mortuus

Review: "Violence: Six Sideways Reflections" by Slavoj Žižek. I didn’t expect this book to hit the way it did. It isn’t about the kind of violence we usually notice—wars, riots, or crime. Žižek goes deeper, pulling apart the invisible, everyday systems that make those violent moments possible in the first place. It’s not a comfortable read, but maybe that’s the point.There’s this unsettling calm to how he talks about injustice. How silence, order, even politeness can be forms of violence too. I kept thinking about how often we accept unfair systems just because they feel “normal.” He forces you to sit with that discomfort.Sometimes his examples feel too fast, or like he’s being deliberately provocative. But there’s something important underneath: a refusal to accept the surface explanation. He wants us to look sideways, like the title says—to question what we usually don’t even think of as violent.It’s a short book, but not an easy one. I wouldn’t say I agreed with everything, but it made me more alert to how we participate in things without even realizing it, like politics. If you want something that shakes up how you think about violence—not just as action, but as structure—this is worth reading. Just don’t expect clean answers. Only more uncomfortable, necessary questions.And remember: the personal is political.Btw, does anyone know how to pronounce the author's name? Lol.

𝐎𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥true freedom isn’t doing what I want—it’s knowing why I want it,and being able to walk away.socrates said self-control is the root of all virtue.I think he meant:the self must first be heldbefore it can be lived.without it, desire drags me—toward comfort, noise, escape.with it, I can pause,choose,and become someone I trust.maybe discipline isn’t harsh.maybe it’s a quiet kind of love.one that says:not this—not now—because we are so much more than our hunger.reflections on memorabilia by socrates, book 1

The Revenge of Geography by Robert D. Kaplan helps you see how geography, as in mountains, rivers, deserts, and borders, still shapes how countries act today, just like it did in the past. Kaplan doesn’t judge nations or leaders. He simply explains how the land influences what is possible and why certain patterns in history repeat.His writing about places like the Middle East, Northeast Asia, and the West is especially interesting. For example, he shows how a country's position on the map helps explain its role in the region. It’s not just about politics—it’s about geography guiding decisions and challenges. The same is true for other countries.What I liked is that the book doesn’t take sides. It gives a calm, clear view of why some tensions continue and why cooperation can be hard. It’s not always easy to read, but it offers a bigger picture that feels important right now.Btw, I have no idea what to read next. Any recommendations? I like geopolitics and horror. 👾

The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus left me feeling a little empty. I wanted this book to reach deeper, to leave something in me that would stay—but somehow it didn’t.Camus writes about the absurd—the idea that life has no real meaning, and that we have to keep going anyway, like Sisyphus pushing his rock forever. I understand this feeling. I’ve felt it too. And I respect the honesty in his words, the way he doesn’t pretend or offer false hope. There’s courage in that. But the way he explains it felt distant, almost cold. Like watching someone talk about thirst without offering water.I wanted to feel what he meant, not just think about it. Some parts touched me—the quiet strength of choosing to live without answers—but most of the book stayed in the mind, not the heart. Maybe I hoped for something more human. Something closer, softer. A quiet voice beside me, not a lecture.I don’t regret reading it. I think this book is important in its own way. But it left me wanting more. More warmth, more life.It’s a book for thinking, but not for feeling. And maybe that’s why it disappointed me. Just a little🫩

I just finished my annual re-read of The Prince. I want to recommend it because I feel like we’re losing ourselves. We talk about progress and justice all the time, but sometimes it feels fake. Like people care more about how they look than who they really are.This book doesn’t pretend. Machiavelli writes about power in a very raw and honest way. He says things that are hard to hear, like how fear can be more useful than love, or how sometimes people have to do “bad” things to protect what they have. It’s not nice, but it feels real.I think we need that kind of honesty right now. Not to become cold or cruel, but to wake up. We can’t fix the world if we keep pretending it works in a way it doesn’t. This book shows the side of human nature that we like to ignore, and even if I don’t agree with everything, I respect that it doesn’t lie.It’s not an easy read, but it’s short, and it stays with you. If you’ve been feeling like the world is drifting, like something important is being lost, maybe this book will help you see things more clearly. It helped me.If you like geopolitics and philosophy, this is for you!!!! For all those realists out there🫩

I’ve been thinking about 'The Brothers Karamazov' (by my favorite author, Fyodor Dostoevsky) and how I see myself in Alyosha. Not because I’m perfect, but because he chooses a quieter, harder path. He steps away from comfort to live with purpose, and I feel like I’m trying to do the same.People might think I’m weird, but I’m just focused. I don’t want to waste time or repeat old mistakes. That’s why I’m hard on myself. Not out of hate, but because I care. I want to grow into someone I can respect.Alyosha stays soft without being weak. He carries questions and pain but keeps moving forward. I try to do that too. I follow something quiet inside, even when it’s hard.It’s not easy. I get tired, and sometimes I feel like I’m missing out. But I’d rather make sacrifices now than live without meaning later. Even if no one sees it, I know what I’m working toward.

I’ve been reading Zhuangzi lately, and it’s one of those books that doesn’t really try to teach you anything but somehow it still says a lot.It’s full of little stories about dreams, useless trees, and people who just live without forcing things. It made me think that maybe we don’t need to always have a plan, or be productive, or even understand ourselves completely.As someone who spends a lot of time in my head, wondering where I fit in or what I’m supposed to be doing, this book felt kind of freeing. Not because it gave me answers, but because it reminded me that it’s okay not to have them.