7 ms·

An English Clergyman’s Advice for Quarantine

51 points by Petiver 6y ago

stormdennis 6y ago
The letter has nothing to do with quarantine at all, it's just a series of one liner bits of advice of the calibre you find on those one page per day calenders.
- kjakm 6y ago
  While I agree the title is complete clickbait (this has nothing to do with quarantine - it's a letter about depression) dismissing the letter as "advice of the calibre you find on those one page per day calenders" is disingenuous. I found it quite interesting that most (not all) of the tips for coping with depression are exactly what people are told today, almost 200 years later.
  - blackhaz 6y ago
    Drink loads of wine? :-)
    - Cthulhu_ 6y ago
      While no longer advertised as such, alcohol is still a common pasttime ingrained in a lot of cultures. In informal advertising (e.g. Reddit memes), weed is a recurring theme and ingrained in a lot of people's daily routines. And on HN, articles and comments about how great psychedelics are make a regular appearance.
- pryce 6y ago
  I found the letter contents unremarkable, and article that precedes the letter insipid and grating. Other readers rightly point out that the advice is for depression, and the supposed link to "quarantine" is disingenuous. More interesting than the content of the letter (to me) are the ways it seems to have been altered or even censored in different versions, for example I see the version published by the Independent (ie) in 2013 [1] doesn't mention drink "as much wine as you dare". When we publish advice like this 200 years later, are we interested in providing helpful advice to modern readers, or are we trying to impart an accurate understanding of what the advice of that age actually was? With trigger-happy editing, we achieve neither. [1] https://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/health/letter-from-rev-sydney-smith-to-lady-georgiana-cavendish-daughter-of-the-duke-of-devonshire-29637570.html https://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/health/letter-from-rev-...
hotcrossbunny 6y ago
I think I could use a little help expanding no 19. "Be firm and constant in the exercise of rational religion. Considering he was a clergyman, whatever did he mean?
- einarfd 6y ago
  The description of Reverend Sydney Smith in the article seem to indicate that he was an intellectual during the enlightenment period. Given that, I would presume that the phrase "rational religion" would mean religion interpretations that would not be in conflict with science and rationality as understood at the time.
  - JoeAltmaier 6y ago
    Is that like "Intelligent Design"? Where you apologize for religion by trying to explain away the contradictions with shaky logic?
    - einarfd 6y ago
      It's more the opposite, "Intelligent Design" seems to be faith dressed up as science. While this would be more faith that doesn't contradict science.
      - JoeAltmaier 6y ago
        So, you just freely abandon the parts of faith that contradict science? Then why call it 'faith'? Its just 'hunches'.
        mikekchar 6y ago
        Are you implying that it is an important part of faith to cling to beliefs for which all observable evidence points to the contrary? It seems a bit hard to understand why one would want to pursue such a practice, so I wonder if I'm misunderstanding your point.
cityzen 6y ago
If you need a daily pick me up from the drag the quarantine is putting on your life, I would recommend The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday. There is stoic philosophy passage each day with a modern interpretation by Ryan. Here's todays (May 28) May 28th THE FIRST TWO THINGS BEFORE ACTING “The first thing to do — don’t get worked up. For everything happens according to the nature of all things, and in a short time you’ll be nobody and nowhere, even as the great emperors Hadrian and Augustus are now. The next thing to do — consider carefully the task at hand for what it is, while remembering that your purpose is to be a good human being. Get straight to doing what nature requires of you, and speak as you see most just and fitting—with kindness, modesty, and sincerity.” M ARCUS A URELIUS, M EDITATIONS , 8.5 Imagine, for a second, what Marcus’s life as an emperor must have been like. He would preside over the Senate. He would lead the troops in battle, direct the grand strategy of the army as its highest commander. He would also hear appeals—from citizens, from lawyers, from foreign governments. In other words, like most people in power, he was called on to make decisions: all day, every day, decision after decision. His formula for decision making is a battle-tested method for doing and acting right—literally. Which is why we ought to try to use it ourselves. First, don’t get upset—because that will color your decision negatively and make it harder than it needs to be. Second, remember the purpose and principles you value most. Running potential actions through this filter will eliminate the bad choices and highlight the right ones. Don’t get upset. Do the right thing. That’s it. Holiday, Ryan,Hanselman, Stephen. The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living (p. 162). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
- stormdennis 6y ago
  Someone recently recommended a particular philosophy as a more natural fit for westerners than Buddhism or other Eastern religions/philosophies. The reason given was that it originates in Europe which not even Christianity does. I couldn't remember what it was but reading your post I've a feeling it might be Stoicism.
  - cityzen 6y ago
    I would highly recommend that book to anyone. It takes literally 60 seconds to read every morning but gives you hours of things to think about.
particleandwave 6y ago
As others noted the this has little to do with quarantine and a lot with depression. However, there is a parallel between depression and quarantine, for me personally, it struck very hard, and I found myself questioning the value of my life up to the point where the thoughts of meaningless existence shadowed every good thing that ever happened to me. Funny to mention but what helped me was Arthur Schopenhauer book "the wisdom of life", it deals a lot with a sense of meaninglessness and ability to overcome that. Do recommend.

51 points by Petiver 6y ago

The letter has nothing to do with quarantine at all, it's just a series of one liner bits of advice of the calibre you find on those one page per day calenders.

kjakm 6y ago
While I agree the title is complete clickbait (this has nothing to do with quarantine - it's a letter about depression) dismissing the letter as "advice of the calibre you find on those one page per day calenders" is disingenuous. I found it quite interesting that most (not all) of the tips for coping with depression are exactly what people are told today, almost 200 years later.
- blackhaz 6y ago
  Drink loads of wine? :-)
  - Cthulhu_ 6y ago
    While no longer advertised as such, alcohol is still a common pasttime ingrained in a lot of cultures. In informal advertising (e.g. Reddit memes), weed is a recurring theme and ingrained in a lot of people's daily routines. And on HN, articles and comments about how great psychedelics are make a regular appearance.
pryce 6y ago
I found the letter contents unremarkable, and article that precedes the letter insipid and grating. Other readers rightly point out that the advice is for depression, and the supposed link to "quarantine" is disingenuous. More interesting than the content of the letter (to me) are the ways it seems to have been altered or even censored in different versions, for example I see the version published by the Independent (ie) in 2013 [1] doesn't mention drink "as much wine as you dare". When we publish advice like this 200 years later, are we interested in providing helpful advice to modern readers, or are we trying to impart an accurate understanding of what the advice of that age actually was? With trigger-happy editing, we achieve neither. [1] https://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/health/letter-from-rev-sydney-smith-to-lady-georgiana-cavendish-daughter-of-the-duke-of-devonshire-29637570.html https://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/health/letter-from-rev-...

hotcrossbunny 6y ago

I think I could use a little help expanding no 19. "Be firm and constant in the exercise of rational religion. Considering he was a clergyman, whatever did he mean?

einarfd 6y ago
The description of Reverend Sydney Smith in the article seem to indicate that he was an intellectual during the enlightenment period. Given that, I would presume that the phrase "rational religion" would mean religion interpretations that would not be in conflict with science and rationality as understood at the time.
- JoeAltmaier 6y ago
  Is that like "Intelligent Design"? Where you apologize for religion by trying to explain away the contradictions with shaky logic?
  - einarfd 6y ago
    It's more the opposite, "Intelligent Design" seems to be faith dressed up as science. While this would be more faith that doesn't contradict science.
    - JoeAltmaier 6y ago
      So, you just freely abandon the parts of faith that contradict science? Then why call it 'faith'? Its just 'hunches'.
      - mikekchar 6y ago
        Are you implying that it is an important part of faith to cling to beliefs for which all observable evidence points to the contrary? It seems a bit hard to understand why one would want to pursue such a practice, so I wonder if I'm misunderstanding your point.

cityzen 6y ago

If you need a daily pick me up from the drag the quarantine is putting on your life, I would recommend The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday. There is stoic philosophy passage each day with a modern interpretation by Ryan. Here's todays (May 28) May 28th THE FIRST TWO THINGS BEFORE ACTING “The first thing to do — don’t get worked up. For everything happens according to the nature of all things, and in a short time you’ll be nobody and nowhere, even as the great emperors Hadrian and Augustus are now. The next thing to do — consider carefully the task at hand for what it is, while remembering that your purpose is to be a good human being. Get straight to doing what nature requires of you, and speak as you see most just and fitting—with kindness, modesty, and sincerity.” M ARCUS A URELIUS, M EDITATIONS , 8.5 Imagine, for a second, what Marcus’s life as an emperor must have been like. He would preside over the Senate. He would lead the troops in battle, direct the grand strategy of the army as its highest commander. He would also hear appeals—from citizens, from lawyers, from foreign governments. In other words, like most people in power, he was called on to make decisions: all day, every day, decision after decision. His formula for decision making is a battle-tested method for doing and acting right—literally. Which is why we ought to try to use it ourselves. First, don’t get upset—because that will color your decision negatively and make it harder than it needs to be. Second, remember the purpose and principles you value most. Running potential actions through this filter will eliminate the bad choices and highlight the right ones. Don’t get upset. Do the right thing. That’s it. Holiday, Ryan,Hanselman, Stephen. The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living (p. 162). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

stormdennis 6y ago
Someone recently recommended a particular philosophy as a more natural fit for westerners than Buddhism or other Eastern religions/philosophies. The reason given was that it originates in Europe which not even Christianity does. I couldn't remember what it was but reading your post I've a feeling it might be Stoicism.
- cityzen 6y ago
  I would highly recommend that book to anyone. It takes literally 60 seconds to read every morning but gives you hours of things to think about.

particleandwave 6y ago

As others noted the this has little to do with quarantine and a lot with depression. However, there is a parallel between depression and quarantine, for me personally, it struck very hard, and I found myself questioning the value of my life up to the point where the thoughts of meaningless existence shadowed every good thing that ever happened to me. Funny to mention but what helped me was Arthur Schopenhauer book "the wisdom of life", it deals a lot with a sense of meaninglessness and ability to overcome that. Do recommend.