Ageless in Spirit: Discussions and interests for our times

March 7, 2025      As a young student I read some of the Odyssey and the tales of Odysseus. Odysseus was a man portrayed as egotistical and full of excessive pride (hubris). "Examples of Odysseus' hubris: Taunting Polyphemus: After escaping the cyclops' cave, Odysseus taunted Polyphemus, which made the cyclops even angrier. Polyphemus then threw a boulder at Odysseus' ships. Cursing Poseidon: Odysseus cursed Poseidon, which caused bad weather during his journey. Leaving his family: Odysseus left his wife and son alone while he fought in the Trojan War. While he was gone, suitors threatened his family. Consequences of Odysseus' hubris: His men caused destruction and death each time he left them alone. All of his men died on their journey home. Despite his flaws, Odysseus was still a respected Greek hero." ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odysseus )      Another written tale is in the bible the book of Genesis. Abraham was a wealthy man who heard the...

 March 6, 2025     Lieutenant Kije is well known in the music world, the world of cinema, and a M.A.S.H. episode concerning Captain Tuttle may be a more modern version.  ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant_Kij%C3%A9#:~:text=Lieutenant%20Kij%C3%A9%20or%20Kizhe%20(Russian,his%20rise%20through%20the%20ranks. ).  I enjoy the music of Prokofiev whose music for the film version of of Tynyanov's novella was written after he returned to Russia from Paris during the Stalin purges. Prokofiev enjoyed great success abroad but missed speaking with the Russian people in his native language, missed the music, folklore, literature and  ambiances of his native homeland. In the film version Emperor Paul and the lady in waiting initiate the parody so that the fictious Kije is sent to Siberia but then ultimately elevated by the emperor to General but since he was summoned the emperor was told he was killed. The five themes in the music are explained in the Wikipedia pos...