May 2021 Edition
On the Power of Sharing.
I have friends who knew exactly what they were talented at since their childhood.
One friend of mine has a beautiful voice and is currently an opera singer; another makes beautiful drawings and her art-exhibitions are attended by thousands of admirers today.
I, however, have never discovered that exceptional talent of mine. What I enjoyed doing - since I was a kid - was reading, writing and then discussing stories and ideas that I was passionate about. If I had something, that remotely resembled the word 'talent', it was my passion to share and discuss what I read.
For a long time I didn't see this passion as something that could be useful or that it could be interesting to anyone. But then I looked at some thinkers whose works I constantly come back to. People like Maria Popova, Alan Watts, Carl Sagan or Melvyn Bragg.
My life would have been very different if I had never discovered Maria Popova's Brain Pickings or Alan Watts' audio recordings. Or, if I had never read Carl Sagan's 'Cosmos' or heard Melvyn Bragg's BBC show In Our Time.
They demonstrated to me the true power of sharing by influencing and triggering curiosity in millions of minds - including mine.
I believe that it is important to pay back to these heroes of mine .... alive or dead... and at least attempt to give the same measure as I have received by sharing their hard work.
I have been doing that with this newsletter; with the podcast and now I am planning to continue with a YouTube Channel.
I have some videos prepared for you that are coming out soon:
- In Praise of Shadows - Japanese Aesthetics
- How to Journal Like Stoics
- The Mystic with the Brush (Life of Caspar David Friedrich)
+ Some of the podcasts will be released in the video format as well :)
Hope you're all doing well!
Vashik Armenikus
FAVOURITE READS
The Bookseller of Florence by Ross King.
'All evil is born from ignorance. Yet writers have illuminated the world, chasing away the darkness.' ~ Vespasiano da Bisticci.
One of my favourite reads of this year.
This is the story of Vespasiano da Bisticci or, as he is often called - Michelangelo of Bookselling.
I am currently editing the episode of my podcast with the author of this book - Ross King. He was an amazing person to talk with. The episode will come out in June both in audio and video formats.
Pure Invention: How Japan's Pop Culture Conquered the World.
by Matt Alt.
"In fact the whole of Japan is a pure invention,There is no such country, there are no such people."
~ Oscar Wilde
From all the destinations that I would like to travel - Japan is on top of the list.
It's one of the countries that I have never visited but which had a tremendous influence on my life by its culture.
This book is a guide, but not a guide in sense of 'places to visit'. But a cultural guide through the modern Japanese culture.
Interview with the author of Pure Invention, Matt Alt is also coming out in the next few weeks.
Discourses by Epictetus.
I wish I could have interviewed Epictetus. He taught me so much. It's a shame he has been dead for two millennia.
In the last part of my video newsletter I decided to share some pieces of advice from Epictetus that changed my perspective on life.
There is a modern adaption of this book by Massimo Pigliucci which you can find here.
