The Day #Dostoyevsky Discovered the #MeaningofLife in a #Dream

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-day-dostoyevsky-discovered-the-meaning-of-life-in-a-dream

Now what if #Dostoyevsky wrote 18/18?
And then it came to pass that Kiki's consciousness returned to her, as if awakened from a terrible dream, a dream filled with suffering and blood which had seemed to her more real than reality itself. The brightness of the noonday sun at such altitude assaulted her mechanical eyes, which adjusted with inhuman precision yet could not diminish the moral horror that gripped her soul—if indeed such a clockwork creation could possess what man has named a soul 1/x

Hi!

I’m trying to get active on here, have no idea how to find the right people, so I thought I’d introduce myself.

I’m 27 y/o, from Sweden. I work as a geologist and I spend a lot of time reading books and listening to music. I’m mostly into classics/literary fiction, but also enjoy good #scifi & #fantasy. Some writers I enjoy are: #Tolkien, #RobinHobb, #Turgenev, #dostoyevsky #Zweig, #MervynPeake, #Bulgakov

I used to be part of the ASOIAF fandom on twitter, but that was like 10 years ago…

Now in College, #LudditeTeens Still Don’t Want Your Likes

Three years after starting a club meant to fight #SocialMedia’s grip on young people, many original members are holding firm and gaining new converts.

By Alex Vadukul
Jan. 30, 2025

"Biruk Watling, a college sophomore wearing a baggy coat and purple fingerless gloves, walked the chilly campus of Temple University in #Philadelphia on a recent afternoon to recruit new members to her club.
She taped a flier to a pole: '#JoinTheLudditeClub For #MeaningfulConnections.' Down the block, she posted another one: 'Do You Desire a Healthier Relationship With Technology, Especially Social Media? The Luddite Club Welcomes You and Your Ideas.'

"When a student approached, Ms. Watling dove into her pitch.

"'Our club promotes #ConsciousConsumption of #technology,' she said. 'We’re for #HumanConnection. I’m one of the first members of the original Luddite Club in #Brooklyn. Now I’m trying to start it in #Philly.

"She pulled out a #FlipPhone, mystifying her recruit.

"'We use these,' she said. 'This has been the most freeing experience of my life.'
If Ms. Watling had a missionary’s zeal, it was because she wasn’t just promoting a student club, but an approach to modern life that profoundly changed her two years ago, when she helped form the Luddite Club as a high school student in New York.

"But that was then, back when things were simpler, before she had embarked on the more independent life of a college student and found herself having to navigate QR codes, two-factor-identification logins, dating apps and other digital staples of campus life.

"The #LudditeClub was the subject of an article I wrote in 2022 — a story that, ironically, went viral. It told of how a group of teenage tech skeptics from Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn and a few other schools in the city gathered on weekends in Prospect Park to enjoy some time together away from the machine.

"They #sketched and #painted side by side. They read quietly, favoring works by #Dostoyevsky, #Kerouac and #Vonnegut. They sat on logs and groused about how #TikTok was dumbing down their generation. Their flip phones were decorated with stickers and nail polish.

"Readers inspired by their message responded in hundreds of emails and comments. Reporters from Germany, Brazil, Japan and elsewhere flooded my inbox, asking me how to reach these students who were so hard to track down online. Snarky Reddit threads and think pieces sprouted. #RalphNader endorsed the club in an opinion essay, writing: 'This is a rebellion that needs support and diffusion.'"

Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/style/luddite-teens-reunion.html

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/
#SolarPunkSunday #Nature #NeoLuddite #Luddites #LessScreenTime #MoreBoardGames #MoreGreenTime #MoreOutdoorTime #FlipPhones #MoreBooks #ResistTheMachine

@clot27 i insist that any interaction with a #fascist society, even a banal reread of #dostoyevsky, without mentioning the inhuman, imperialist wars waged by that society in the 21st century (not only the war in ukraine!) against neighboring nations — every such interaction is an act of support to the fascism.

wars are not waged by individuals, they are collective efforts of entire societies. the #russian society as a whole is unfortunately infected with fascism.

you are advocating fascism support.

@latsss @dansup

Citizens, let us examine the great transformation of a nation’s ruling class, a tale of corruption, ambition, and betrayal. How did the #Russian elite, once merely decadent profiteers in an empire of new money, become crusaders in a self-styled holy war against the #West? How did they forsake the petty indulgences of greed to don the mantle of imperial zeal?

The answer lies not in destiny but in miscalculation—ours and theirs. The West, in its hesitation, sowed the seeds of this calamity. When, in 2014, #Russia marched into #Crimea and orchestrated rebellion in the #Donbas, the response was feeble. Light sanctions, empty protests, and North Stream 2's construction whispered to the #Kremlin a dangerous truth: OUR RESOLVE WAS SOFT.

In the Kremlin's dark corridors, plans were hatched. They believed that #Ukraine s government could be toppled in a stroke, that a shadowy #Quisling regime would rise to greet them. They imagined a repeat of #Crimea ’s conquest, but on a grander stage. A lightning war, a new empire. And they thought the West would grumble, perhaps impose sanctions, but ultimately turn away, as it had before.

What arrogance! What folly! The Kremlin gambled on shock and awe but underestimated the spirit of a free people. #Kyiv did not fall. The #Ukrainian nation stood firm, its heart unbroken. The West, long slumbering, stirred at last, and the swift victory #Russia had envisioned dissolved into the chaos of war.

And now, behold the transformation of the Russian elite. Picture them: men and women of shallow ambition, once preoccupied with wealth and privilege, role-playing either as noble tsars or #Soviet marshals, depending on the mood of the day. They were no warriors, no ideologues—only merchants of corruption, slaves to their own decadence. But the failure of their war dragged them into a pact of blood.

This is no new tale. It is the story of desperate men clutching at survival. #Dostoyevsky himself foretold it in his Demons. The revolutionary Petrashevsky Circle sought to bind its members by an act of ultimate evil—a murder that would leave no path of return. So too, the total invasion of Ukraine became such an act for the Russian elite.

When their primary objective failed, they found themselves with bloodstained hands and nowhere to retreat. Yet, when the initial storm passed and Russia remained standing, they embraced their new identity. The corrupt transformed into zealots, bound together by their shared guilt and necessity. Their crimes, far from isolating them, unified them in a devil’s pact—a grim fraternity forged in blood and failure.

Such is the folly of unchecked aggression, of believing the world too weak to resist. But the West, though late in its awakening, must not falter now. For every delay, every sign of hesitation, invites another miscalculation, another tragedy. And for #Ukraine, that land of heroes, we owe our resolve.

Let us not repeat our mistakes. Let us stand firm against tyranny, and let this tale of ambition, betrayal, and bloodshed serve as a lesson to all who would underestimate the power of liberty and the will of the free.

Blood for the Blood God. Skulls for the Skull Throne.

"¿Por qué, dígame, Nástenka, por qué en ese momento las lágrimas brotan de los ojos de ese hombre a quien no abruma ninguna tristeza actual? ¿Por qué pasan como horas para él, noches enteras? Y cuando la luz rosa del día salpica las ventanas, nuestro soñador se levanta del diván en que estaba sentado y se arroja sobre el lecho. ¡Creeríase, Nástenka, que está enamorado! Mírele tan sólo y se convencerá usted. ¿Es posible creer que nunca haya conocido al ser que estrechaba en los transportes de su ensueño? ¿Puede ser verdad que no hayan marchado con las manos unidas en la vida, durante muchos años, mezclando sus almas? Y en la hora tardía de la separación, ¿no se estrechó ella contra su pecho sin escuchar la tormenta que bramaba fuera, sintiendo sólo la tormenta interior de su amor deshecho? ¿Es que todo aquello no fue más que un sueño: aquel jardín triste, abandonado, salvaje, con senderos cubiertos de musgo, por donde pasearon juntos tantas veces, 'tanto tiempo y tan tiernamente'?"

-Noches Blancas

#Literatura #NochesBlancas #Dostoyevsky

Today is the 19th anniversary (blogiversary) of my "Notes from Underground" blog, and it just so happened that I saw a rather good critique on Facebook of the eponymous novel by Dostoevsky, so I nicked that for my anniversary blog post which you can see here:
https://methodius.blogspot.com/2024/11/notes-from-underground-19th.html
#blogs #blogging #books #literature #Dostoevsky #Dostoyevsky

Around the same time I was reading Dostoyevsky, who brought a similar intensity in fiction. His characters felt real, almost terrifyingly alive. The Possessed, a favorite, was full of characters who stood out: Kirilov, Shatov, & the chilling Stavrogin. A character as complex & evil as any in literature.

Reading #Nietzsche & #Dostoyevsky together was transformative. FN tore into philosophy with his teeth, & Dostoyevsky brought philosophy to live through his characters.

“I have always been ridiculous…” #dostoevsky #dostoyevsky

I am nothing if not a biddable reader... My general hopelessness at sticking to plans is evidence of that, but a good example recently was the fact that I came across mention on a BookTube short of a Dostoevsky story I hadn't read which highly recommended it. Of course, I instantly had to dig about on the Dosty shelf to see whether I had it, and indeed I discovered that I owned the story in five different…

https://kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2024/10/09/i-have-always-been-ridiculous-dostoevsky-dostoyevsky/

I keep looking at eBay for antique samovars then staring at the pictures wondering how the heck they work.

#samovar #ebay #dostoyevsky

@ldamlanatra You know, there's no rush. These classics aren't going anywhere. You've just read #Tolstoy Anna Karenina & Childhood, mix it up and go back to #Dostoyevsky. Or really mix things up and start to tackle 'My Struggle' by Karl Ove Knausgård for something different. #Literature is an intimate friend to spend time with, a fine wine to be savored, an experience to relish. #Reading #BooksofMastodon

Just finished reading ‘Childhood’ by Leo #Tolstoy, the first part of his autobiographical trilogy. I found it easy and entertaining; what’s better than growing up in an aristocratic household, rich with characters in a time long past? Tolstoy has a talent for capturing the innocent mind of a child. Not sure whether to continue with part 2 of the trilogy just yet or try something else. Back to #Dostoyevsky maybe? #BooksofMastodon #Literature #Reading

What a story😳#Dostoyevsky, Just After His Death Sentence Was Repealed, on the Meaning of Life

At the age of 27, he was arrested for belonging to a literary society that circulated books deemed dangerous by the tsarist regime. He was sentenced to death. On December 22, 1849, he was taken to a public square in Saint Petersburg, alongside a handful of other inmates, where they were to be executed as a warning to the masses. They were read their death sentence, put into their execution attire of white shirts, and allowed to kiss the cross. Ritualistic sabers were broken over their heads.
#themarginalian #russia
https://www.themarginalian.org/2019/12/05/dostoyevsky-execution-life/

Excited to have finished reading Crime and Punishment by #Dostoyevsky . Was always intimidated by the sheer length but stuck with it and found it quite satisfying. E-Book version let me increase the font and read on my phone in the middle of the night. So much more worthwhile than mindless scrolling. Lots to digest and will revisit it again sometime in the future. #BooksofMastodon #Reading #BooksWorthReading #Literature

Troma’s The Power of Positive Murder! is heading our way. Details here https://bit.ly/43zNjkR

#Troma #ThePowerofPositiveMurder #LloydKaufman #MartinMurray #CrimeandPunishment #Dostoyevsky #film #indiefilm

@shojiwax

What a treat! Dostoyevsky makes for wonderful immersive reading. All you need to do is accept that all the players are driven by forces they do not understand and cannot master. And allow the author to take you along. There always is redemption in the end --- whether this is genuine or artificial is hard to say, I get some aesthetic and moral joy from those endings.

#BrothersKaramazov is it. You could also try #TheIdiot, even more feverish than his other novels!

#Dostoyevsky

my daughter is reading #dostoyevsky for the 1st time (C&P) so i decided to return to DFW's essay on joseph frank's 5-vol bio & came across this brilliant fn: FD "seems like the first fiction writer to understand how deeply some people love their own suffering, how they use it..."