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Tragedies and the Maxims of Napoleon (081)
1st Law Friday - August 2nd 2024
Lucas Dondertman
August 02, 2024
Welcome back to the 1st Law Newsletter - Friday Edition.
In this email:
The archetypal tragedy
Maxims of Napoleon Bonaparte
Quote on reading and knowledge
The Archetypal Tragedy
The death of Jesus is one of the most painful and tragic stories possible. There are a few key points to tragedies that make them more awful.
First, the tragedy must befall a good person. If a tragedy befalls a bad person it is just justice. To amplify this, the tragedy must befall not only a good person, but the best person and someone who everyone knows is good. And he is prosecuted because he is good. Jesus was the best among men.
What does he have to face? The worst that life has to offer. Death. Early death. Early, painful, humiliating, unjust death. This death is inflicted by those he considered friends, at the whim of a tyrant, and instigated by people who knew he was the best among men.
The historical significance of this story, and this combination of innocence and betrayal makes the Passion of Christ the archetypal tragedy. Some elements from this story can be found in most tragedies written to this day.
Maxims of Napoleon Bonaparte
Tirelessness, concentration, and speed. These are the characteristics that made Napoleon so effective in his life and work.
Work is my element. I was born and built for work. I have known the limitations of my legs, I have known the limitations of my eyes; I have never been able to know the limitations of my working capacity.
He never tired. No matter the circumstance. Mind over matter. As long as there was work to be done, he was working. This is a powerful mindset to have, and I believe it can be learned. If I slept poorly for one or two nights, I know I will feel tired, but I also know that I can power through and force myself to be alert and concentrate. This cant last forever and rest is necessary, but one or two nights is feasible.
My mind is a chest of drawers. When I wish to deal with a subject, I shut all the drawers but the one in which the subject is to be found. When I am wearied, I shut all the drawers and go to sleep
Concentration is one of the most valuable and scarce abilities in our modern society. All the screens and distractions we have only contribute to short attention spans and aimless scrolling. His metaphor of the mind being a chest of drawers is indicative of him having an extremely organized mind. I imagine most peoples minds are more like a messy room with clothes and items everywhere. Almost impossible to focus on one thing at a time. Cultivate your concentration by thinking of one subject at a time.
I cannot write well, because my ideas and hands are in two different currents. The ideas o faster, and then good bye legibility. I can only dictate, and this is convenient, because it is as if I were conversing.
His mind worked faster than his body could manage. To ensure the creative flow could not be interrupted, he merely spoke his mind, often to multiple transcribers to ensure nothing was lost. This attitude also applied to taking action. He believed the purpose of thought was to decide how to act. And once a decision had been made, nothing was more loathsome than hesitation.
"The more I read, the more I acquire, the more certain I am that I know nothing."
Similar to how school works. You take an intro class where they teach broad overview of the subject. The overview may be adequate for approximate understanding, but if you want to understand fully, you must dive deep and almost unlearn everything you know.
Ignorance is bliss, but knowledge is power. The smarter people are, the more often they will simply listen instead of talk because they know there is so much they don’t know.
Thanks for reading!
Lucas