In July 1950, Hayahi Yoken, a 22-year old novice monk, set fire to Kinkaku-ji, 金閣寺, the Golden Pavilion. In the smoldering aftermath, Japan confronted the unnerving question: why destroy beauty? At his trial, Yoken showed no remorse, saying only that his “hatred of all beauty” compelled him. Yukio Mishima seized on this confession for hisContinue reading “KINKAKU-JI”
Tag Archives: Zarathustra
Selling Confidence
To my ears, Trump is an inarticulate ignoramus with a heavy dose of meglomania. In a prior post, I linked to John McWhorter‘s analysis of Trump’s speech patterns. These YouTube clips summarize his conclusions: McWhorter elaborates in The Atlantic and concludes that Trump is a walking “hot mike” with no sensible filter. I agree. ButContinue reading “Selling Confidence”