Book Review: Poor Richard's Retirement
Aaron Clarey, Poor Richard’s Retirement: Retirement for Everyday Americans
Aaron Clarey is a consultant and independent economist who writes books that are meant to help young men and women make wiser financial choices. His approach is no nonsense, gruff, and often cynical. But despite seeming like a complete jerk, his advice which is free on his blog or youtube channel clearly comes from a big heart (for sensitive users or those who may listen w/children around, he does curse a lot). This is evident when he, for instance, criticizes parents who don't spend a great deal of time with their children (this is a common thread in his books and podcasts and I only listen to them a couple of times a year).
Dialectic: The Second Art of the Trivium
Introduction: What is dialectic? What is logic?
The second liberal art is logic or dialectic. Dialectic typically refers to the practice of precise discussion, using a question and answer format with facts or apparent facts, to explain or get at the truth. It has another, less academic, use I'll explain later. Logic is a more narrow term, referring to the form of correct argument rather than the whole process. In classical school literature, you'll see the two words used interchangeably (I will as well), this has classical precedent. For instance, the stoics tended to use the word logic to refer to argument, monologue, persuasion, theory, and several other domains. The best definition for logic/dialectic is the art of reasoning for the purpose of discovering or demonstrating the truth. And so logic involves the study of the forms of argument as well as specific arguments. But why study dialectic? Isn't it easier to just go with gut feelings or go a long to get along?
Self-Deception, Self-Knowledge, and Self-Denial
In Luther’s 95 theses, he observes, “Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam agite, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.”
I think that Luther is correct here. For instance, in Romans 12:2, Paul summarizes the Christian life as being “transformed by the renewing of the mind.” Luther’s thought is that the entire Christian life is looking to God’s revelation in Christ, looking to ourselves as sinful and in need of grace and mercy, and transforming our minds on the basis of that revelation.
Dallas Willard on Acknowledging God
There are many passages of Scripture that give instructions whose application is not always apparent.
One of the most important disciplines prescribed in your Bible is to "set the Lord always before" you (Psalm 16:8). Elsewhere it is put this way, "In all your ways, acknowledge him..." (Proverbs 3:6).
But how? Dallas Willard gives us solid direction here:
How to Read Biblical Metaphor
When we read our bibles we’ll often come across well-crafted images which were meant, at the time, to pack tremendous rhetorical punch. Two of the biggest mistakes we can make are to:
- Read over the images with no feeling and think of them as ancient curiosities.
- Work hard to understand them academically without reference to the feelings that the human and divine authors wished you to feel.
An example of this might be to read something like Psalm 23 and simply observe that it is about God’s care or to read it and look at ancient parallels and attitudes toward shepherds or whether or not David wrote it. But the Psalm is using imagery to be formative and evocative.
Growth in Grace: Means
In previous posts I’ve been writing about God’s grace and what it means to grow in that grace.
To grow in anything, at least on purpose, we need to have three things. Vision, Intention, and Means.
Today, we learn about means. By what means can we grow in God’s grace?
A word about means, means are method or instruments for accomplishing something.
For instance, if I am fastening two boards together, the means by which I do it could be a nail or an adhesive like glue. The means by which I drive the nail is a hammer.
It's a New Year: Be the Ant
Pro 6:6-8 Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. (7) Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, (8) she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.This is a short passage. In context, the author is talking about settling accounts and avoiding poverty.
There are four ant-traits in the text that are relevant for settling accounts (Proverbs 6:1-5) and avoiding poverty:
Fake it Till You Make It
One of the weirdest struggles I have is periodic long stretches of depressive/depressing thoughts.
I’ve never been diagnosed with depression, but I sometimes struggle with debilitating self-doubt, lack of confidence, and even feelings of meaninglessness. And when I said debilitating, I meant that on a vacation I’ve been able to literally sit and do nothing unless somebody asked me to for days in a row. I’m sure that I don’t have clinical depression, because I manage to snap myself out of it. The point of this post is that tremendous self-doubts can be overcome, but not always by debating yourself.
The Fourth 'C'
Over at the Bold and Determined blog there is a post about the Three Cs of a morning routine (their post is great, read it).
They are:
- Coffee
- Cardio
- Cold Shower
Not only would I change the order, I would add a fourth.
Applying the Advanced Thought Kata: Evaluate Your Actions
Previously, I’ve written about two thought katas:
The advanced kata has applications beyond mere thoughts. If we change the words, this kata becomes a useful tool for evaluating your habits:All habits have a purpose with a point of view based on assumptions which have consequences and form our identities. With facts, data, and our experiences, we use inferences and judgments in order to determine if our habits are worthwhile.The subtle shift to habits is very important because many of us mindlessly perform the same habits for decades without ever thinking about them.
Application of the first move