1. I had my students read The Gods of the Copybook Headings this week (it’s almost exam time and I didn’t want to start new lessons, so we’re just reading Kipling poems). It’s really amazing that this was written in 1919, when its subject matter and thesis are a pitch-perfect match to the present. But of course, that is the point of the poem: that it is one of the perennial temptations of mankind to believe the lie that traditional morality can be safely dispensed with and replaced by something more appealing.

But morality is not arbitrary; it’s built into the nature of man. Do X, Y results. Not because of conditioning or social factors, but because that is the natural and normal outcome.

2. The reason highly ‘civilized’ people who ‘follow the march of mankind’ are the most tempted by this is that social structures can give you some insulation from consequences (e.g. birth control and infanticide can shield you from the more obvious consequences of sexual immorality). But, of course, those aren’t going to be around always and forever, nor are they going to be perfect.

I’ve actually heard Leftists trying to make the argument “Enforcement is not as important now, because we have better social structures in place.” As if laws mean anything absent enforcement.

3. In any case, my assessment of the world today is that the Gods of the Copybook Headings are coming back, and anyone who wants to survive needs to get on their side.

4. This semester has been pretty rough for me. I wasn’t nearly as prepared as I should have been, and my time and attention was once again consumed by trying to keep up with my curricula while more-or-less making them up as I went. This has meant very little writing or reading for my own sake, as well as a sense of dissatisfaction with my own teaching work.

But it’s over at last, and I’ve got some breathing space to try to get ahead of things. Which means that curricula are still going to be first priority for a bit, but I see a light at the end of the tunnel.

5. Rule of thumb: only let your kids watch stuff that you would be willing to watch.

6. It was just brought to my attention that we are approaching the ten year anniversary of The Force Awakens. And now, with the benefit of hindsight, I think it can be safely said that that film is terrible. Terrible in itself, worse as a part of the series, and perhaps worst of all as an example of the state of filmmaking. It and its sequels are pretty much a point-by-point illustration of how not to tell a story.

Then, of course, it kicked off this era of shallow, soulless sequels, requels, and remakes, which we are still suffering through. A curse upon that film.

7. Of course, the true sequel to the original Star Wars trilogy is Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire series and its sequels.