Thanks again. I'm going back to school for my master's in math in about a month, and I'm trying to be a much more serious student this go around. NO TOLERANCE FOR FRIVOLITY.
Dear Mr Cromwell, thank you for sharing your wisdom. Your understanding of self reliance and self responsibility is refreshing. May I take this opportunity to wish you and all of your viewers a very happy Christmas and every blessing this coming year, with special reference to the advice contained in this video. Greetings and best wishes from England.
@@citytutoring Yes they really are lovely, especially if time is taken to lovingly prepare and not rush the cooking process, an undercooked Brussel Spout is really quite a challenge 😞. Sir may I make a suggestion, I believe that the tone of your voice, and manner of speech would lend itself perfectly to the reading of classical American literature. I do hope that you will consider expanding into this field. That being said, many thanks for your videos which are most informative and compelling. My very best wishes.
Thank you for the suggestion! For what it's worth, I was involved in several classical American theater plays during my high school years...plays such as "The Crucible", for example, starring as Reverend Parris. And, here in my town, I do get called upon sometimes for readings of Edgar Allan Poe.
@citytutoring I am so glad to hear that the concept suggested, is not an alien idea to you, and that you have explored already the performance of such classics. I hope that you will give the suggestion your consideration. Many thanks
My Grandmother taught me something valuable. She was uncomfortable with people giving to her. I experience some of that discomfort myself. However, what she taught me was that accepting gifts with grace is itself a gift. I don't mean just material objects, but meeting a need without having been asked. That has been xmas to me for a long time.
That was lovely to read, thank you for sharing that wisdom! What a beautiful lesson your grandmother passed on. Grace in accepting gifts-whether material or intangible-is indeed a gift in itself. When we accept with grace, we’re not just taking; we’re completing a cycle of kindness, showing the giver that their effort mattered. And isn’t that, in a way, what Christmas is about? Not just the giving or receiving, but the mutual acknowledgment of care and connection. May you and your family have a lovely, and happy Christmas!
Alfred, I always appreciate the strength of your beliefs, which are not the same as mine, but lets accept the first amendment wasn't always respected in the US. Not long ago Scott Ritter was censored and his house searched by the FBI, many Russian channels were being censored recently in several US platforms, etc. There is plenty of examples. Not to mention good old McCarthy policies. Also, the concept of "you're on your own" contradicts the concept of building community. All I can say is the size, shape and color of the capitalist carrot is constantly changing, so people gets confused and lost. Then, when the US military hegemony is challenged we face a nuclear exchange and a potential end of life on Earth. You see? If ambitions don't have a limit they eventually turn against ourselves. Best wishes to you too!
I always appreciate a vigorous debate, and I thank you for your reply-it’s always refreshing to engage with someone willing to delve into these topics. You’re right that the First Amendment has had its ups and downs throughout history, and no system is immune to periods of overreach or contradiction. Scott Ritter, McCarthyism, and the censorship you mentioned are reminders that even a free society must remain vigilant to safeguard its freedoms. However, I’d argue that those examples highlight the need for us all to be very fierce in the defense of our liberties. When you have potholes in the road, you don't abandon your journey, but instead wish for them to be patched so you can keep driving. As for the "you're on your own" mindset, building a strong community doesn’t mean handing over all agency to a collective-it means empowering individuals so that their contributions make the community stronger. After all, the best teams are made of individuals who bring their unique strengths to the table, not ones where everyone simply follows the crowd. I do think you need both - you need individuals, but you also need individuals who have the right moral framework to work with communities since it is very true that "no man is an island". Now, regarding the "carrot" of capitalism, I’d say its shape and color change because human ambition evolves, and with it, the challenges and opportunities we face. Yes, unbridled ambition can lead to self-destruction, but it’s also the spark behind innovation, discovery, and progress. The key is steering that ambition responsibly-something that both individuals and governments must strive to achieve. The individual, by constantly striving to be better morally, and governments must be committed to a free society for all with proper legal frameworks to prevent abuse. Unfortunately, today in America we see neither, so despair sets in and then people will say "it's all useless anyway". And on the topic of military hegemony and nuclear threats, I wholeheartedly agree that no ambition should come at the cost of humanity itself. That’s precisely why dialogue, mutual respect, and a clear sense of personal responsibility are so critical. We need more thoughtful conversations like this one to ensure that our ambitions, both as individuals and as a society, don’t veer into chaos. That being said, I do believe in having a strong nuclear deterrent, which has kept the peace for so long. Best wishes to you as well-and let’s keep this conversation going. The more we exchange ideas, the freer we become as a society because I know that we both seek truth. That is indeed the tricky part isn't it? The most difficult part is to settle on "shared" truths.
@@citytutoring I replied some hours ago but now it's not here. UA-cam mustn't have liked something in the text I wrote, which usually happens, safety at the expense of censorship.
@@marcelob.5300 Oh no! I know it can be so frustrating when that happens. Can you try again perhaps? What I usually do if I write a long response to something is to save it, just in case a glitch or some other thing like this happens.
@@citytutoring I was basically saying I don't think deterrence is comparable to peace. I'd rather say it's a state of indefinite war plagued by sick feelings of paranoia and constantly finding the opportunity for destruction and suicide. Nothing good can come out of that living status. Yes, I know mankind is not a loving rational being and nukes do exists. But I'd define real peace as a temporary status of not wishing to destroy your competitor or die attempting it. So, comparing deterrence with peace ends up having a misleading effect. We've been at war, for decades, nonstop. A war of threats for destruction and suicide. Hopefully UA-cam won't censor this comment 🙂
Thanks again. I'm going back to school for my master's in math in about a month, and I'm trying to be a much more serious student this go around. NO TOLERANCE FOR FRIVOLITY.
Dear Mr Cromwell, thank you for sharing your wisdom. Your understanding of self reliance and self responsibility is refreshing. May I take this opportunity to wish you and all of your viewers a very happy Christmas and every blessing this coming year, with special reference to the advice contained in this video. Greetings and best wishes from England.
Thank you! Happy Christmas to you as well...I must say, I do wish I could partake in those lovely English Christmas roasts today!
@@citytutoring Yes they really are lovely, especially if time is taken to lovingly prepare and not rush the cooking process, an undercooked Brussel Spout is really quite a challenge 😞. Sir may I make a suggestion, I believe that the tone of your voice, and manner of speech would lend itself perfectly to the reading of classical American literature. I do hope that you will consider expanding into this field. That being said, many thanks for your videos which are most informative and compelling. My very best wishes.
Thank you for the suggestion! For what it's worth, I was involved in several classical American theater plays during my high school years...plays such as "The Crucible", for example, starring as Reverend Parris. And, here in my town, I do get called upon sometimes for readings of Edgar Allan Poe.
@citytutoring I am so glad to hear that the concept suggested, is not an alien idea to you, and that you have explored already the performance of such classics. I hope that you will give the suggestion your consideration. Many thanks
My Grandmother taught me something valuable. She was uncomfortable with people giving to her. I experience some of that discomfort myself. However, what she taught me was that accepting gifts with grace is itself a gift. I don't mean just material objects, but meeting a need without having been asked. That has been xmas to me for a long time.
That was lovely to read, thank you for sharing that wisdom! What a beautiful lesson your grandmother passed on. Grace in accepting gifts-whether material or intangible-is indeed a gift in itself. When we accept with grace, we’re not just taking; we’re completing a cycle of kindness, showing the giver that their effort mattered. And isn’t that, in a way, what Christmas is about? Not just the giving or receiving, but the mutual acknowledgment of care and connection.
May you and your family have a lovely, and happy Christmas!
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Happy Christmas Professor Cromwell!
Merry Christmas Mr. Cromwell.
Merry Christmas!
Alfred, I always appreciate the strength of your beliefs, which are not the same as mine, but lets accept the first amendment wasn't always respected in the US. Not long ago Scott Ritter was censored and his house searched by the FBI, many Russian channels were being censored recently in several US platforms, etc. There is plenty of examples. Not to mention good old McCarthy policies. Also, the concept of "you're on your own" contradicts the concept of building community. All I can say is the size, shape and color of the capitalist carrot is constantly changing, so people gets confused and lost. Then, when the US military hegemony is challenged we face a nuclear exchange and a potential end of life on Earth. You see? If ambitions don't have a limit they eventually turn against ourselves. Best wishes to you too!
I always appreciate a vigorous debate, and I thank you for your reply-it’s always refreshing to engage with someone willing to delve into these topics. You’re right that the First Amendment has had its ups and downs throughout history, and no system is immune to periods of overreach or contradiction. Scott Ritter, McCarthyism, and the censorship you mentioned are reminders that even a free society must remain vigilant to safeguard its freedoms. However, I’d argue that those examples highlight the need for us all to be very fierce in the defense of our liberties. When you have potholes in the road, you don't abandon your journey, but instead wish for them to be patched so you can keep driving. As for the "you're on your own" mindset, building a strong community doesn’t mean handing over all agency to a collective-it means empowering individuals so that their contributions make the community stronger. After all, the best teams are made of individuals who bring their unique strengths to the table, not ones where everyone simply follows the crowd. I do think you need both - you need individuals, but you also need individuals who have the right moral framework to work with communities since it is very true that "no man is an island".
Now, regarding the "carrot" of capitalism, I’d say its shape and color change because human ambition evolves, and with it, the challenges and opportunities we face. Yes, unbridled ambition can lead to self-destruction, but it’s also the spark behind innovation, discovery, and progress. The key is steering that ambition responsibly-something that both individuals and governments must strive to achieve. The individual, by constantly striving to be better morally, and governments must be committed to a free society for all with proper legal frameworks to prevent abuse. Unfortunately, today in America we see neither, so despair sets in and then people will say "it's all useless anyway".
And on the topic of military hegemony and nuclear threats, I wholeheartedly agree that no ambition should come at the cost of humanity itself. That’s precisely why dialogue, mutual respect, and a clear sense of personal responsibility are so critical. We need more thoughtful conversations like this one to ensure that our ambitions, both as individuals and as a society, don’t veer into chaos. That being said, I do believe in having a strong nuclear deterrent, which has kept the peace for so long.
Best wishes to you as well-and let’s keep this conversation going. The more we exchange ideas, the freer we become as a society because I know that we both seek truth. That is indeed the tricky part isn't it? The most difficult part is to settle on "shared" truths.
@@citytutoringI didn't read this entire reply (yet), but yes, unbridled ambition can be a spark that ignites either destruction or innovation...
@@citytutoring I replied some hours ago but now it's not here. UA-cam mustn't have liked something in the text I wrote, which usually happens, safety at the expense of censorship.
@@marcelob.5300 Oh no! I know it can be so frustrating when that happens. Can you try again perhaps? What I usually do if I write a long response to something is to save it, just in case a glitch or some other thing like this happens.
@@citytutoring I was basically saying I don't think deterrence is comparable to peace. I'd rather say it's a state of indefinite war plagued by sick feelings of paranoia and constantly finding the opportunity for destruction and suicide. Nothing good can come out of that living status. Yes, I know mankind is not a loving rational being and nukes do exists. But I'd define real peace as a temporary status of not wishing to destroy your competitor or die attempting it. So, comparing deterrence with peace ends up having a misleading effect. We've been at war, for decades, nonstop. A war of threats for destruction and suicide. Hopefully UA-cam won't censor this comment 🙂