“A hard truth: that courage can be without meaning or impact, need not be rewarded, or even known. The world has not been made in that way. Perhaps, however, within the self there might come a resonance, the awareness of having done something difficult, of having done . . . something.”

―Guy Gavriel Kay, The Last Light of the Sun

The simple fact of the matter is that no one’s paying attention to you. We look around, self conscious that we’ll be judged for our actions. Or, perhaps even worse, we act merely because we hope to impress others. 

No one cares. This is not said to belittle you or to cast aspersions on our fellow human beings. It is simple reality. We are all busy, all preoccupied with our own lives. Think back to a few days ago, the last time you went out in public. How many strangers did you pass? How much did you notice about them then? Do you remember anything about them now?

Work in an office, where you regularly see the same people? Fine, but just think: How much do you truly take note of what others are wearing, or how they’re performing, or the choices they make? And of what little you do notice in the moment, how much do you recall a day or two later?

The lesson here is that you must act for yourself. Don’t hold back for fear of judgment, or act out simply because you think it will make you “cool.” Almost no one will notice if you do something “embarrassing,” and even fewer people will care if you act only to impress others. As everyone knows: the only person who thinks the guy blasting his car radio is cool is the guy in the car. Don’t be the guy in the car.

Note to readers: Each week, I share a fantasy quote and indulge my inner philosopher with a brief essay based on said quote. Share your favorite quote with me and I might feature it in a future newsletter! Email: dtkane@dtkane.com.

“I’ve met dozens of officers who think their immaculate mustache can move the world.”

― Brian McClellan, The Autumn Republic

If you follow Brian McClellan on Twitter, you might have seen he had a tough week, so I thought I’d throw some love his way and select this week’s quote from one of his books. Brian, hope you get well soon and condolences on your recent loss.

I like this quote because it’s a great example of how fantasy can have multiple layers. On the surface, it’s a funny quip that shows how arrogant these officers are. And if that’s all you want to read it for, that’s fine. Just enjoy the story!

But you can also find a deeper meaning. So often, we fool ourselves about what really matters. If I can just get that new outfit, car, house, whatever, then I’ll be happy! Or, I need to get those things to impress my neighbors, coworkers, friends, whoever.  We chase material possessions and seek to impress others but never stop to consider why we’re doing so.

If the new clothes or car make you feel good and bring value to your life, then great! By all means, get them. I’m not here to tell you what to like or how to spend your money. Just make sure you understand the real reason you’re making a purchase, or flaunting one you’ve already made.

Just as the officers in Brian McClellan’s story look like fools to the objective observer, so too will we feel foolish if the only reason we’ve done something is because societal norms told us we ought to. Or even worse–we did it to impress others we don’t even like. Take a moment to consider the why behind your desires and choose a path that will actually make you happy.

Photo: “Different Times,” by D. T. Kane. Two of D. T. Kane’s favorite timepieces: His Grandfather’s 1950 Omega Automatic and a Nomos Club, a 30th birthday present from Mrs. Kane.

Note to readers: Each week, I share a fantasy quote and indulge my inner philosopher with a brief essay based on said quote. Share your favorite quote with me and I might feature it in a future newsletter! Email: dtkane@dtkane.com.

“It’s a gift if it makes us better. It’s a curse if we let it destroy us.”

― N.K. Jemisin, The Fifth Season

I was listening to the Legendarium podcast this week and their episode on N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season, Book 1 in her Broken Earth trilogy. (Incidentally, the Legendarium is an excellent podcast if you like taking deep dives into some of your favorite fantasy novels.) It’s a great book that I’ve read before, so I thought I’d feature a quote from it this week. 

So often, the way a thing makes us feel is dependent on the perspectival lens through which we decide to view it. It’s a Stoic maxim that only you can make yourself upset, or angry, or frustrated, or any other emotion. It isn’t your jerk co-worker, or friend, or spouse, who made you mad, but rather the way you decided to react to that person.

That isn’t to say emotions are bad. It’s only human to experience them. But just as we shouldn’t let children drive the school bus, we shouldn’t let our emotions dictate our mood and reactions.

Instead, embrace the idea that, while a certain statement, or event, or bit of news might initially make you feel a certain way, you don’t have to let it ruin your moment, or hour, or whole day. Instead, take a deep breath and realize you can choose your reaction. Look for the good in all that happens, or at least embrace that you can’t control the acts of others, and as such, choose not to let them control you.

Note to readers: Each week, I share a fantasy quote and indulge my inner philosopher with a brief essay based on said quote. Share your favorite quote with me and I might feature it in a future newsletter! Email: dtkane@dtkane.com.

“He found himself wondering at times, especially in the autumn, about the wild lands, and strange visions of mountains that he had never seen came into his dreams… He looked at maps, and wondered what lay beyond their edges.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Change can be difficult, but sometimes it’s easier when combined with an external cue. The shifting of seasons is such an opportunity. Change is all around us this time of year: summer vacations ending, school years beginning, leaves changing colors, short sleeves exchanged for sweaters. 

In this atmosphere of transition, consider putting to practice a change you’ve been putting off. It doesn’t have to be big: one less cup of coffee in the morning, a five-minute exercise routine, or even finally taking that daytrip to see the autumn leaves that you always say you’d like to do.

It’s often easier to do something new with a partner, but that partner doesn’t have to be a person. Use the inevitable tide of change that’s occurring all around you this time of year as the motivation you need. Whenever you look out the window and see those golden leaves, let it be a reminder of the change you want to put into practice.

Note to readers: Each week, I share a fantasy quote and indulge my inner philosopher with a brief essay based on said quote. Share your favorite quote with me and I might feature it in a future newsletter! Email: dtkane@dtkane.com.

Photo: Greenway Trail, Southern Tier, NY (Photo Credit: D. T. Kane)

“Mockery is just hate’s patina, and every laugh is vicious.”

Steven Erikson, Deadhouse Gates

Judgement. Something we pretend not to do, but that everyone does on a daily basis. The clothes she wears, the way he acts, the opinions another holds. It’s not something to be ashamed of. In many instances, our brain passes judgment before we’re even conscious it’s doing so.

What we ought to be ashamed of, though, is permitting those snap judgments to dictate how we act. Quite often, when we look down on another, it has nothing to with them. Rather, it’s because something about that person has touched upon an insecurity we ourselves possess. We turn our noses at someone’s clothes because we have a poor self image; we condemn another’s actions because, deep down, we fear the risk of failure that accompanies action; we chastise an opinion because we don’t have the courage to admit we haven’t a clue. 

Judgments are everywhere, and sometimes acting on them is even necessary. But unless you’ve walked into a bear or are diving away from a speeding car, judgments are a beginning, not an end. The next time you think to criticize, stop and ask yourself: What does that criticism say about me? You might just learn something about yourself and gain a new-found appreciation for another.

Big thanks to Kris S for submitting this week’s quote!

Note to readers: Each week, I share a fantasy quote and indulge my inner philosopher with a brief essay based on said quote. Share your favorite quote with me and I might feature it in a future newsletter! Email: dtkane@dtkane.com.

“Too late, I found you can’t wait to become perfect, you go to go out and fall down and get up with everybody else.”

Ray Bradbury, Something WiCKed This Way Comes

Patience is a virtue, or so they say. But is it? Perhaps not when it comes to achieving your dreams. How often have you heard someone say, “I wish I could do this, but the time just isn’t right”; or, “I’ll get around to that… someday”; or, maybe the saddest of all, “I wish I’d just tried.”

Taking a shot is scary. It makes you vulnerable, risks failure, forces you to face reality. In a world where most have settled for good enough, going for what you really want makes you an outlier, a weirdo, a boat-rocker. But don’t let those naysayers stop you. Contrary to popular wisdom, the time will never be perfect for you to take a chance, so you might as well take one now. Don’t be that person who looks back one day with wistful eyes and says, “I wish…”

Note to readers: Each week, I share a fantasy quote and indulge my inner philosopher with a brief essay based on said quote. Share your favorite quote with me and I might feature it in a future newsletter! Email: dtkane@dtkane.com.

“Words are the only bullets in truth’s bandolier. And poets are the snipers.”

― Dan Simmons, Hyperion

Cheese pizza. Pilsner beer. The cap-toe oxford. Simple things. Boring, some might say. But in today’s frenetic society, we often lose sight of simplicity’s beauty.

Just as poetry thrives on an economy of words, so too should we consider simplifying our lives. How many things, both physical and intangible, enter our lives that serve no useful purpose, do nothing to further our goals and values? We permit ourselves to hide behind all this meaningless clutter, and for that reason it can be frightening to clear it away.

But clear it away we must! Just as shoddy baking can’t hide behind cheese and sauce, poor brewing is magnified by a pilsner’s minimal ingredients, and the slightest scuff sullies even the most expensive pair of oxfords, so too can we no longer hide from our inadequacies, fears, and dreams once we are surrounded by only that which brings meaning, purpose, or joy.

There is truth in simplicity.

Note to readers: Each week, I share a fantasy quote and indulge my inner philosopher with a brief essay based on said quote. Share your favorite quote with me and I might feature it in a future newsletter! Email: dtkane@dtkane.com.

Second note to readers: Yes, I know Cantillon Gueze is not a pilsner. But it is simple in its own, deliciously sour way!

“A book is as dangerous as any journey you might take. The person who closes the back cover may not be the same one that opened the front one. Treat them with respect.”

-Mark Lawrence, Red Sister

Can knowledge ever be a bad thing? I’d argue no. Knowledge is neither inherently good nor evil. It is the use to which it is put that determines its morality.

What is unquestionably wrong, however, is restricting one’s ability to obtain knowledge. Therein lies a path to evil, for once acquisition of knowledge is restricted, inequity is sure to follow. It is a lack of knowledge—be it through laws, willful blindness, or simple ignorance—that is to blame for much of the world’s problems.

If we each could just ask a few more questions and read a few more books, how much better off would we all be?

Note to readers: Each week, I share a fantasy quote and indulge my inner philosopher with a brief essay based on said quote. Share your favorite quote with me and I might feature it in a future newsletter! Email: dtkane@dtkane.com.

Check out D. T. Kane’s fantasy novels, here: www.dtkane.com/books

Support D. T. Kane on Patreon: www.patreon.com/dtkane

Listen to his podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/dtkane