Tag: bible

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Principles of enjoying a fulfilled and contented life

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Charles Handy, a businessman, a writer, a philanthropist and a philosopher, offers wit and words of wisdom from a lifetime’s thinking on management. He did have even a stroke as he approached the age of 90 dimmed his intellectual curiosity or his immense zest for life. The View from Ninety is written from the vantage point of a contemplative old age and drawing on his articles for The Idler, he shares his thoughts on the big questions with which we all grapple. Drawing in part on his own experience, in part on the wisdom of others, he sets out the … Continue reading Principles of enjoying a fulfilled and contented life

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Roman Woman who broke all rules “a living breathing flesh-and-blood”

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Charismatic Fulvia amassed a degree of military and political power that was unprecedented for a woman in Ancient Rome. Married three times to men who moved in powerful circles, including Marc Anthony, Fulvia was not content to play the usual background role that was expected of wife – instead she challenged the Roman patriarchy and sought to increase her influence in the face of determined opposition. Fulvia is a relative of Julius Caesar, Augustus’s mother-in-law, and a love rival to Cleopatra, She was according to Pultarch, “a woman who took no thought for spinning or housekeeping”, and instead became a … Continue reading Roman Woman who broke all rules “a living breathing flesh-and-blood”

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Fight, Thrill and Dazzle

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The ancient Roman Empire was the supreme arena, where emperors had no choice but to fight, to thrill, to dazzle. To rule as a Caesar was to stand as an actor upon the great stage of the world. Suetonius’ renowned biography of the twelve Caesars, invite us into the lives of the first Roman Emperor, Caesars more vividly or intimately than those by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, written from the centre of Rome and power, in the early 2nd century AD. Suetonius succeeded in painting Rome’s ultimate portraits of power. The shortfalls, foreign policy crises and sex scandals of the emperors are … Continue reading Fight, Thrill and Dazzle

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Declaration of Intent

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Canon Andrew White originally qualified as an Operating Department Practitioner,specialising in Anaesthetics, before his ordination. Now Vicar of St George’s inBaghdad, his work there prompted him to write this moving story, acclaimed by Lord Carey of Clifton as an “inspirational read”. In the foreword, Lord Carey cites Andrew as “one of the most remarkable men I have ever encountered …. With a capacity to love, and be loved”. Additionally to providing a preliminary account of his life, leading up to Baghdad, and the deep questions he has had to work through for answers on his chosen stage, Andrew has provided … Continue reading Declaration of Intent

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Portrait of masculinity

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Booker Prize Finalist Hungarian descent, living in Britain, David Szalay, whose All That Man Is, was shortlisted for the 2016 Booker Prize,  now brings Flesh, where 15-year-old István in Hungary, isolated after moving to a new town. His only friend sets him up to lose his virginity, only find himself too awkward with the girl, and both of them then reject him.  Shy and new in town, he is a stranger to the social rituals practiced by his classmates and soon become isolated. Under duress, he begins to help his middle-aged married woman neighbour carry her shopping: she is sexual predator who … Continue reading Portrait of masculinity

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Our fathers never taught us to be fathers…

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Chilean poet Alejandro Zambra, in Childish Literature, writes a collection of poems, essays and tales exploring the ups and downs of fatherhood especially orbiting around the theme of fathers and sons. Written in a state of attachment or under the influence of fatherhood, Childish Literature is an eclectic guide to rookie parents, revealing how the birth and growth of a child changes not only the present and the future, but also reshapes our perceptions of the past.   He ponders his unpreparedness: “Our fathers tried, in their own ways, to teach us to be men, but they never taught us to … Continue reading Our fathers never taught us to be fathers…

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Humanity’s deepest desires, fears and hopes

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MacCulloch notes that for the vast majority of people throughout this history, marriage was a “contract between two men” that is between two fathers. And  that “When church weddings did start appearing, patchily, in the fourth century, the Church did not offer them to all the faithful”. Three categories of marriage emerged: the “Glorious ( imperial elite) , the “middle” ( imperial officers), and the “vile” (everyone else), with the vast majority of unions in the last category having no involvement from the Church at all. He rebukes contemporary Christians for asserting that there is a “Christian understanding of marriage” … Continue reading Humanity’s deepest desires, fears and hopes

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How frightened teenage boys become dangerous men

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David, a protagonist, who hates primary school where he has been bullied for his Iranian heritage, more recently he was beaten up and humiliated by Muslim teenagers, and has reached sixth form without any friends.  He stops studying for his A-levels and, after working in a supermarket for several months, begins spending most of his time in his bedroom on the internet. As somebody who is searching for meaning and community, David is vulnerable to charlatans peddling easy answers to complex questions and shortcuts to belonging. Music is the only that keeps him going. Inspired by his hero Karl Williams, he … Continue reading How frightened teenage boys become dangerous men

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On the Brink of fear & disaster

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Philip Notman, an acclaimed medieval history professor whose fondness for Emerson’s scariest quote “ I  am glad to be on the brink of fear”, attends a conference in Bergen, Norway. On his return to London, and to his wife and son, something unexpected and inexplicable happens to him, and he is unable to settle back into his normal life. Seeking answers, he flies to Cadiz to see Inés, a Spanish academic, with whom he shared a connection at the conference, but his journey doesn’t end there. A chance encounter with a wealthy, elderly couple sends him to a house on … Continue reading On the Brink of fear & disaster