Flu Begone

Geo is sick, and the cold turned pretty nasty yesterday, so I whipped up a batch of Flu Begone tea. When I gave them a dose of it, they made a face and a sound that was exactly like Bill the Cat, and said “And you wonder why they burned witches.” We both laughed so hard we sparked a coughing fit, confirming that we are well and truly sick.

Geo slept on and off all day, and by the afternoon said that the witch’s brew seemed to be working.

We’re still feeling worn out, but we can breathe again and our throats aren’t a fiery mess.

Kindle the fire of the mind

Plutarch: 'The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled'

Snowpocalypse and Sniffles

Snowpocalypse and a head cold mean tea, blankets, and knitting.

Pretti Good Trouble

"How I wished during those sleepless hours that I belonged to a different nation, or better still, to none at all."

— W.G. Sebald

Do not train a child to learn by force

“Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.” —Plato 

Civilization

Civilization is to groups what intelligence is to individuals. It is a means of combining the intelligence of many to achieve ongoing adaptation. 

Civilization, like intelligence, may serve well, serve adequately, or fail to serve its adaptive function. When civilization fails to serve, it must disintegrate unless it is acted upon by unifying internal or external forces.

—Earthseed: The Books of the Living

Freedom and courage

“The freedom to think involves the courage to stumble upon our demons."

— Alain de Botton