Matthew Royal > Recent Status Updates

Still a bit uncertain on the difference between "grit" and "perseverance." Interesting comments she's made about goal hierarchies, and how your top-level goals shouldn't change much; consistent work over time ending in some sort of high-level goal.

It'd be interesting to see whether someone's life tends toward high-level goals absent of intention.

"And ah! my body like music, my body like flame crying for silken sheens a million worms had died to make, and that my body has died a hundred times to wear them. Yes, a thousand worms made this silk, and died; I have died a thousand deaths to wear it; and sometimes a thousand worms, feeding upon this body which has betrayed me, feeding, will live."

It's still good, but I'm hoping he talks about moving to the US. I would love to hear his insights into the differences among South African, British, and American racism.

Shocking stories about the difficulties of relying on an underground economy for everything. I did not know how intentionally apartheid was constructed in South Africa. I also did not know that Trevor Noah was so young, born the same year as me: 1984!

Gibbons is painting a picture of a society that becomes increasingly willing to act only when motivated by pleasure or money.

Although frankly, it's always been hard getting soldiers to defend what they don't perceive to be their homeland. How brilliant that technology allows us to think of an entire continent as ours.

Fascinating description of so-called persecution against early Christians. There were definitely laws on the books that threatened death to anyone who blasphemed against the Roman god Jupiter, but it was seen by most people as a patriotic exercise. When things got heated and neighbors accused each other of being Christians, the magistrates attempted to guide the Christians through the legal system to help them avoid

Fascinating -- in the Roman Empire, corporate bodies were prevented from owning real estate unless a specific exception was made by the emperor. This started to change with the opulent holdings of the early Christian churches, which had increasing donations from its members.