Forced Perpetual Progress

 

—La sociedad industrial está condenada al progreso forzado a perpetuidad.

—Industrial society is condemned to forced perpetual progress.

It is the curse of the world we are living in today.  I was waiting in the line at the bank (where people want human interaction) and got in a conversation with an older gentleman who was annoyed by the new electronic payment methods which are progress but don't seem an improvement on the old ways because they leave those left behind in a lurch.

Yesterday's Splendid Future

 

—Hace doscientos años era lícito confiar en el futuro sin ser totalmente estúpido.

¿Hoy quién puede creer en las actuales profecías, puesto que somos el espléndido porvenir de ayer?

 —Two hundred years ago it was permissible to trust in the future without being totally stupid.

But today, who can believe in the current prophecies, since we are yesterday’s splendid future?

I grew up in the 1970s.  Fifty years later, it seems like I grew up in an almost golden age, though the seeds that would destroy the 2025 present were being sown.

What I Would Like This Blog About Nicolás Gómez Dávila To Be

 As I have said, the NGD quote videos get more views, likes, and comments when I upload them to WeChat Channels, a Chinese video site, as opposed to when I upload them to YouTube.  Some of my Chinese audience will ask me questions  about the meanings of NGD aphorisms.or offer their own insights — that is what I would love to see on this blog. So come on, rare readers, let the interaction begin!

Silent Solitude

Here is the video 

—En una soledad silenciosa sólo fructifica el alma capaz de vencer en las más públicas lides.

El débil pide estruendo.

—In silent solitude only the soul capable of conquering in the most public disputes bears fruit.The weakling begs for commotion.

Beautiful Thought.

Paradise

 

—El paraíso no se esconde en nuestra opacidad

interna, sino en las terrazas y en los árboles de un

jardín ordenado, bajo la luz del mediodía.

—Paradise is hidden not in our inner opacity, but in

the terrace and trees of a well-tended garden beneath

the midday sun.

I also post these videos on Rumble

The Sensual

 

—Lo sensual es la presencia del valor en lo sensible.

—The sensual is the presence of a value in the

sensible.

What does NGD mean by this?  To be crude, it is not the so-called sensuality of the modern ideas of sexuality.  It is an intimacy, but of of St. Thomas Aquinas’ statement: “It must be that God is in all things most intimately” (Summa Theologiae, I, q. 8, art. 1). 

Not reject but prefer

—No rechazar, sino preferir.

—Not reject, but prefer.

I feel this short aphorism shows NGD’s ability to consider all ideas and things.

My Chesterton Playlist

 Would NGD have read the writings of GK Chesterton (GKC)?  NGD had a big library, was a Catholic, and was a reactionary like GKC so I don’t see why he wouldn’t have.

I break up my readings videos of NGD with readings of GKC and others.

Here’s a GKC reading I uploaded today:

Here’s My GKC playlist.

Sex

 The video in the previous entry got over 7,500 views and hundreds of likes and hearts,  I wonder if this video will do as well.

—El sexo no resuelve ni los problemas sexuales.

—Sex does not solve even sexual problems.

This video is getting more views than usual on WeChat, but not as many as the previous.  In North America, I’ve gotten but two views alas.

Good Will

 

—La buena voluntad es la panacea de los tontos.

—Good will is the panacea of fools.

A mistake I have made numerous times in my life to assume it.

This video has over 7,000 views and counting on WeChat.

My favorite NGD Aphorism

 

Ridicule

 

—El ridículo es tribunal de suprema instancia en

nuestra condición terrestre.

—Ridicule is the highest court of appeals in our earthly condition.

Though, these days some things are so ridiculous, it’s hard to ridicule them.

An individual's culture

 

—La cultura del individuo es la suma de objetos

intelectuales o artísticos que le producen placer.

—An individual’s culture is the sum total of

intellectual or artistic objects that bring him pleasure.

The silent presence of a fool

 

—La presencia silenciosa de un tonto es el agente

catalítico que precipita, en una conversación, todas

las estupideces de que sean capaces los interlocutores

más inteligentes.

—The silent presence of a fool is the catalyst that

precipitates in a conversation all the stupidities of

which the most intelligent speakers are capable.

Politicians talking…

A Naked Body

 This one is getting a lot of views in China.

—Un cuerpo desnudo resuelve todos los problemas

del universo.

— A naked body solves all the universe’s problems.

But do they truly understand it?

NGD was a sensualist, but still a fervent Roman Catholic.

Clothes often reveal people’s preferred pretensions.  Get rid of pretensions; get rid of problems.

So far, my reading has earned me over one thousand views on WeChat; one view on YouTube.

Sacrificing Prejudices to Passions

 Combines with what Simone Weil says about Grace and Problems.

How did I find out about Nicolás Gómez Dávila?

 I found out about NGD from my favorite blogger David Warren who blogs here.

I highly recommend you visit Essaya in Idleness. It is a contrarian blog, in the sense that it is against all the modern insanities.

Here is the entry that I will always cherish.

Prejudices

… defend against stupid ideas.

They do if you think about it.  Knowing a person’s motivations beforehand and you can guess the silly paths down which he may proceed.

—Los prejuicios defienden de las ideas estúpidas.

—Prejudices defend against stupid ideas.

The Occupation of a Convict

—Transformar el mundo: ocupación de presidiario

resignado a su condena.

—Transforming the world: the occupation of a

convict resigned to his punishment.

 

The Rocky Terrain of Commonplaces

 

• Hastiada de deslizarse por la cómoda pendiente de las opiniones atrevidas, la inteligencia al fin se interna en los parajes fragosos de los lugares comunes.
• Tired of slipping off the comfortable slope of daring opinions, intelligence finally settles in the rocky terrain of commonplaces.

The intelligent man’s unjust judgements

 

What about my unjust judgements?  

Love & Hate do not create

 

• Amor u odio no son creadores, sino reveladores, de calidades que nuestra indiferencia opaca.
• Love and hate do not create, but reveal, qualitieswhich our indifference obscures.

I use NGD translations to improve my Spanish comprehension.

What reason considers impossible

 

....makes the heart overflow.  

We often can't explain why we like what we do.

This aphorism is like a line of poetry, it explains better the human condition better than a long prose piece ever could.

The Greatest Modern Error

 A streak of evil runs through everyone.

Thank you for your support

Personality in our time

 The fool is seemingly impressed by glibness.

Welcome to the AKNGD Blog: Here are some goodies to entice you!

 The idea just came into my head to do this blog.  I have a vague idea what I'll do with it.  Suffice to say that Nicolás Gómez Dávila is my favorite philosopher and that I have added content to the web to make his thought more accessible.

 For example

Here is a video I have done of NGD's aphorisms.  I upload them to WeChat, Youtube, and Rumble.

Here is my Youtube NGD playlist.  Over 170 videos as of this blog posting.

Here is a compilation of NGD aphorisms that I made into a pdf and that you can download.