The scent of a man

The writer Helen Keller was blind and deaf but her sense of smell was highly developed. Here she describes the scent of men: “Masculine exhalations are, as a rule, stronger, more vivid, more widely differentiated than those of women. In the odour of young men there is something elemental, as of fire, storm and salt sea. It pulsates with buoyancy and desire. It suggests all the things strong and beautiful and joyous and gives me a sense of physical happiness.”

Sacred fire

We’re forged in fire. Wouldn’t it be nice if a La-Z-Boy could do what fire does?

Mensch

Tad Jones had an anger problem. He was also mistrustful of authority. He figured the best thing was to go into the woods, where the tree giants were, and live there in a self-built shack. He also took a vow of silence which he kept for 40 years. Tad died this year, age 74, burned alive by one of California’s worst wildfires. They found his body in the middle of the road, alongside his two canes. “A slow, rusty death”—no, this was not for Tad, his sister said.

Refined

Comfort and security do not change a man. Only adversity can do that. We are hallowed and habilitated in difficult times.

The interplay of opposites

Bad men and good men need each other. Without bad, there would be no good. Without good, what would “bad” mean? This is the heat and fire of human interaction. We need friction.