Minutes of a Monday #57

#minutesofamonday

Brain Food > Fear & Self-loathing Irish style

“Now, you may think ‘Well, all that’s nuts. Your culture seems terrible’. If you’re American, you might have reached the conclusion that I personally am mentally unhinged (who isn’t in this economy?).

You’re not necessarily wrong, but shame is wound tightly through the skeleton of Irish culture.

It clings to the ribs and stymies the pelvis (in all sorts of contexts including the most obvious one). It might be the Catholicism. It could be the postcolonial mindset that looks outward and upward for both the causes of and solutions to problems. Possibly, the fact that Ireland sees eight days of watery sunshine annually is the root of our intergenerational self-loathing. Like most cultural phenomena, it’s multi causal and far from simple.

The result in this instance and on this morning, though, was a voice in my head (possibly my aforementioned utter dose of a grandmother’s) instantly denigrating the positive outcomes of the interview having been published. The kind messages from friends and the emails from other writers. The voice did what it always does. It shrank everything it touched. Me. My efforts. Our collective achievement – yours and mine – in growing this weird little corner of the internet to this point.”

Irish writer Laura Kennedy on fear and self-loathing Emerald Isle style (she’s a brilliant writer and well worth checking out).

Soul Food

“When I write, I feel like an armless, legless man with a crayon in his mouth.”

Kurt Vonnegut

LOL

Christopher Hitchens saves the best for last:

Appendix

“The central part is dodging the parties, the nite clubs and the girls. You want the truth? And being in the bed, by yourself, at 9PM at night. If you can get by that, you’ll make it.”

Muhammad Ali, in response to being asked what was the central part of his training regime was.

AOB

That’s it my friend.

Thanks for reading & mind how you go out there this week - Niall