1. Just finished “A Prince of Our Disorder”, a biography of TE Lawrence that was much weaker than expected. Lawrence held a special place for liberals who believe in national self-determination, and the story of the Arab betrayal was important to them.
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2. This is now forgotten, but Lawrence was a herald of a kind of liberal inter-racial cooperation against imperialism. It’s worth noting that he developed some of he the tactics & strategy that would be used in Vietnam & Algeria
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3. I think the main point to draw from Lawrence is the importance one absolutely determined and disciplined man can have, i.e. he can literally lead a nation—the Arab nation in this case—to which he does not belong.
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4. Lawrence really was the “1 man worth 10,000” that Heraclitus spoke about. He was also the perfect balance of modern, Medieval, and Ancient. He had a quote from Herodotus above his cottage door at “Clouds Hill” in Devon: “Who cares?”
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5. Inside, the cottage is decorated with Medieval drawings and Arabian sketches, but it also contains aluminium (the latest material then) and windows like this porthole.pic.twitter.com/HYzU1T9aKs
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6. Lawrence was in the Air Force and the Tank—the most advanced sections of his military—and worked on a speedboat. But he was also an archaeologist, classicist, Arabist, and Medievalist. He was, in other words, a completely holistic man who combined Ancient, Medeival, and Modern
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7. This is the type of man we should aspire towards in my view—not “cyberpunk” or “tradcat”, or “Weibo”. We need people who are comfortable reading about computer programming, studying the history of the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, and also read Cicero in Latin & do MMA.
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Replying to @tomxhart
This is who I want to be. And I will be that, though not sure if I’ll ever be advanced in tech
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Replying to @Caine60724874
I think “tinkering” with technical things is within the reach of most people. The common view is that the division of labour has made this kind of “renaissance man” impossible. I’m not so sure. Lawrence is exception, but a humble emulation is probably possible.
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Replying to @tomxhart
May I ask you, if you know, where one should begin with becoming more proficient in mechanical matters plus computers?
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I’m useless at this stuff, although I did once build a heat box for melting honey from scratch (very badly). I think there’s no excuse not to learn if you’re determined: the resources are online, whether videos or instructions. I’d just pick a specific project & search.
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Replying to @tomxhart
Yep, you’re right, I’ll find a project and see it to completion. And then another... Thanks
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Replying to @Caine60724874 @tomxhart
I’ll start with disarming my seatbelt alarm in my car
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End of conversation
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