of Jesus have been pointing toward from the very beginning. Joy, happiness, flourishing, etcetera arenât the goal of our spirituality, but theyâre an undeniable side effect.â
2. Speaking of⌠I know, I know I keep talking about and/or linking to Arthur Brooks, but since heâs making the rounds with his new book releasing in a few weeks, heâs all over the internet right now, and itâs genuinely good stuffâŚ. Here he is this weekâI really enjoyed his thoughts on marriage in particular (fascinating how much more eye contact women need than men).
3. Co-sign on this short thought here from Megan Cornish: âYou CANNOT increase your joy by avoiding discomfort. Joy and pain run on the same neural circuits, so you actually decrease your capacity for joy by avoiding discomfort.â Iâm sure this is neurologically true, but this is also definitely spiritually and emotionally true, too. We were made for hard things.
4. All three of my kids have read the book Project Hail Mary and are frequently nudging me to read it1, and the two that have seen the movie really enjoyed it. I was happy to see my favorite father-son duo, Spencer Klavan and Andrew Klavan, discussing the movie in their new shared podcastâI havenât yet finished their whole conversation, but Iâm liking what I hear so far, and I agree with them on why sci-fi matters.
5. And finally, the juryâs still out on what Iâm going to make (if anything) for an Easter dessert, but in years past Iâve made this relatively healthy carrot cake (I do cupcakes), and itâs delicious (I go with regular cream-cheese frosting). As a carnivore, last year I simply whipped cream with a touch of allulose and vanilla, then froze it and enjoyed it with blueberriesâand since I hardly eat sweet things any more, it felt like a serious treat and was just the hit I needed.
Currently Reading, Watching, Listening đ
Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weirâthe recommended audio version2 (slowlyâsee above)
Quotable đŹ
âI find no difficulty in believing that the veil between the worlds, nowhere else (for me) so opaque to the intellect, is nowhere else so thin and permeable to divine operation. Here a hand from the hidden country touches not only my soul but my body. Here the prig, the don, the modern, in me have no privilege over the savage or the child. Here is big medicine and strong magic...the command, after all, was Take, eat: not Take, understand. â
-C.S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm
Whatâs your least-worst chore? đ§š
I agree with the majority here; I actually donât mind folding laundry (unless itâs Mt. Everest because no one else in the family is willing to do their part). Folding laundry is therapeutic and rhythmic; itâs touching clean things, and it requires me to stay in one place for a few moments. Itâs also an excuse to listen to something while I do the otherwise monotonous work. A hundred years ago, laundry would have been an all-day event. Now, if done right, it can be a quiet hum in the background, followed by an excuse to meditate for ten minutes. (I also donât mind vacuuming for the same reason.)
Folding laundry: 46.8%
Handwashing dishes: 25%
Sweeping and/or vacuuming: 20%
Dusting surfaces: 7.4%
Find the next poll here.
Historic Highlands: Our 2026 Pilgrimage to Scotland đ´ó §ó ˘ó łó Łó ´ó ż
âThere is no other place like Scotland in the whole world.â - Sir Walter Scott
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đ´ó §ó ˘ó łó Łó ´ó ż Join the next pilgrimage: Scotland!
Question(s) For You to Ponder⌠đ¤
What are three things youâve learned about yourself this Lenten season?
Other than our subscribersâ monthly gratitude chat this upcoming Monday, Iâm taking next week off the internet to better keep my focus on Holy Week, so no 5QT next Friday. Iâll see you in two weeks!
See you then,
- Tsh
p.s. - Increasingly me, after three cups of coffee.
I started it but itâll take me awhile... Have you seen my TBR pile? My teaching syllabus? My to-do list?
Also, a liâl pet peeve of mine: when a book thatâs been around for awhile suddenly gets a new movie cover when its screen adaptation releases. Go back to the original cover!