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“As long as the reason of man continues fallible, and he is at liberty to exercise it, different opinions will be formed. As long as the connection subsists between his reason and his self-love, his opinions and his passions will have a reciprocal influence on each other; and the former will be objects to which the latter will attach themselves.”
― The Federalist
― The Federalist
“I did not deny the fact that there was a distinction between the right and the left in the National Assembly. What I denied was that there was an eternal left, the same in various historical circumstances, inspired by the same values, united by the same aspirations.”
― Memoirs: Fifty Years of Political Reflection
― Memoirs: Fifty Years of Political Reflection
“If we are arrested every day, if we are exploited every day, if we are trampled over every day, don't ever let anyone pull you so low as to hate them. We must use the weapon of love. We must have compassion and understanding for those who hate us. We must realize so many people are taught to hate us that they are not totally responsible for their hate. But we stand in life at midnight, we are always on the threshold of a new dawn.”
―
―
“There is a disposition in human nature to reduce things as few principles as possible; and this, without doubt, adds to the beauty of a system, if the principles are able to support what rests upon them. The mathematicians glory, very justly, in having raised so noble and magnificent a system of science, upon the foundation of a few axioms and definitions. This love of simplicity, and of reducing things to few principles, hath produced many a false system; but there never was any system in which it appears so remarkably as that of Des Cartes. His whole system concerning matter and spirit is built upon one axiom, expressed in one word, cogito. Upon the foundation of conscious thought, with ideas for his materials, he builds his system of the human understanding, and attempts to account for all its phenomena: and having, as he imagined, from his consciousness, proved the existence of matter; upon the existence of matter, and of a certain quantity of motion originally impressed upon it, he builds his system of the material world, and attempts to account for all its phenomena.”
― Essays on The Active Powers of the Human Mind an Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principle of Common Sense
― Essays on The Active Powers of the Human Mind an Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principle of Common Sense
“Stuck on "on": how to manage a Sympathetic response
1. Say to yourself, "I am having trauma response. This is a physiological process. I'm not crazy."
2. Make a list of people, places, and things that you love. Notice how your body feels as you think about hugging your best friend, sitting on a beach, or curling up with your favorite book.
3. Use your senses. Weighted blankets. Essential oils. Soft music. Warm tea. These can all help your nervous system come back down.
4. Count backward from the number 31.
5. Notice 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch, and 1 thing you can taste.
6. Push as hard as you can against a door or a wall. Notice your muscles firing. Step back, take a break. Repeat three times.
7. Do simple math problems in your head. Simple thinking tasks will help your brain reorientate itself.
8. Name the sensations inside your body. Say to yourself out loud, "I feel tension in my neck. I feel tightness in my stomach. I feel he
at in my face." Then look for one place in your body where you feel neutral or calm. Most people can access neutral by noticing random areas like their left knee cap or right ring finger. Focus your attention first on the neutral area, then on the tense area, then on the neutral area. Do this for four minutes.
9. Don't ask why you feel panic. Do ask who or what will help you feel safe.
10. If you have a dog or a cat, gently put your hand on their heart and count their heartbeat for three minutes.
Stuck on "off": how to manage a high tone dorsal vagal state.
1. Remind yourself that you are not lazy or unmotivated. Tell yourself, "I am having a trauma response. This is a thing. I am not crazy."
2. Get cold. Splash ice-cold water on your face. Hold ice cubes in your hand. Put an ice pack on your neck. Or jump into the coldest possible shower you can stand.
3. Hum or sing. There's a reason people have changed "Ommm" since the 6th century.
4. Social connection is powerful
medicine. Connect with a human over the phone: good. Over video chat: better: In person: best.
5. Don't ask why you're feeling frozen. Do ask who or what might help you feel safer.
6. Don't use hyperbolic exaggerated language like "I feel buried" or "I'm drowning." This language reinforces the stress response. Instead, get really specific." I need to call my son's teacher, pick up my prescription and finish a proposal for work." Write down the specific tasks. This will help your brain click back into solution mode.
7. Suck on a lemon. This sounds weird, but it can help suck your brain out of shutdown mode.
8. Open and close your mouth. Then move your head. Then stretch your arms and legs.
9. Grab both ends of a blanket and wring it out as you would if it was soaking wet. Notice your muscles firing as you do this. Take a break. Repeat three times.
10. If you have a safe and willing friend or partner, make eye contact with them for 2-3 minutes. It's super awkward, but you will get a bonus dose of energy if you both end up laughing.”
― The Science of Stuck: Breaking Through Inertia to Find Your Path Forward
1. Say to yourself, "I am having trauma response. This is a physiological process. I'm not crazy."
2. Make a list of people, places, and things that you love. Notice how your body feels as you think about hugging your best friend, sitting on a beach, or curling up with your favorite book.
3. Use your senses. Weighted blankets. Essential oils. Soft music. Warm tea. These can all help your nervous system come back down.
4. Count backward from the number 31.
5. Notice 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch, and 1 thing you can taste.
6. Push as hard as you can against a door or a wall. Notice your muscles firing. Step back, take a break. Repeat three times.
7. Do simple math problems in your head. Simple thinking tasks will help your brain reorientate itself.
8. Name the sensations inside your body. Say to yourself out loud, "I feel tension in my neck. I feel tightness in my stomach. I feel he
at in my face." Then look for one place in your body where you feel neutral or calm. Most people can access neutral by noticing random areas like their left knee cap or right ring finger. Focus your attention first on the neutral area, then on the tense area, then on the neutral area. Do this for four minutes.
9. Don't ask why you feel panic. Do ask who or what will help you feel safe.
10. If you have a dog or a cat, gently put your hand on their heart and count their heartbeat for three minutes.
Stuck on "off": how to manage a high tone dorsal vagal state.
1. Remind yourself that you are not lazy or unmotivated. Tell yourself, "I am having a trauma response. This is a thing. I am not crazy."
2. Get cold. Splash ice-cold water on your face. Hold ice cubes in your hand. Put an ice pack on your neck. Or jump into the coldest possible shower you can stand.
3. Hum or sing. There's a reason people have changed "Ommm" since the 6th century.
4. Social connection is powerful
medicine. Connect with a human over the phone: good. Over video chat: better: In person: best.
5. Don't ask why you're feeling frozen. Do ask who or what might help you feel safer.
6. Don't use hyperbolic exaggerated language like "I feel buried" or "I'm drowning." This language reinforces the stress response. Instead, get really specific." I need to call my son's teacher, pick up my prescription and finish a proposal for work." Write down the specific tasks. This will help your brain click back into solution mode.
7. Suck on a lemon. This sounds weird, but it can help suck your brain out of shutdown mode.
8. Open and close your mouth. Then move your head. Then stretch your arms and legs.
9. Grab both ends of a blanket and wring it out as you would if it was soaking wet. Notice your muscles firing as you do this. Take a break. Repeat three times.
10. If you have a safe and willing friend or partner, make eye contact with them for 2-3 minutes. It's super awkward, but you will get a bonus dose of energy if you both end up laughing.”
― The Science of Stuck: Breaking Through Inertia to Find Your Path Forward
Skylight Press
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— last activity Jul 11, 2016 02:20PM
We are a small independent British publisher specialising in literary fiction, drama, poetry, theory, criticism, and the esoteric. Our Website: http: ...more
Craig’s 2025 Year in Books
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