Anton Chekhov on the 8 Qualities of Cultured People

by  Maria Popova

“In order to feel comfortable among educated people, to be at home and happy with them, one must be cultured to a certain extent.”

What does it mean to be “cultured”? Is it about being a good reader, or knowing how to talk about books you haven’t read, or having a general disposition of intellectual elegance? That’s precisely the question beloved Russian author Anton Chekhov, born on this day in 1860, considers in a letter to his older brother Nikolai, an artist. The missive, written when Anton was 26 and Nikolai 28 and found in Letters of Anton Chekhov to his Family and Friends (public domain; public library), dispenses a hearty dose of tough love and outlines the eight qualities of cultured people — including honesty, altruism, and good habits:

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The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet

"One of the finest achievements of European furniture making, this cabinet is the most important product from Abraham (1711--1793) and David Roentgen's (1743--1807) workshop"

Quinn Sullivan plays his tribute to Buddy Guy

Karzai Scuttles Obama’s Taliban Plans

Karzai Scuttles Obama’s Taliban Plans

communities.washingtontimes.com

Taliban attacks, U.S. talks peace and Afghanistan President Karzai says no.

Lectures at D.O.N.E. May, 2013

D.O.N.E (Development of New Environments) is a European based youth leadership program.

Participants grow through service, spiritual regimen, seminars and education, and fiscal and life-style responsibility and self-sufficiency.

The program trains participants to forge and develop cross cultural competence and relationships through travel and interpersonal collaboration in all areas.

I have been blessed with the opportunity for the past many years to teach during the classroom education component of the program.  I teach on self-development, family and social harmony, environmental sensibility, and self-sufficiency.

This year my son Frone is in the program.

Here are a couple of shots taken at the end of our studies this year:



Just prior to my time teaching, the group toured Israel and Palestine on a peace and service mission.

Here is a lovely video of their travels in the Holy Land

The most and least Christian states in America

A study measuring religious bodies in the United States called the, "2010 U.S. Religious Census: Religious Congregations; Membership Study (RCMS)" was recently released by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB). The most comprehensive study of its kind, it provides detailed county-by-county information on congregations, members, adherents and attendance for 236 different faiths groups. (The survey differentiates between specific denominations within the same tradition.)

The researchers found Utah to be the most Christian* state with around 78 percent of population identifying as Christian adherents. The researchers found Maine to be the least Christian state with only about 27 percent identifying as Christian adherents.

Read the whole article, and see a beautiful slide show of churches in America here 

Technology and ethics

Tech changes affect three areas. Individuals acquire greater independence and reach.  The locus of power shifts accordingly. And traditional buffers between discordant groups dissolve.  These developments call for new structures for moral development, and the radical reassessment of human organization.

Technology moves faster than ethics

communities.washingtontimes.com

Tech changes out-pace spiritual foundations for their ethical use.

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