“The pulse of joy that beats in us at twenty becomes sluggish. Our limbs fail, our senses rot. We degenerate into hideous puppets, haunted by the memory of the passions of which we were too much afraid, and the exquisite temptations that we had not the courage to yield to. Youth! Youth! There is absolutely… [Read more…]
January 7, 2009
“When my feelings rule me, I am intolerant of pain and boredom; I demand that my needs for pleasure and distraction be met as quickly as possible.” Richard Winter, Still Bored in a Culture of Entertainment: Rediscovering Passion and Wonder (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2002), 85.
January 7, 2009
“The media darlings (celebrities, shows, fashion, etc.) have immense power. Steven Johnson estimates that Charles Dickens sold around 50,000 copies of Bleak House when the population of Great Britain was around 20 million. This amounts to nothing by today’s standards. If Dickens were to impact his country the way a hit TV show (which can… [Read more…]
January 7, 2009
“First, the item must demonstrate superior quality. Second, it must be truly unique and difficult to acquire. Third, it must enhance one’s status. And fourth, it must brighten one’s self-image, making the buyer feel special.” According to Milton Pedraza, head of The Luxury Institute, a consultant group that tracks habits of the wealthiest 10% in… [Read more…]
January 7, 2009
“We are so unhappy that we can only enjoy something which we should be annoyed to see go wrong, and that can and does constantly happen to thousands of things. Anyone who found the secret of rejoicing when things go well without being annoyed when they go badly would have found the point. It is… [Read more…]
January 7, 2009
“If [people] have been taught that money is the only and best good and that the market is the best test, what are they left with? I wonder about the people who felt that money was the only thing worth having, that the wealth somehow proved you were a hip, evolved, wise person, but now… [Read more…]
September 23, 2010
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