the art of war original text niccolò machiavelli

It’s hard to believe now, but when I was in a boys’ high school many decades ago we often took exams without faculty members watching us. Raising the general trust level to where it was decades ago will be a long, painful process. As they eventually realize that they’re being bamboozled all over the place, their trust in most everything implodes. (I’m not talking about those white lies in everyday life often aimed at making people feel better.) This reminds me of a nice man I knew who left his position as vice chairman of a big brokerage firm in New York because “A handshake deal doesn’t mean anything anymore on Wall Street.’’Īnd now we have the scary artificial-intelligence explosion, with which fake videos and texts are consumed by credulous people who are too lazy and ignorant to try to verify what’s in front of them. In those outlets, lie-promotion is part of the audience-building business model. That is, one in which you can generally believe what you’re told and what you see.īut that trust has been ebbing, as lying and broken promises have become more acceptable in public and private life, especially with the rise of social media and far-right TV and radio networks. I’ve noticed that those driving the biggest and/or the most expensive (pretentious?) cars (probably most are bought on credit) are the least likely to slow down before crosswalks and let pedestrians cross the street.Ī resilient society, political system and economy depend on high levels of trust. How many homeowners will brave the complaints of neighbors and join the annual “No Mow May’’ campaign, in which homeowners are asked to skip mowing their lawns during this lush month in order to help early-season pollinators? Closely cut lawns are deserts for bees, butterflies and birds. Indeed, few experiences are as soothing (and cheap) as sitting out of the wind with the sun on your face for 20 minutes after several cold, wet days. Earl Hall (1897-1969), Iowa newspaper editor

“Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranquilizing agent as a sunny spring day.’’

George Orwell (1903-1950), during World War II If you hamper the war effort of one side, you automatically help that of the other.” From “Cartoon Physics, part 1,’’ by Nick Flynn (born 1960), poet, playwright and memoirist. Inexorably pushing into the vacuum, galaxies “Children under, say, ten, shouldn't know GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE - SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

The art of war original text niccolò machiavelli