For years, Friedrich Nietzsche wasnt taken seriously as a philosopher. Indeed, many didnt regard him as a philosopher at all. He was instead dismissed as a clever provocateur a witty aphorist who composed eccentric books replete with pithy observations and vertiginous tirades. He mixed ecstatic tones with convulsive invective, all collected under arresting titles such as Beyond Good and Evil, Twilight of the Idols and The Antichrist.

Unlike conventional philosophers, Nietzsche had no unified, coherent theory. He didnt proceed in a methodical, calm manner, advancing to a carefully delineated conclusion. He never encumbered his prose with technical expressions, jargon or cloudy terminology. No plodding Kant or Hegel was he. He was a mystic and a seer, advocate of the bermensch, the will to power, eternal recurrence and the Antichrist.

Nietzsche was also as much a psychologist as a philosopher. His central concern was that life involved struggle and self-overcoming. He said that the only authority we can appeal to in our embrace of strife is ourselves. May each man, or woman, be only his or her true disciple, he wrote in a letter in 1878. Or as he once put it more pithily: Live dangerously! Why? Because, as he famously wrote in 1888: That which doesnt kill me makes me stronger.

To the acolytes Nietzsche began to attract in the 1890s, he was a prophet. By this time, he had become insane, following a mental collapse in Turin in January 1889. In his followers eyes, it was precisely this madness that afforded him mystical status. It was held up as proof that he had perceived the hideous reality of mankinds bleak fate, now that he had killed God. As Nietzsche himself had put it: If you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you. Never mind that his madness may have had a more prosaic origin in syphilis.

The last full year of Nietzsches sanity was 1888. This is the focus for Lesley Chamberlains study, Nietzsche in Turin. First published in 1997, it has now been re-issued in honour of its 25th anniversary. Although it is ostensibly set in one specific time and place, the work shuttles back and forth throughout Nietzsches life and ideas. Its a primer masquerading as a snapshot.

And what a tragic year 1888 was for Nietzsche. Not only was he on the precipice, with his mind starting to unravel in October, but he was also finally beginning to attain the recognition he had so desperately yearned for. Since his books first began appearing in earnest in 1878, they had either been scorned or ignored. Ten years later, just as he was about to enter the darkness, his thoughts were finally starting to see the light.

It would be easy to present Nietzsches final sane year in sickly, sentimental or sensationalist terms. But Chamberlain lets the events speak for themselves. We are presented from the outset with an all-too-human character a struggling independent writer, forever on the move between Switzerland, France and Italy. Nietzsche was hugely industrious in transforming his manifold thoughts into words, but was forever failing to find an audience. We read tantalising correspondence, chiefly from Denmark, where lectures on his work in Copenhagen attracted full houses. This was evidence that the tide was turning. But it was all too late.

Nietzsche the writer and Nietzsche the person were often two different beasts, and could be seen in contrast or as complementary. For such an abrasive and belligerent writer, who glorified power, extolled the hypothetical bermensch and disdained the weak, he was himself a feeble character, a martyr to crippling headaches and acute myopia, which prevented him from writing for long periods at a time. That, incidentally, explains his predilection for a brief and aphoristic style.

Nietzsches outpourings doubled up as a form of catharsis and wish-fulfilment. As Chamberlain writes: The combined pressures of sickness, penury and obscurity go part way to explain the frequency of such terms as power (Macht) and strength (Kraft), sickness (Krankheit), rottenness (Verdorbenheit, Verderbnis) and decay (dcadence, Dekadenz) in his writing. That Chamberlain is a fluent German speaker adds much weight to this book. Many of the abstract nouns Nietzsche used demand not just translation, but elucidation. Meanwhile, his penchant for puns and wordplay are lost in English translation. Chamberlain also knows her Richard Wagner, which is essential to understanding Nietzsche and his ambivalent relationship with that man and his music.

To regard Nietzsche as a self-help author, writing primarily for himself, helps to put his least convincing idea eternal recurrence into perspective. This is the idea that we will live our lives again and again, ad infinitum. For an anti-metaphysician who suggested that we can strive to be higher, better beings, this fatalistic notion of eternal recurrence seems jarring. He devised it in 1881, at a time of personal crisis and romantic rejection, and one must conclude that it was a consolatory comfort blanket. It could be put more prosaically thus: shit happens.

Then there is the other contrast between the thunderous, apocalyptic philosopher who proclaimed I am dynamite and exhorted us to philosophise with a hammer, and the diminutive, polite, softly spoken man with a high-pitched voice. As Resa von Schirnhofer, a young philosophy student with whom Nietzsche had climbed mountains behind Nice, remembered: So unrestrained as a thinker, Nietzsche as a person was of exquisite sensitivity, tenderness and refined courtesy in attitude and manners towards the female sex, as others who knew him personally have often emphasised. Nothing in his nature could have made a disturbing impression on me.

The dissonance between the bellicose Nietzsche of legend and the all-too-human Nietzsche the person is conveyed brilliantly in Chamberlains wonderful portrait. After all these years, Nietzsche in Turin remains a most beautiful and evocative but seldom gratuitous depiction of this delicate soul, who truly merits the clich of the tortured artist.

Chamberlain understands Nietzsches everlasting appeal well. Foremost, it was his gift as a writer a writer who wrote in German as if it were French and who assembled prose as if he were composing operas. What he had, Chamberlain writes, was a wonderful musical way with words. In that sense he was a musician. In that sense he did fulfil his desire to make music the fundament of his creative life.

Chamberlains description of Nietzsches liberating philosophy, or psychology, encapsulates his allure as the arch-individualist and ultimate free thinker: He is implicitly inimical to any form of political correctness or mass ideology Nietzsche was not a proto-Nazi, not a nihilist, not an anarchist.

Bewitching style and meaty substance there lies Nietzsches everlasting appeal.

Patrick West is a spiked columnist and author of Get Over Yourself: Nietzsche For Our Times.

Nietzsche in Turin: The End of the Future, by Lesley Chamberlain, is published by Pushkin Press. Order it here.

Read the original here:
The twilight of Nietzsche - Spiked

The 2023 PRINT Awards are now open. Friedrich Nietzsches Malling-Hansen Writing Ball. A branding expert talks about creative a bespoke typeface. A website that deteriorates every time someone visits it. Volkswagens motorized office chair can cruise up to 12 mph. A cubicle with motorized walls that can follow you around. Get a Hot Wheels version of your own car. A portmanteau word generator. Graphene is going into space. The James Webb Space telescope captures a protostar. Coors has developed nail polish that changes color when its temperature drops to a level acceptable for drinking a Coors Light. All that and more in WhatTheyThinks weekly miscellany.

Are youor do you knowa graphic designer whose work is outstanding? The 2023 PRINT Awards are now open. From PRINT Magazine:

The 2023 PRINT Awards celebrates every detail of design, from the delicate textures and exquisite form of print to digital design that marries technical skill with craftsmanship. No matter what role design plays in our lives, the PRINT Awards winners highlight the best of design and inspire a path to the future for our industry.

For 2023, PRINT Awards has added two new categories:In-House DesignandDesign for Social Impact. In-House Design recognizes communication materials created by an in-house team for the organization at which they are employed. Design for Social Impact celebrates campaigns created for nonprofit organizations, or associations that advance social good and include a call to action.

They began accepting entries on November 10, and the deadline is February 28, 2023. More information and entry form here.

A writing ball, actually. The German philosopher may have written all about the Superman but toward the end of his life he was anything but, suffering from not only incapacitating indigestion, insomnia, and migraines (oh, who doesnt?) but also failing eyesight. But he was also at the peak of his writing career. Says Open Culture:

Nietzsche himself declared that writing and reading for more than twenty minutes had grown excessively painful. With his intellectual output reaching its peak during this period, the philosopher required a device that would let him write while making minimal demands on his vision.

The typewriter had been invented by then (this was circa 1881), but he was looking for something portable that he could take when traveling to healthier climes. The Malling-Hansen Writing Ball fit the bill.

In1865, Danish inventorRasmus Malling-Hansen invented the writing ball, which actually preceded Christopher Latham Sholes typewriter by 10 years. When it was shown at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1878, journalists were ensorcelled.

In the year 1875, a quick writing apparatus, designed by Mr. L. Sholes in America, and manufactured by Mr. Remington, was introduced in London. This machine was superior to the Malling-Hansen writing apparatus; but the writing ball in its present form far excels the Remington machine. It secures greater rapidity, and its writing is clearer and more precise than that of the American instrument. The Danish apparatus has more keys, is much less complicated, built with greater precision, more solid, and much smaller and lighter than the Remington, and moreover, is cheaper.

It was considered the 19th-century version of a laptop, and Nietzsche was immediately drawn to it, using it with great enthusiasm and typing upwards of 60 manuscripts on the writing ball, including his ode to typewriting:

THE WRITING BALL IS A THING LIKE ME:

MADE OF IRON YET EASILY TWISTED ON JOURNEYS.

PATIENCE AND TACT ARE REQUIRED IN ABUNDANCE

AS WELL AS FINE FINGERS TO USE US.

Alas, his enthusiasm didnt last long.

According to Eberwein, the philosopher struggled with the device after it was damaged during a trip to Genoa; an inept mechanic trying to make the necessary repairs may have broken the writing ball even further.

If you want far more detail on Nietzsches writing ball, you can read all about it the ebook Nietzches Schreibkigel, by Dieter Eberwein, vice-president of the International Rasmus Malling-Hansen Society, published by Typoscript Verlag (download PDF for free here).

We in this industry know how important typography is, especially where branding is concerned. At PRINT magazine, an in-depth interview with Mollie Kendell, Senior Designer at branding agency Lantern, about how the company developed a bespoke typeface forDigital Isle of Man, the type design process in general, and how typography can help elevate a branding system.

Typography can act as the glue to the different components of the branding system and bring together the meaning and voice behind the brand. If the typography choice is built on strategy and ideas, I think this is effective to then evoke the brands personality, celebrate its history, and bring emotion from the audience.

Via Boing Boing, Crowd-jpeg is a website that deteriorates every time someone visits it. (Sounds like Twitter.) Anyway, its essentially an image that is compressed each time someone visits it, and it seems the idea is to show what extensive compression does to an image, much like successive generations of a photocopy. This is what an image that has been compressed 27,837 times looks like:

By the way, it works better in Chrome than Safari.

Were not entirely certain who would use this, but Volkswagen has apparently introduced a motorized office chair that can cruise at about 12 mph and up to 7.5 miles on a single battery charge. If you work in a really big office with lots of long empty corridors, it would be perfect. But thats not all: it seems to have more features than Volkswagens own cars. Says The Verge:

its got360-degree collision avoidance sensors, a backup camera with full guidance, a heated embroidered seat, party lights, a touchscreen display, a USB charger, and a tow hitch. LED headlights, a seatbelt, and a horn come standard. Theres even a trunk (a pocket, anyhow) with 0.17 cubic feet of space for documents and / or a laptop.

And, of course, a seat belt. If it could also launch photon torpedoes, thatd be an added bonus.

We did check the calendar and its not April 1, but it does appear to be a marketing stunt, although they suggest thatit will be available for test drives at various locations.

One of the most horrific, soul-crushing workplace developments was the advent of the cubicle. But what could be worse than a tiny, non-private cubicle? Yes, one with motorized walls that can follow you around. Says Gizmodo:

WaddleWalls, developed by a team of robotics researchers at Japans Tohoku University, is a creation that takes the temporary nature of cubicles and partition walls one step further by automating them and allowing them to roam and navigate a space and set up a semi-private office space only as needed.

theself-contained robotic partitions can independentlynavigate an office space through the use of various sensors,but can also work as a larger swarm with other WaddleWalls units to assemble a privacy barrier around a worker on demand. In the morning, users of a shared office space might be more inclined to interact with each other to sort out the days goals, while later in the day,they might prefer more privacy to focus on getting work done, or as to not bother others with phone calls.

The system currently relies on a special controller to call the WaddleWalls units over and to orientate them as needed, including adjusting the height of the vertical barrier to increase or decrease privacy. But specific layouts can also be pre-programmed in advance, like a group of private working spaces for multiple users, or a display wall for making presentations,whichcouldbe triggered to assemble automatically so theres far less manual setup involved.

Its not entirely outlandish, especially if some staff are only in the office part of the time. Or you can use the Volkswagen office chair to outrun the walls.

Do you like your car? What about Hot Wheels and/or Matchbox cars? If yes to both, now you can combine them and get a Hot Wheels version of your own car. Says Core77:

Trent from JDM Customz can create a Hot-Wheels-esque replica of your exact car. Unlike an actual Hot Wheels version of your ride, Trent nails the details: Your actual paint color, rims, aftermarket add-ons, window tint, et cetera, all in 1:64 scale.

It requires sending him many photos of your car. Reviews on his Etsy shop are generally good, but his vehicle graphics need work. Perhaps a wide-format or signage shop can help him out with some really tiny wraps.

A portmanteau word is a word blending the sounds and combining the meanings of two othersfor example, brunch, which is a mashup of breakfast and lunch. Now, via Boing Boing, comes Portmanteur.com, with which you can create your own portmanteau words. We entered battery and licking, just for the heck of it.

Now, to work these into regular conversation (or Slack thread).

This can be a useful tool for coming up with pet namesor even childrens names.

Was it a good week for graphene news? Its always a good week for graphene news! Advanced Material Development (AMD), makers of a proprietary thin-film graphene-based coatings technology, just inked a deal with NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory to collaborate on the Europa Clipper project. The technology in question is a Radio Frequency-absorbing nanomaterial that can be applied to a variety of substrates. From (who else?) Graphene-Info:

The collaborative work is planned to be used for the NASA Europa Clipper spacecraft electromagnetic compatibility test campaign. AMDs materials could help enable the Europa Clipper project to confirm that the spacecrafts sensitive ice-penetrating radar will operate properly at key frequencies so as to meet science objectives.

The Europa Clipper spacecraft will perform dozens of close flybys of Jupiters moon Europa, gathering detailed measurements from multiple instruments, including the radar instrument, to investigate whether the moon could have conditions suitable for life. Europa Clippers primary objective is to determine whether there are places below Europas surface that could support life.

The James Webb Space Telescope is up and running and recently turned its gaze toward the protostar located within the dark cloud L1527, potentially shedding light (as it were) on new star formation. Says NASA:

The regions most prevalent features, the clouds colored blue and orange in this representative-color infrared image, outline cavities created as material shoots away from the protostar and collides with surrounding matter. The colors themselves are due to layers of dust between Webb and the clouds. The blue areas are where the dust is thinnest. The thicker the layer of dust, the less blue light is able to escape, creating pockets of orange.

Webb also reveals filaments of molecular hydrogen that have been shocked as the protostar ejects material away from it. Shocks and turbulence inhibit the formation of new stars, which would otherwise form all throughout the cloud. As a result, the protostar dominates the space, taking much of the material for itself.

Caption from NASA: The protostar within the dark cloud L1527, shown in this image from NASAs James Webb Space Telescope Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), is embedded within a cloud of material feeding its growth. Ejections from the star have cleared out cavities above and below it, whose boundaries glow orange and blue in this infrared view. The upper central region displays bubble-like shapes due to stellar burps, or sporadic ejections. Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI. Image processing: J. DePasquale, A. Pagan, and A. Koekemoer (STScI)

L1527 is only a mere 100,000 years oldyounger even than a toddler in astronomical terms, and the protostar cant yet generate its own energy through the nuclear fusion of hydrogen, which is what makes a star a star. As it accretes more mass and compresses, it will eventually be able to reach stardom.

The disk, seen in the image as a dark band in front of the bright center, is about the size of our solar system. Given the density, its not unusual for much of this material to clump together - the beginnings of planets. Ultimately, this view of L1527 provides a window into what our Sun and solar system looked like in their infancy.

The things we can do.

Fans of 1990s alternative music may or may not recognize the name Elephant 6 (full name Elephant 6 Recording Company), which was an ersatz collection of American bands such as Neutral Milk Hotel, Apples in Stereo, Of Montreal, and others, whose members often recorded and/or toured with each other in various combinations. Now, director Chad Stockfleth has filmed adocumentaryabout this notoriously reclusive bunch. Says Boing Boing:

it includes some rare interviews with some of the more reclusive artists from the Elephant 6 lineup, such as Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel. If youre into early 90s alternative alt-rock, this is a huge deal. The film is finally getting a world premiere this week at theDOC NYC Film Festival, with other screenings to follow atDenver Film FestivalandSound Unseenin Minneapolis.

The trend toward food and beverage brands getting into products that have nothing to do with food and beverages continues. Now, Coors has partnered with Le Chat, a nail polish manufacturer, to produce Chill Polish. Says Food & Wine:

Different styles of beers havedifferent ideal serving temperatures. But for Coors Light, only one temp will suffice: as cold as the Rockies. To hammer that point home, since 2007, the brand has offered color-changing labels to let drinkers know when their Coors Light is properly chilled.

Actually, we are not fans of Coors Light, so we never knew this. Anyway, they have taken the idea even further:

But what about when youre drinking Coors Light in a pint glass? the brand asked. With that in mind, the brewing giant teamed up with the nail polish experts at Le Chat to create a color-changing polish that goes from gray to blue when its temperature drops to a level acceptable for drinking a Coors Light.

We get that its really a marketing gimmick, but presumably if the temperature of the glass can make nail polish change color, you should just simply be able to feel how cold the glass is. (And if your fingers turn blue and youre not wearing the nail polish, its probably too cold.) And logically this would work with other beers, if you were really sensitive to the temperature of your beer.

November 14

1840: French painter Claude Monet born.

1851: Herman Melvilles novel Moby-Dick is published in the U.S.

1889: Pioneering female journalist Nellie Bly (aka Elizabeth Cochrane) begins a successful attempt to travel around the world in less than 80 days. She completes the trip in 72 days.

1916: American screenwriter and producer Sherwood Schwartz born.

1922: The British Broadcasting Company begins radio service in the United Kingdom.

1952: The first regular UK Singles Chart is published by the New Musical Express.

1967: American physicist Theodore Maiman is given a patent for his ruby laser systems, the worlds first laser.

November 15

1926: The NBC radio network launches with 24 stations.

1968: The Cleveland Transit System becomes the first transit system in the western hemisphere to provide direct rapid transit service from a city's downtown to its major airport.

1971: Intel releases the worlds first commercial single-chip microprocessor, the 4004.

November 16

534: Justinian I, who was an Eastern Roman (Byzantine) emperor in Constantinople, approves and publishes the second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus.

1889: American director, producer, and playwright George S. Kaufman born.

1904: English engineer John Ambrose Fleming receives a patent for the thermionic valve (aka the vacuum tube).

1914: The Federal Reserve Bank of the United States officially opens.

1938: LSD is first synthesized by Albert Hofmann from ergotamine at the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel.

November 17

1749: French chef Nicolas Appert born. He invented the principle of canning.

1790: German mathematician and astronomer August Ferdinand Mbius born. (Its not true that his life had no beginning and no end.)

1839: Oberto, Giuseppe Verdi's first opera, opens at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy.

1944: College basketball coach Jim Boeheim born.

1947: American scientists John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain observe the basic principles of the transistor, a key element for the electronics revolution of the 20th century.

1968: Viewers of the RaidersJets football game in the eastern United States are denied the opportunity to watch its exciting finish when NBC broadcasts Heidi instead, prompting changes to sports broadcasting in the U.S.

2019: The first known case of COVID-19 is traced to a 55-year-old man who had visited a market in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. And so it begins

November 18

1787: French physicist and photographer, and inventor of the daguerreotype, Louis Daguerre, born.

1836: English playwright and poet W. S. Gilbert born.

1865: Mark Twains short story The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County is published in the New York Saturday Press.

1883: American and Canadian railroads institute five standard continental time zones, ending the confusion of thousands of local times. Well, it was about time.

1922: French author and critic Marcel Proust dies (b. 1871).

1928: Release of the animated short Steamboat Willie, the first fully synchronized sound cartoon, directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, featuring the third appearances of cartoon characters Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. This is considered by the Disney corporation to be Mickeys birthday.

1963: The first push-button telephone goes into service.

November 19

1909: Austrian-American theorist, educator, and author Peter Drucker born.

1916: Samuel Goldwyn and Edgar Selwyn establish Goldwyn Pictures.

1954: Tl Monte Carlo, Europes oldest private television channel, is launched by Prince Rainier III.

1955: National Review publishes its first issue.

Read more:
Around the Web: PRINT Props. Typography Tutorial. Site Slaughter. Swift Seat. Wandering Walls. Car Copy. Galactic Graphene. Star Start. Cold Color. -...

World Philosophy Day 2022

Philosophy is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered an academic discipline. It is also a theory or attitude that acts as a guiding principle for behaviour.

That's why each year UNESCO highlights the enduring value of the subject for the development of human thought, for each culture and for each individual. The day is to raise public awareness about philosophy and how it plays a crucial role in understanding our past, present, and future.

The day was first celebrated in 2002 and in 2005 UNESCO deemed it necessary to institutionalise the celebration of philosophical reflection around the world.

In 2007, UNESCO published a 726-page multilingual program and meeting document on the Records of the General Conference, 33rd session Paris, 2005. It was to commemorate World Philosophy Day and emphasized its importance among young people and as a discipline.

Theme of the year

A theme is added to World Philosophy Day each year so that the focus remains on a particular topic of importance. The theme for the 2022 World Philosophy Day is The Human of the Future. This year, UNESCO along with Le Fresnoy National Studio of Contemporary Arts has organized a symposium and exhibition.

The event will has been developed around the themes of natural sciences (the non-human), post-colonialism, technology issues, gender, waste, fictional inventions, and anthropology.

Quotes to share

Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible. Frank Zappa

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. Albert Einstein

Be the change that you wish to see in the world. Mahatma Gandhi

Without music, life would be a mistake. Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead

You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts. Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be. May Sarton

It is hard enough to remember my opinions, without also remembering my reasons for them! Friedrich Nietzsche

Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric. Bertrand Russell

Even while they teach, men learn Seneca the Younger

There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance Socrates

If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him Voltaire

This is patently absurd; but whoever wishes to become a philosopher must learn not to be frightened by absurdities Bertrand Russell

There is only one thing a philosopher can be relied upon to do, and that is to contradict other philosophers William James

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit Aristotle

Only one man ever understood me, and he didnt understand me G. W. F. Hegel

The mind is furnished with ideas by experience alone John Locke

Life must be understood backward. But it must be lived forward Sren Kierkegaard

Science is what you know. Philosophy is what you don't know Bertrand Russell

Is man merely a mistake of God's? Or God merely a mistake of man's? Friedrich Nietzsche

I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong Bertrand Russell

Religion is the sign of the oppressed ... it is the opium of the people Karl Marx

Happiness is the highest good Aristotle

If men were born free, they would, so long as they remained free, form no conception of good and evil Baruch Spinoza

Man is born free, but is everywhere in chains Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest Denis Diderot

If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things Ren

Descartes

Happiness lies in virtuous activity, and perfect happiness lies in the best activity, which is contemplative Aristotle

I can control my passions and emotions if I can understand their nature Spinoza

Philosophers have hitherto only interpreted the world in various ways; the point, however, is to change it Karl Marx

See original here:
World Philosophy Day 2022: Quotes to share, theme and history of the day - Times Now

The German philosopher Nietzsche's Silence is worse; all truths that are kept silent become poisonous. phrase seems to gain more meaning for companies with the recent emergence of the concept of quiet quitting. The concept of quiet quitting quickly spread after being voiced by a TikTok user @zaidleppelin, reaching 3.4 million viewers, and making a huge impact in many parts of the business world. After that, hundreds of people shared their quiet quitting experiences and thoughts with the quiet quitting hashtag, which has already received 32 million views. Thus, could the quiet quitting of so many people really be quiet?

@zaidleppelin defined quiet quitting at his TikTok[1] as Where not your outright quitting your job but youre quitting the idea of going above and beyond youre still performing your duties but youre no longer subscribing to the hustle culture mentality that work has to be your life. Quiet quitting is not an employee's resignation from their job but means that the employees do not go beyond their jobs for which they do not receive material or moral compensation. Many employees in different sectors share their quiet quitting experiences through the TikTok platform, showing that quiet quitting can take place in different ways. There may be thousands of excuses that employees find out if they decide to quit quietly, e.g. employees making fake doctor appointments, being told that they have internet problems even though there is no internet problem, microphones or cameras constantly turned off during online meetings or other uncommon behaviors the employees would unusually attempt may indicate that they have quietly quit their job.

Resume Builder's research[2] on 1,000 American employees also reveals how common quiet quitting is. According to the research, 21% of employees quit quietly by doing only minimal work. 5% of the employees do less than the minimum level of work. The reason behind quiet quitting is stated by the employees as being financially unsatisfied and unstable work-life balance. However, 91% of quiet quitters say they can still be encouraged to work more.

American psychologist Clayton Alderfer's Existence-Relatedness-Growth ("ERG") theory, which takes Maslow's hierarchy of needs one step further, can also provide insight into why employees quit quietly. The ERG theory groups the physiological needs, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization human needs that Maslow lists hierarchically. Accordingly, the group of needs called existence corresponds to Maslow's physiological and safety needs, social needs for relatedness, and growth needs for esteem and self-actualization.

Maslow takes a stand that only one need can be satisfied at any given time, and no higher need in the pyramid arises when that need is not met. On the contrary, Alderfer takes a stand that the relationship between human needs is not hierarchical, but rather that more than one need can arise simultaneously at any given time. Alderfer states that there is a relationship between these needs, which he calls frustration-regression. Accordingly, frustration occurs when the need at the hierarchical level is not met, and it regresses to another need. It is seen that employees who quit quietly are disappointed when they cannot satisfy their growth needs, as in the ERG theory, and they now regress to satisfy their relatedness needs. If an employee who cannot find the opportunity to grow in his/her business and cannot meet his/her need for growth regresses to his/her relatedness needs and spends more time socializing. [3]

The Importance of Employee Engagement for Companies

The behavior of quiet quitters is also like employee disengagement, as Dr. William A. Kahn mentioned in his article Psychological Conditions of Personal Engagement and Disengagement at Work.[4] The cognitive and emotional withdrawal that Kahn refers to as disengagement in his article corresponds to the fact that those who quit silently no longer feel committed to their jobs, not motivated to do more. Accordingly, it can be said that the employee engagement of those who quit quietly decreased.

Employee engagement is an element that should be considered by all companies as it helps to reduce staff turnover, increase productivity, build better business and customer relationships, and therefore increase company profits. According to Gallup's report[5] State of the Global Workplace published in 2022, the global cost of low employee engagement is $7.8 trillion. As is already seen, companies are faced with an increase in quiet quitting and, thus, a decrease in employee engagement. Companies should increase employee engagement to prevent qualified employees from quitting quietly. So, what can companies do to make their employees more engaged?

In his article, Kahn mentions that employee engagement can be increased if meaningfulness, safety, and availability are provided within reason. Employee loyalty is not only affected by financial factors such as salary increases. As well as material actors, employees feel more connected to the workplace and more willing to go beyond what their job brings, as they feel their job is meaningful, psychologically safe at work, and psychologically available. Research[6] by Timothy A. Judge and colleagues also shows that the link between wage level and job satisfaction is less than expected. When people receive a salary that can meet their basic lifestyle needs, their commitment is more affected by non-financial factors.

Accordingly, to increase employee engagement, companies should make sure that psychological safety, which is considered among human needs in the ERG theory, is provided in their workplace. Amy Edmondson, the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, defines psychological safety as a belief that a person will not be punished or humiliated for voicing opinions, questions, concerns or mistakes and that the team is safe to take interpersonal risks. According to this definition, companies should create a corporate culture where their employees can express opinions, questions, concerns, or mistakes, and what they say is listened to. A corporate culture where what employees say is important and considered will provide an environment where employees can freely voice the reasons that might lead them to quit quietly. Before they reach the point of quietly quitting, companies should increase the engagement of their employees when they understand the wishes and concerns of their employees and provide feedback to their employees. Employers' listening to their employees, taking the necessary measures to prevent low motivation within the company, and encouraging employees in various ways for their individual development will also positively affect employee engagement.

What Does Gen Z Expect from Business Owners?

Meaningfulness in work occurs when employees feel that they contribute to a whole with their work. Gen Z, today's new workforce and new talents, puts a meaningful work environment first in their job search. Research[7] conducted by Zety on Gen Z employees shows that 95% of Gen Z employees want a meaningful job that goes beyond just making a living. Quiet quitting is expressed more by young adults since the term has become a trend on social media, especially on TikTok. Considering the trends and tendencies, companies should help employees find the meaning of their jobs more. This should show how employees' work contributes to the company's mission, vision, and purpose, and why each of their contributions is important. It is easier for employees who have one-on-one contact with customers to see the result their work contributes. For this reason, the contribution should be seen in their work for employees who do not connect with customers due to their jobs. At the same time, it is necessary to provide a working environment that will allow employees to contribute more and support their personal development.

Finally, the psychological availability factor is related to how psychologically, physically, and emotionally ready an employee is at work. Kahn states that an employee's psychological availability changes and develops depending on events outside their work life. Companies should listen to why their employees feel burnt out to ensure their full psychological well-being. Following that, designing appropriate workplace rituals that they can create within the company with the answers they will receive will contribute to their well-being. Thus, employees will be more available to show themselves at work fully.

As employees start to prefer socially responsible companies that provide social benefits, the importance of compliance programs that are supportive mechanisms in companies where all stakeholders of the company can contribute to the company is increasing. The compliance program to be prepared or already in existence should develop the speak-up culture within the company, support the environment of trust and a sense of organisational justice, provide psychological security, and, most importantly, blend all of these with the corporate culture. A compliance program that indicates the importance of ethical behaviors and a respectful work environment creates a sense of belonging. Employees who feel that they are a part of the company will be more likely to contribute more. Overall, the compliance program, prepared with a multidisciplinary and human-centric approach, is one of the most important tools to increase employee engagement.

What is the Situation in Turkey?

Research[8] by Youthall about the working scheme and working hours in Turkey and this research gives us important information about quiet quitting. According to the research report, 46% of young people are unsatisfied with their current working scheme. They think their weekly working hours and working patterns are inefficient, and they cannot receive overtime wages. In addition, the fact that these rates are higher for female employees reveals the seriousness of the situation in the country. 86% of young people think working six hours a day and four days a week would be more productive.

82% of companies in Turkey have a working scheme of five days a week, and 52% have an average working time of eight hours per day. From the point of view of the companies, even if some think that reducing the working hours will delay the work, surprisingly, the ratio of the managers who think that six hours a day should be applied is 78% but working four days a week is not welcomed.

This research and current developments show that, no matter what, it seems inevitable to switch to a hybrid working order, especially with the influence of Gen Z. Otherwise, a company that ignores the demands of its employees will inevitably experience major problems in terms of sustainability.

Conclusion

The engagement of the employees in the company is a vital issue for the sustainability of the company's success. Failure to maintain this engagement leads to quiet quitting. Due to the decrease in employee engagement, companies risk decreasing their production, damaging business and customer relations, and thus reducing their profitability. To prevent all these negative consequences, companies should build a compliance program that helps employees to work in a workplace where they feel psychologically safe, find meaning in their work, and create a corporate culture where the well-being of the employees is valued.

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Silent Steps of the Quitting: How Companies Can Prevent Quiet Quitting? - Lexology

Editors note: This is an excerpt from Walkable City: 10th Anniversary Edition, an updated version of the best-selling urban planning book of the past decade featuring more than 100 pages of new material. It is republished with permission.

On the public health front, the original edition ofWalkable City described American obesity and asthma epidemics, largely the outcome of our automotive lifestyles; these continue unabated. It neglected to discuss the larger health impacts of tailpipe emissions and vehicle noise, which have both been discovered to be staggering.

According to a 2013 MIT study, emissions from road transportation are responsible for approximately fifty-three thousand annual early deaths in the United States, more than doubling the carnage that comes from crashes. A separate study placed fourteen hundred of those annual deaths in New York City alone, where the healthcare costs attributed to vehicle emissions surpassed $21 billion annually. Electric cars wont fix this: 85 to 90 percent of toxic vehicle emissions in traffic come from tire wear and other non-tailpipe sources.

Meanwhile, what you do hear can kill you. Scientists have discovered that being subjected to traffic noise results in altered blood chemistry and meddles with blood vessel function. The result is a greater risk of diabetes, heart attacks, and strokes.

A recent study linked road noise to dementia as well, especially Alzheimers. This remarkable effort spent thirteen years tracking the health outcomes of two million people a third of all Danes living in every residential building in the country. By comparing sides of buildings exposed to traffic noise with more sheltered sides, researchers found that fully 15 percent of dementia cases could be attributed to transport noise.

Finally, proof that driving makes you crazy. Can walking make you sane? As reported in Fast Company:

"People who walk 8.6 minutes a day are 33 percent more likely to report better mental health. . . . On the other hand, researchers found that if someone shifts from a long commute to a walk, their happiness increases as much as if theyd fallen in love."

Heading back to Denmark, we can find the same understanding in the words of Sren Kierkegaard:

Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.

Kierkegaard was not the first to connect regular walking not just with happiness, but with wisdom. As early as the fifth century, St. Augustine wrote solvitur ambulando: it is solved by walking. To this, Friedrich Nietzsche added only thoughts reached by walking have value. He walked six to eight hours a day, which may explain why I have heard him referred to as the last man to know everything.

Researchers are beginning to parse the connection between thinking and walking, and its more foundational than we expected. The Irish neuroscientist Shane OMara is one of many who promote a motor-centric concept of the brain, that it evolved to support movement and, therefore, if we stop moving, it wont work very well. He believes that the activation that occurs across the whole of the brain during problem-solving becomes much greater almost as an accident of walking demanding lots of neural resources. His experiments found, through brain-wave analysis, that rats who were wheeled around instead of walking became measurably more stupid.

One other justification for more walkable cities? Social capital. In Bowling Alone (2000), Robert Putnam blamed a decline in social capital nationwide, in part, on peoples long commutes. In Suburban Nation (also 2000), my coauthors and I talked about how the grave danger and spatial competition of driving turns normal people into sociopaths. If driving is so bad for community, could walking and biking produce better results?

That question was answered in a 2021 study by Jessica Stroope of Louisiana State University. She found that, aside from age and education, no other factor was as great a predictor of community participation than active transportation. Subjects who got around more on foot or by bicycle were demonstrably more likely to engage in policy change efforts through writing letters, making phone calls, and/or attending community meetings. These findings were a nice complement to the classic research of Donald Appleyard, who in 1981 compared the social lives of people who lived on streets with and without heavy car traffic. He found that while people on lightly traveled streets counted an average of three friends, people on busy streets averaged 0.9 friends.

Thats hardly the best ad copy: Heavy traffic: for those times you want slightly less than one friend.

Jeff Speckis an urban planner who advocates internationally for more walkable cities. As the former director of design at the National Endowment for the Arts, he oversaw the Mayors Institute on City Design, where he worked with dozens of American mayors on their most pressing city planning challenges.A fellow of both the American Institute of Certified Planners and the Congress for New Urbanism, he is the 2022 recipient of the Seaside Prize. His TED talks and YouTube videos have been viewed more than five million times.

Excerpted from "WALKABLE CITY: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time" by Jeff Speck. 10th Anniversary (Picador, 2022).

Cover: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

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Walkable City 10 Years Later: Cars Make Us Sicker Than We Thought - Streetsblog

The pandemic has changed attitudes on spending, leisure and entertainment due to deeper shifts in human values and happiness. In China, and across the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a stratospheric rise in spiritual and self-improvement consumption. Natural pursuits, physical health, and mental wellbeing are all rising to the forefront when it comes to purchases.

Spending that will enhance personal mood and spirit has particularly grown with local Gen Z. A 2022 report jointly published by the research institute of e-commerce giant JD.com, Tencent Music, and podcast platform Himalaya found that more than 52 percent of Gen Z consumers are increasing their spiritual consumption in 2022. Movies, music, and (audio) books are the categories that have seen the most noticeable sales growth, while electronics such as smart earphones and VR glasses are also trending. Aromatherapy products are also favored by Gen Z consumers thanks to their healing and stress-relief properties.

After the pandemic started, I made fewer fashion and beauty purchases because there were fewer opportunities to go out. During the lockdown in Shanghai, I paid more attention to improving the usage and arrangement of my home space, a young Shanghai-based consumer Olivia Wang based previously stated to Jing Daily. For example, For instance, I purchased more kitchenware and aromatherapy products to lighten my mood. Passionate about dancing, I also acquired some indoor exercise and dancing equipment.

Since the pandemic, more shoppers are recognizing that health is wealth. Its no surprise that wellness, fitness and outdoor hobbies are being adopted as lifestyles and not just pursuits.

Outdoor athletic activities serves to improve health and fitness, however, the current trend differs from traditional outdoor sports in that they place greater emphasis on the leisure part of athleisure. With global travel in 2022 still a challenge, young Chinese people are exploring alternative ways to enjoy precious outdoor activities closer to home. Cycling, camping, frisbee, and skateboarding are the most notable emerging Gen Z hobbies. And the accompanying styles and fashions, such as mountaincore, have risen in online search, social media debates, and general popularity. Brands like Timberland, Patagonia, Arcteryx have tapped these trends, exposing a great opportunity to capitalise on this lifestyle shift.

Cycling: China is obviously no stranger to the pleasures of the bicycle. But starting this May and June, streets in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai became busier than usual with cyclists. On the social media platform Xiaohongshu, the keyword cycling has attracted close to 22 million views while searches related to cycling in the first quarter of 2022 have increased 230.8 percent year-on-year. JD.com reported a 240 percent year-on-year increase in cycling-related product sales from May 23 to 30. The likes of Lululemon partnered with Blue Yogurt to host branded cycling trips around cities like Shenzhen. Analysis suggests that over 55 percent of cycling-related content on Chinese social media is from those born after 1990. Short cycling trips in urban or suburban settings are popular and many KOLs are sharing fashion tips for recreational cycling.

Lululemon teamed up with Blueglass Yogurt to host a cycling activity in Shenzhen in May. Photo: Lululemon

Camping: Camping, especially higher-end glamping, surged in popularity in the spring and early summer of 2022. On the first day of the May 1st holiday, search volume for camping increased by 90 percent while ticket sales for parks that allow campsites grew by over 50 percent year on year. Chinas camping market is expected to reach $51.8 billion (354.6 billion RMB) this year, an 18.6 percent yearly increase. For Gen Z campers, relaxation and stress relief are the top motivations at 84.2 percent, while the most popular activities are barbecuing and picnicking at 91.2 percent. An accompanying retail boom has followed. For example, ABC Camping Country, a well-designed camping lifestyle collective store founded in 2020, has since quickly expanded to five Chinese cities.

Frisbee: Frisbee is making waves in China because it is perceived as fashionable, easy to play, and offers a great way to socialize outdoors. In June, searches related to the word frisbee on Xiaohongshu increased by about 98 percent year-on-year, while Frisbee-related content on the platform jumped by six times to around 500,000 posts. Millions have picked up the sport, making it more popular than soccer in 2022. Activewear brands, too, have jumped on the bandwagon, with several hosting frisbee events to promote their products and others launching flying disc-related collaborations an apt opportunity for nimble brands to tap into this growing trend.

Skateboarding: Young Chinese consumers flock to skateboarding for its challenge yourself attitude, alternative lifestyle, and opportunities for self-expression in the form of fashion and music. Theres also the artistic design and collectibility of skateboards. The inclusion of skateboarding in the Tokyo Olympics helped push it into Chinas mainstream and local giants like LiNing have collaborated on skate-themed drops with the likes of AAPE and SMFK. Sales of skateboard-related items rose 290 percent on Alibabas e-commerce platform Tmall between May 31 and June 3 for this years 6.18 Mid-Year Shopping Festival. And subsets of skating such as land surfing have gained virality and popularity with the countrys younger generations.Foreign and domestic sportswear and streetwear brands are vying to capture this rising market, including skate brand Supreme (of LV collab fame) which made its official debut in China as part of Dover Street Markets new three-story space in Beijing on November 5.

Li-Ning has collaborated with several brands on skateboarding-themed drops, including AAPE and SMFK. Photo: Li-Ning

At-home exercise has replaced social gatherings and shopping sprees as the main way for Gen Zers to reduce stress during the pandemic. It also quickly became a trendy activity during lockdowns, as shown by the skyrocketing popularity of Taiwanese singer-turned-personal-trainer Liu Genghong. On short video and livestream platform Douyin, workout sessions featuring Liu and his wife, set to renowned pop songs as background music, started an at-home exercise revolution. Within one month, the couple gained 64 million followers and their livestreams were viewed more than 100 million times. For context, it took seven years for leading fitness app Keep to claim 34 million monthly active users.

Liu Genghong and his wife Vivi Wang livestream their exercise and dance routines on Douyin. Photo: Liu Genghongs Weibo

While Lius popularity will eventually subside as normalcy returns, but his sessions introduced many people to the convenience of indoor exercise, which will remain a popular fitness format. According to a 2021 report by Mob Research Institute, 560 million Chinese will regularly exercise by the end of 2030, and over 22 percent of these fitness buffs are between the ages of 18 and 24. The popularity of indoor or cloud fitness has also boosted the sale of small exercise equipment and activewear in China.

The competition is increasingly fierce between big-name global brands like Lululemon and Nike and the Chinese brands like Maia Active and Neiwai Active that feature distinctly Asian fits and feminine details or soothing palettes. Yoga culture was influential for years before the pandemic but is now gaining mainstream popularity especially in first-tier cities thanks to dedicated IRL activations and digital ones such as Lululemons wellness campaign on Shanghais Bund.

This growing economy of self-improvement, spiritual wellbeing, and active lifestyles all go hand in hand. Consumption tied to the pursuit of self-betterment is appealing across generations of Chinese because more believe that health is wealth in this new era. While the acceleration of this market might ebb and flow depending on multiple factors, its direction is firmly on the up.

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Spiritual And Self-Improvement Economy Are On The Rise In China - Jing Daily

Suspended Kansas basketball coach Bill Self watched every second of Mondays season-opening win from his home in Lawrence, and, not surprisingly, it was the Jayhawks defense that stood out most to him.

I told the guys today, We dont guard, but we are a heck of a lot better defending than we were a week ago, Self said during his regular appearance on his Hawk Talk radio show Tuesday night.

Self, who will sit out KUs first four games of the 2022-23 season to serve a university-imposed suspension, was able to rejoin the team at midnight on Tuesday morning and worked with them in practice later that day. The restrictions put on him with the suspension cover the 24-hour periods of KUs first four game days.

Weve got to tighten up our ball screen defense or it will not be very pretty early, Self added during his assessment of his teams defense. I know we will. Last year we struggled with it until around Christmas. When we get better at that our defense will get a lot better, too.

There were plenty of things that Self liked about what he watched Monday night. And most of them had to do with individual performances and guys fitting into their roles.

You could make a case Gradey Dick was the best player on our team last night for a snippet, Self said on the radio show. You could make a case for Jalen Wilson, KJ Adams, Bobby Pettiford, Juan (Harris), and yet the guy who dominated the game more than anybody when we needed it the most was Kevin (McCullar Jr.). We go up from seven to 17 just like that (and) Kevin made every play during that stretch. Even though its never going to be like that, you saw flashes of each one, what they can potentially do and be. Thats exciting to me.

Self said he thought acting head coach, Norm Roberts, and the rest of the KU coaching staff ran things well in his absence. He also was pleased with the way the Kansas players carried themselves like it was any other game to pick up the 89-64 victory and move to 1-0 on the season.

I thought Norm and the staff did great, Self said. I thought the guys played hard. Their body language was good, all those things. I thought out of timeouts Norm got us easy shots a few times. That was good. Weve always taken pride in that.

Although hes not a fan of having to miss any time with his team, Self reiterated his stance from when the suspension was announced, calling the suspensions of him and assistant coach Kurtis Townsend, the right thing to do.

Having a veteran like Roberts and a roster full of players who are locked in to what needs to be done helped make his viewing experience from home much easier to swallow.

Hopefully what happens on game day is a reflection of what happens in practice the other five days of the week, Self said.

Next up, KU will play host to North Dakota State at 7 p.m. Thursday at Allen Fieldhouse.

The Bison are 0-1 on the season after falling at Arkansas, 76-58, on Monday. NDSU was picked to finish fourth in the Summit League in a preseason vote of the conferences coaches.

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Suspended Kansas basketball coach Bill Self saw defensive improvement while watching from home - KUsports

(The Conversation) According to a recent Pew Center report, American Christianity remains in a nearly three-decade decline. Responding as none or unaffiliated on religious surveys, people increasingly identify as humanists, atheists, agnostics, or simply spiritual. If current trends continue, by 2070 Christianity may no longer be the dominant expression of American religion.

As a scholar who studies alternative spirituality and new religious movements in the United States, I believe the reality of Americas diverse religious and spiritual landscape is more complex than often presented.

The nones or those claiming no particular religious affiliation range from atheists to individuals searching for spiritual answers outside traditional religious groups. This last group commonly identifies as spiritual but not religious or SBNR. Dissatisfied with traditional religion, these individuals think about spirituality in a more secular way, as representing their pursuit of meaning, healing, purpose and belonging.

In her study of multiple SBNR identities, theologian Linda Mercadante found that the turn away from organized religion does not necessarily come at the expense of faith, ritual or practice. For post-Christianity seekers, Mercadante stresses how spiritual fulfillment moves from religious and civic institutions to gathering places.

Such gathering places range widely.

Many turn to practices appropriated from different religious contexts. Mindfulness and yoga, in particular, have emerged as popular alternatives for seeking spiritual, psychological and physical healing.

These practices point to the growing connection between spirituality and health. Twelve-step meetings for addiction recovery and contemporary medicine, for example, stress the need to balance spirit and body for wellness.

Several nonreligious practices create opportunities to explore spirituality beyond religious affiliation. People find a sense of belonging through the internet and social media. Others turn to self-help literature or elements of popular culture.

Sports similarly provide an avenue for spiritual renewal. The rituals of training, competing and camaraderie reflect the spiritual quest for personal growth and locating community. Digital communities and online options likewise afford new modes for spiritual practice and connection.

Accordingly, some scholars, such as religious studies professor Robert Fuller, have stressed the unchurched nature of the SBNR.

At the same time, the continued desire to find meaning and connection has led to the development of secular, spiritual and atheist churches. Although almost universally understood as physical spaces for religious practice, the rise of nonreligious churches demonstrate the benefits and shared opportunities many nones and SBNR people associate with the experience of going to church.

Emerging over the past decade, and although still small in scale, secular and atheist churches indicate how changes in religious affiliation do not necessarily include a rejection of the communal structures that provide avenues for spiritual rejuvenation.

Atheist churches that include secular rituals have been showing an increase.

The Seattle Atheist Church, for example, positions itself as a place where atheists come together to address big questions and celebrate meaningful life events with atheist rituals. Founded in 2015, the church offers weekly Sunday meetings for a couple dozen participants who share in leading sermons in relation to their commitment to secular humanism, a nonreligious worldview that rejects belief in the supernatural.

Similarly, Sunday Assembly Detroit seeks to help everyone live life as fully as possible. One of 70 chapters spread across eight different countries, the Sunday Assembly was founded by comedians Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans in 2013. Their motto was Live Better, Help Often, Wonder More.

Others find refuge in secularized churches that combine alternative rituals, such as the use of cannabis, with various humanist, ethical and spiritual orientations.

Identifying as Elevationists, members of the International Church of Cannabis in Denver, Colorado, for example, come together through the ritual sharing of cannabis, or what they call the sacred flower.

This sharing, they say, helps them reveal the best version of self. It also aids in discovering a creative voice that can can help enrich the community with the fruits of that creativity. These fruits often manifest as charitable projects, including street cleaning and an outreach initiative to feed and clothe Denvers homeless population.

Such an approach does not deny members who might still hold religious beliefs, but focuses attention away from the supernatural toward self-improvement. Similarly, members of the nondenominational First Church of Logic and Reason, based in Lansing, Michigan, elevate cannabis as a spiritual and therapeutic element. The churchs ritual use of cannabis offers a way to heal and find a sense of belonging for those disenchanted with traditional religion.

Additionally, digital opportunities have emerged as a vital site for cultivating spirituality.

For those disillusioned with traditional religion, digital technologies, apps, and online options offer new avenues to engage with secular and alternative forms of spiritual practice.

Current apps can calculate ones astrological chart or provide online tarot readings. Social media platforms particularly TikTok make a host of New Age practices, including crystal healing, immediately available. Reiki finds a robust community of virtual practitioners, and mindfulness can be cultivated across a host of meditation apps.

Shifts away from traditional religious membership doesnt simply mean Americans are rejecting religion. Rather, they are exploring an ever-evolving spectrum of spirituality.

(Morgan Shipley holds the Foglio Endowed Chair of Spirituality & Associate Chair of Religious Studies at Michigan State University. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.)

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Atheist churches and the 'sacred flower of cannabis': Americans find spirituality in new places - Religion News Service

Somehow, Thanksgiving is suddenly around the corner our fridge is already stocked with cranberries and brussels sprouts so this is a good time for our recommended books to remind you: Family is complicated. Thats equally true whether youre talking about abolitionist sisters who turn out to have come from a slaveholding family that included Black members, as Kerri K. Greenidge delves into with her history The Grimkes, or exploring a dynasty of merchants who shaped modern capitalism and sat among the ruling class for generations, as Joseph Sassoon writes about in his family history, The Sassoons. Its true in Andrew Millers novel The Slowworms Song, about a (complicated) father trying to make amends with his daughter, and in Jenny Xies poetry collection The Rupture Tense, which grapples with her familys experiences in the Cultural Revolution and her own (complicated) feelings about the Asian diaspora. Its also true of found family, as Kit Heyam demonstrates in a wide-ranging history of transgender identities around the world and throughout time, proving that the concept of gender is itself yes complicated.

Also up this week: a history of North America from an Indigenous perspective, a story collection from a great young Argentine writer, a shipboard romance and a cleareyed book of philosophy that rejects our impulse for platitudes. Happy reading.

Gregory Cowles

Combining narrative flair with a skillful deployment of archival sources, Greenidges penetrating study underscores the moral contradictions and racial trauma in a slaveholding family best known for two white female abolitionists.

The author, an Oxford historian, recasts the history of North America from a Native American perspective, making clear that Native tribes controlled the continent for millenniums: On an Indigenous time scale, the United States is a mere speck. One of the best books ever written on Native American history.

Liveright | $40

In the authors sweeping saga of his familys rise and fall, we learn about figures who shaped not only modern capitalism but our entire world even if theirs is lost. Sassoons book isnt just a marvelous yarn, its an Ottoman Our Crowd that gives his family its due.

Pantheon | $35

Aristocracy, magic and murder overlap on pretty nearly every page of this Sapphic shipboard romance, which is a sequel of sorts to A Marvellous Light. Marskes world-building skills dazzle, and her prose does, too; the book offers a breathtaking romp of a plot and a sense of wondrous possibility.

Tordotcom | $27.99

Darker and more tinged with terror than Schweblins breakthrough novel, Fever Dream, the stories in this collection first published in Spanish in 2015 and now, in Megan McDowells translation, a finalist for the National Book Award in translated literature take aim at the place we feel safest: home.

In this wide-ranging and generous-spirited treatise, a philosophy professor from M.I.T. pushes back against many platitudes of contemporary American self-improvement culture and presents an approach for dealing with lifes harsh realities.

Riverhead | $27

In Millers ninth novel, a former British soldier and recovering alcoholic details what happened when he was serving in Belfast during the Troubles. He does so in a letter to his daughter, trying both to reconnect with her and to redeem himself before he testifies in an inquiry.

Xies second collection, a finalist for this years National Book Award in poetry, considers the upheavals of the global Asian diaspora, especially the silence surrounding the Cultural Revolution and its lasting impact on Xies own family.

Graywolf | Paperback, $17

In this astute, self-aware and riveting study, the nonbinary British academic demonstrates that the history of gender nonconformity around the world is so vast that no single book can begin to contain its reaches.

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9 New Books We Recommend This Week - The New York Times

The academy strives to incorporate careful education for cadets on calls regarding homelessness, mental health, substance use disorder, and other crises.

VASSALBORO, Maine The saying goes that nobody can truly understand unless they walk a mile in their shoes. But when it comes to law enforcement, it's a job most won't ever experience.

The Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro is the only law enforcement program in Maine that trains and certifies police officers. It's a rigorous 18-week residential program designed to prepare men and women for the high-stress, split-second decisions they'll face on the streets.

NEWS CENTER Maine reporter Hannah Yechivi spent several days at the academy with the cadets, gaining an in-depth look at some of the programs todays officers are being trained for, which most people dont even know about.

To be certified for the 18-week training program, cadets would already need to have a secured job with a police department in Maine.

Cadets also are required to pass multiple tests -- polygraph, background, medical, physical fitness, psychological, and written -- and be at least 19 years old.

Repetition is important. That's where we develop proficiency," Josh Daley, the Basic Law Enforcement Program coordinator for the academy, shouted to the cadets in one of the many trainings.

Theres a lot of focus on defensive tactics and use of force in general. In addition to that, there's a lot of focus on verbal and nonverbal de-escalation techniques, he said as he explained the progression of the 18-week training program.

These techniques and tactics can be mentally and physically exhausting for many of the cadets going through the program.

We're constantly taking new trainings to see if there's better ways to do what we're doing, safer ways, or more effective ways, Daley said.

The majority of cadets who get admitted into the academy have limited or no experience in law enforcement or how to manage the high levels of stress that come with the job.

If we prepare them for worst case, everything else becomes a little bit easier to manage, everything else becomes a little more comfortable, even in the most uncomfortable states as law enforcement officers commonly find themselves in, Daley said.

When I chose to get into this field, it's because I wanted to do it. It felt like it was my calling, Vincent Perfetto, one of the cadets who went through the training to become a certified police officer, said.

For Perfetto, its a calling he felt compelled to answer. At 21, he's the youngest cadet in his class. His goal is to help people, and he knows it often will be in very uncomfortable situations, which is why this training is so important.

One of the most important things for anyone to do is to constantly seek self-improvement, and it helps a lot when you have people yelling at you, making you improve but then to know after the academy that you need to be your best for the sake of other people, and that's a very strong motivator, Perfetto said.

The training program goes in phases, from skills application to real-life scenarios. All trainings are designed to push him and every other cadet outside their comfort zone.

That was the other major change, I think. I was trained back in the '80s, [to] date myself a little bit, but relatively speaking we did no scenario-based training," Rick Desjardins, the director at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy, said. "Today we do a tremendous amount of training with classroom participation, but then [it's] followed up by actually performing those lessons learned in the classroom in an as real-life-as-possible scenario."

When you experience it, you feel all of these things that happen physiologically. But to understand how they impact your ability to function ... is something you have to experience, Daley said. Then I build upon those, tunnel vision, elevated heart rates, labored breathing, fine motor skills, all of these things happen under pretty significant stress."

Its shocking at first. You think you know what it's like to get screamed at, but coming through here ... it's humbling. And as time goes on, again, you get used to it, but you also realize the importance, and your skin gets tough really quick, Perfetto said.

Make sure I check my gear, make sure my car is working, make sure my uniform is properly put together, make sure all my gear is working right, Desjardins said while highlighting some of the small but important things cadets are taught while in the residential program.

One oversight by an officer could have life-or-death consequences, which is why the duration of the program, the residential portion, and all the phases of the training are so critical.

"If you see an officer doing something they shouldn't do that could be dangerous or wrong, you've got to tell them, Desjardins said.

For the purpose of today's class, I am here as a dad of a child with autism, Matt Brown, a crisis-intervention team trainer for NAMI, said.

Nowadays, cadets also learn a skill that's becoming more and more important: how to handle interactions with people who have developmental disabilities, including those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

The number of people affected by autism and developmental disabilities is increasing big time. It's now 1 in 44. So they are going to interact with individuals with autism, and they are going to display with certain characteristics that can be very challenging in terms of safety issues, and it's important that they know how to recognize it, Brown explained.

Another part of an officer's day in many towns and cities in Maine is interacting with people who are experiencing homelessness.

Jim Devine and Cheryl Harkins were formerly homeless, and they came to teach a class to the academy along with the Preble Street Resource Center. They believe that if cadets can hear about their experiences they faced while being unhoused and about the interactions they had with police during that time that future officers can learn different ways to deal with people without a home.

Most of my life I was a master electrician," Devine said. "I was able to house myself. But I am also in recovery from alcoholism, and my drinking is what put me on the streets, you know, which is what happens."

I actually had an officer approach me at a park-and-ride and tell me that I didn't qualify to park in one because I didn't have a home to drive to, Harkins said. "So [it's] just things like that. We are hoping that it would make a change."

Desjardins said the academy has been reflecting on and adapting to how it educates cadets on community challenges such as homelessness.

The concept around that homeless issue is something that I think we've had to take a hard look at how we responded years ago, which is issuing trespass notices, kind of just moving people along as opposed to today, which we really try to listen to the situation that they are in and try to think about how we might be able to facilitate a solution, Desjardins said.

In this day and age, many police officers frequently respond to calls that deal with mental health, autism, counseling, abuse, and other topics that fall into their hands, so the Maine Criminal Justice Academy is making sure the new generation of cadets is prepared for the most common type of calls police officers are getting these days.

In the state, we have about 2,500 sworn law enforcement officers, but we only have around 85 crisis workers, and so we are asking law enforcement to fill in the gaps for a very depleted mental health system, Hannah Longley, director of community programs at NAMI, said.

Longley is teaching future officers how to recognize the signs and symptoms of someone having a mental health crisis.

"We do know in the last year that departments are reporting an increase of 30 up to 60 percent increase in the mental health call volume, that they are seeing in their communities, Longley said.

Roughly 40 percent of people who have a mental health challenge will first be engaged by someone in uniform, Longley said, and often that officer may come with preconceptions.

I know that implicit bias is a big one. We see that all the time," Daley said. "It's always good to understand our own biases and try to effectively work around those things to ensure that they don't come into play in our position as law enforcement officer, which is intended to be objective. We have that training as well, but I think there's always continued training in those areas."

Some of the other important topics cadets are being trained on include implicit bias, stress management, sexual harassment and discrimination, dealing with vulnerable and elder issues, child abuse, and cultural diversity.

After 18 weeks, the class of 68 cadets, the largest in the program's history, have graduated and are now at departments across the state, including Perfetto at the Gorham Police Department.

It's like a big knot in my stomach," the newly certified officer said. "I have to say goodbye to some of the best friends I've ever made. But it's also the most exciting thing I've ever done in my life, to know that my dreams come true, and Im about to do it for real."

Nowadays you can find Perfetto answering any calls that come in, and he's thankful for those 18 weeks.

Its been an immense help, the amount of tools they've given us. I feel more than adequately prepared for whatever they throw at me here, Perfetto said.

His message to people who don't carry a badge is this: I just want people to remember that we are normal people too. We have a very different job than most of you, and it can be very stressful, it can be dangerous. We are trying our best. We hope that everyone feels better or at the very least safer afterward. But at the end of the day, we are just humans, and we are doing the job to the best of our ability, Perfetto said.

Before and after graduating, Perfetto also spent a total of 12 weeks paired with a training officer who showed him the ropes. Desjardins said nowadays it's not sufficient for the academy's training to focus just on the law, arrest and control, defensive tactics, driving, and firearms.

And while all of those topics covered are extremely important, one critical component are those classes focused on mental health, racial in biases, how to deal with the homeless or with people with disabilities and substance use disorder, welfare checks, suicide attempts or threats, and other crisis calls.

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