Bacon's Essays 8 (Marriage And Single Life)
Bonus:
Twue wuv
Summary: Marriage is a lot of work, so you'll have less time for MAD GENIUS, but also be less of an asshole (hopefully).
Commentary:
HE THAT hath wife and children hath given hostages to fortune; for they are impediments to great enterprises, either of virtue or mischief.
BACON HATES YOUR FAMILY!
(Not really, has good things to say later. I just like the forcefulness of the opener.)
Bacon's Essays 7 (Of Parents And Children)
Bonus:
As Solomon said...
Summary: If you're gonna have kids, make sure you guide them well. If you don't have kids, your work will be your legacy.
Commentary:
And surely a man shall see the noblest works and foundations have proceeded from childless men
I want to see how far back people have been saying this now.
optimum elige, suave et facile illud faciet consuetudo. "Choose what is best; custom will make it pleasant and easy"
That is my goal with doing this every night.
Bacon's Essays 6 (Simulation And Dissimulation)
Bonus:
Sweet album art
Summary: When you hide yourself, you weaken yourself.
Commentary:
I didn't think of dissimulation in this context before, but it appears aligned with the dictionary definition. (Hiding under a false appearance.) I always think of it as just not engaging with the situation.
There be three degrees of this hiding and veiling of a man's self. The first, closeness, reservation, and secrecy; when a man leaveth himself without observation, or without hold to be taken, what he is. The second, dissimulation, in the negative; when a man lets fall signs and arguments, that he is not, that he is. And the third, simulation, in the affirmative; when a man industriously and expressly feigns and pretends to be, that he is not.
I think that first is closer to how we use it today.
The third and greatest is, that it depriveth a man of one of the most principal instruments for action; which is trust and belief. The best composition and temperature, is to have openness in fame and opinion; secrecy in habit; dissimulation in seasonable use; and a power to feign, if there be no remedy.
Truth.
Bonus:
Sure, I dunno, getting bulled by Powerful Rangers is adversity.
Summary: Learn to admire surviving adversity.
Commentary:
The virtue of prosperity, is temperance; the virtue of adversity, is fortitude; which in morals is the more heroical virtue
Someone call Ben Franklin.
Bonus:
Summary: Revenge good. Pardon princely.
Commentary:
REVENGE is a kind of wild justice; which the more man's nature runs to, the more ought law to weed it out.
That one guy ruined revenge for everyone by doing 12 degrees of family punishment or something.
Bacon's Essays 3 (Unity In Religion)
Bonus:
I have no idea where this song is in the show, and the internet is not helping.
Summary: Be the good kind of religious, not an asshole.
Commentary:
The quarrels, and divisions about religion, were evils unknown to the heathen. The reason was, because the religion of the heathen, consisted rather in rites and ceremonies, than in any constant belief. For you may imagine, what kind of faith theirs was, when the chief doctors, and fathers of their church, were the poets. But the true God hath this attribute, that he is a jealous God; and therefore, his worship and religion,
Bacon is making a stunning argument for paganism here.
Short essay even shorter: religion is good when it brings us good things (fellowship, charity, etc.) Don't get overly freaked out about minor differences between groups (THE WINE IS BLOOD‽). Especially don't start religious wars over them.
This should've been in 15MAD, it was much better than most of the other religious readings.
Bonus:
But why no audio?
Summary: Dying isn't as bad as it looks.
Commentary:
It's like the whole (non-bullshit parts of) Phaedo in one paragraph!
So much Latin. Some of which almost turn into Tom Swifties.
Bacon's Essays 8 (Marriage And Single Life) Bonus: Twue wuv Summary: Marriage is a lot of work, so you'll have less time for MAD G...
