A final wise lesson from Seneca’s Letter 1.

📚 La désaffection pour les livres et l’écrit ne menace pas seulement la postérité des grands romanciers comme Marcel Proust. De la cognition à la démocratie libérale, en passant par la croissance économique, les dégâts risquent d’être importants… "La fin de la lecture", à la Une de L’Express cette semaine. 👉 lexpress.fr/idees-et-debats/…

I’m delighted to be featured in this cover story for @LEXPRESS, explaining why I don’t think the doom and gloom about reading is quite as bad as it seems. There’s no magic wand, but the young people are alright. Once I get a moment, I’ll post some excerpts in translation!

There is more to Dante’s Divine Comedy than meets the eye, and Dante himself stops the story to make sure you don't miss it. In Canto 8 of Purgatorio, angels defend pilgrim souls against a serpent every single night. But notice the detail: their swords are blunted. Why stage a fake fight? ✨In this week's episode of Dante Minutes, we explore: - Why Dante breaks the fourth wall in the Valley of Princes. -The symbolism of the blunted swords and the defeated serpent of Eden. -How Canto 8 uses medieval numerology (the number of rebirth and regeneration) to prepare us for the gates of Purgatory proper in Canto 9. What do you think Dante means by "sharpening our eyes to look upon the truth"? And if you enjoyed this deep dive, don't forget to Like and subscribe to the free series via The Greats Story Lab to stream all of Inferno and Purgatory. Happy Fri-Dante!

For Celebrate Tuesday this week, I want to highlight someone who is changing the way we think about mental health and daily well-being: Eli Sussman (@elisusman ). Eli and I met through mutual friend Dave Nussbaum’s (@davenuss79 ) writing group. Buckle, up because Eli’s background reads like an adventure quest in science and wisdom! 🎓 Ph.D. in Psychology from UC Berkeley 🔬 Research supported by the NSF & Mind & Life Institute 🧘 Trained in traditional contemplative lineages (and taught yoga everywhere from the US to Madagascar) 📚 Researcher at Harvard & Berkeley testing 20–30 second science-based micro-practices What I admire most about Eli is his relentless focus on what actually works for real people with packed schedules. It’s not about stepping away to find peace: it’s about bringing peace, health, and well-being into the middle of everyday life. I was lucky to read an early copy of Eli’s book and let me tell you: I enjoyed every moment of it! Dive in, because you’re in for a treat! And if you’ve already read it, then might I suggest you follow me over to Amazon to leave a review? It’s hard to overstate what a difference that can make for an author. So excited to celebrate you today, Eli and the launch of this incredible book! 🌟