Start Where You Are... Then Work To Become More

WILLIAM JAMES: IN THE MAELSTROM of AMERICAN MODERNISM BY ROBERT D. RICHARDSON

I’d bet that the majority of Americans have little to no knowledge of William James.  I’d go further to suggest that he is one of the most underrated thinkers of all time who gave us notions of positive psychology, the power of one’s mind and an individual’s power to become more.

William, brother to the novelist Henry, is often considered the father of modern psychology and one of the foremost American philosophers.   He was a physician and lecturer at Harvard and left a huge array of papers and journals filled with his thoughts and ideas about the human condition, the workings of the brain and modern living.

This book is not for everyone.  As Richardson it’s author says, it is an ‘intellectual biography.’  That said, it is a fascinating dive into one man’s life and an exploration into the events, books and contemplations that made William James one of the foremost American thinkers, ever.   If you want to expand your brain, you’ll want to become familiar with William James.

Here’s a brief conversation with Robert D. Richardson and Jacki Lyden  on NPR’s All Things Considered

Here is a brief video explaining James revolutionary concepts of time.   He is credited with coining the phrase stream of consciousness.

THE HOUSE OF MIRTH BY EDITH WHARTON

Edith Wharton knew a thing or two about becoming more.   She moved in the upper echelon of  19th century society.  She travelled the world widely when travel was expensive and only for the richest of the rich. She knew the intellectuals of her time who were worth knowing. And, she wrote extensively about gardening and decorating your home.  She built The Mount (where she wrote much of The House of Mirth) a home with plenty of more — before she left the United States and moved to France where she lived until her death in 1937.

In 2000, Terrence Davies turned Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth into a movie with Gillian Anderson.   It seemed a fitting choice then as we entered the new century; and now as we close in on the end of the second decade of the century, it seems even more appropriate to revisit Wharton and The House of Mirth.

The novel is a scathing, gloves off look at a young woman, Lily Bart eager to find a life with more — more society, more feathers, more gloves, more love, more attention, more, more, more.  It is a cautionary tale, especially for women, who desire to live a bigger life.   It’s a period piece whose social message may have faded but whose moral message still carries weight today.   Chasing what others have deemed to be of value, will not lead to a happy or fulfilling life.

PBS program, Moment of Luxury on Wharton’s home, The Mount.