[This treatise was written as a salve, a solace, and a prescription for the sick, and as a visit to the sick and a wish for their speedy recovery.]
It describes briefly Twenty-Five Remedies which may offer true consolation and a beneficial cure for the sick and those struck by disaster, who form one tenth of mankind.
FIRST REMEDY
Unhappy sick person! Do not be anxious, have patience! Your illness is not a malady for you; it is a sort of cure. For life departs like capital. If it yields no fruits, it is wasted. And if it passes in ease and heedlessness, it passes most swiftly. Illness makes that capital of yours yield huge profits. Moreover, it does not allow your life to pass quickly, it restrains it and lengthens it, so that it will depart after yielding its fruits. An indication that your life is lengthened through illness is the following much repeated proverb: “The times of calamity are long, the times of happiness, most short.”
SECOND REMEDY
O ill person who lacks patience! Be patient, indeed, offer thanks! Your illness may transform each of the minutes of your life into the equivalent of an hour’s worship.
For worship is of two kinds. One is positive like the well-known worship of supplication and the prayers. The other are negative forms of worship like illness and calamities. By means of these, those afflicted realize their impotence and weakness; they beseech their All-Compassionate Creator and take refuge in Him; they manifest worship which is sincere and without hyprocrisy.
Yes, there is a sound narration stating that a life passed in illness is counted as worship for the believer-on condition he does not complain about God. It is even established by sound narrations and by those who uncover the realities of creation that one minute’s illness of some who are completely patient and thankful becomes the equivalent of an hour’s worship and a minute’s illness of certain perfected men the equivalent of a day’s worship.
Thus, you should not complain about an illness which as though transforms one minute of your life into a thousand minutes and gains for you long life; you should rather offer thanks.
THIRD REMEDY
Impatient sick person! The fact that those who come to this world continuously depart, and the young grow old, and man perpetually revolves amid death and separation testifies that he did not come to this world to enjoy himself and receive pleasure.
Moreover, while man is the most perfect, the most elevated, of living beings and the best endowed in regard to members and faculties, through thinking of past pleasures and future pains, he passes only a grievous, troublesome life, lower than the animals.
This means that man did not come to this world in order to live in fine manner and pass his life in ease and pleasure. Rather, possessing vast capital, he came here to work and do trade for an eternal, everlasting life. The capital given to man is his lifetime. Had there been no illness, good health and well-being would have caused heedlessness, for they show the world to be pleasant and make the Hereafter forgotten. They do not want death and the grave to be thought of; they cause the capital of life to be wasted on trifles. Whereas illness suddenly opens the eyes, it says to the body: “You are not immortal. You have not been left to your own devices. You have a duty. Give up your pride, think of the One Who created you. Know that you will enter the grave, so prepare yourself for it!”
Thus, from this point of view, illness is an admonishing guide and advisor that never deceives. It should not be complained about in this respect, indeed, should be thanked for. And if it is not too severe, patience should be sought to endure it.
FOURTH REMEDY
Plaintive ill person! It is your right, not to complain, but to offer thanks and be patient. For your body and members and faculties are not your property. You did not make them, and you did not buy them from other workshops. That means they are the property of another. Their owner has disposal over his property as he wishes.
An extremely wealthy and skilful craftsman, for example, employs a poor man as a model in order to show off his fine art and valuable wealth. In return for a wage, for a brief hour he clothes the poor man in a bejewelled and most skilfully wrought garment. He works it on him and gives it various states. In order to display the extraordinary varieties of his art, he cuts the garment, alters it, and lengthens and shortens it. Does the poor man working for a wage have the right to say to that person: “You are causing me trouble, you are causing me distress with the form you have given it, making me bow down and stand up;” has he the right to tell him that he is spoiling his fine appearance by cutting and shortening the garment which makes him beautiful? Can he tell him he is being unkind and unfair?
O sick person! Just like in this comparison, in order to display the garment of your body with which He has clothed you, bejewelled as it is with luminous faculties like the eye, the ear, the reason, and the heart, and the embroideries of His Most Beautiful Names, the All-Glorious Maker makes you revolve amid numerous states and changes you in many situations. Like you learn of His Name of Provider through hunger, come to know also His Name of Healer through your illness. Since suffering and calamities show the decrees of some of His Names, within those flashes of wisdom and rays of mercy are many instances of good to be found.
If the veil of illness, which you fear and loathe, was to be lifted, behind it you would find many agreeable and beautiful meanings.
FIFTH REMEDY
O you who is afflicted with illness! Through experience I have formed the opinion at this time that sickness is a Divine bounty for some people, a gift of the Most Merciful One.
Although I am not worthy of it, for the past eight or nine years, a number of young people have come to me in connection with illness, seeking my prayers. I have noticed that each of those ill youths had begun to think of the Hereafter to a greater degree than other young people. He lacked the drunkenness of youth. He was saving himself to a degree from animal desires and heedlessness. So I would consider them and then warn them that their illnesses were a Divine bounty within the limits of their endurance.
I would say: “I am not opposed to this illness of yours, my brother. I don’t feel compassion and pity for you because of your illness, so that I should pray for you. Try to be patient until illness awakens you completely, and after it has performed its duty, God willing, the Compassionate Creator will restore you to health.”
I would also say to them: “Through the calamity of good health, some of your fellows become neglectful, give up the prayers, do not think of the grave, and forget God Almighty. Through the superficial pleasure of a brief hour’s worldly life, they shake and damage an unending, eternal life, and even destroy it. Due to illness, you see the grave, which you will in any event enter, and the dwellings of the Hereafter beyond it, and you act in accordance with them.
That means for you, illness is good health, while for some of your peers good health is a sickness…”
SIXTH REMEDY
O sick person who complains about his suffering! I say to you: think of your past life and remember the pleasurable and happy days and the distressing and troublesome times. For sure, you will either say “Oh!” or “Ah!” That is, your heart and tongue will either say “All praise and thanks be to God!”, or “Alas and alack!”
Note carefully, what makes you exclaim “Praise and thanks be to God!” is thinking of the pains and calamities that have befallen you; it induces a sort of pleasure so that your heart offers thanks. For the passing of pain is a pleasure. With the passing of pains and calamities, a legacy of pleasure is left in the spirit, which on being aroused by thinking, pours forth from the spirit with thanks.
What makes you exclaim “Alas and alack!” are the pleasurable and happy times you have experienced in the former times, which, with their passing leave a legacy of constant pain in your spirit. Whenever you think of them, the pain is again stimulated, causing regret and sorrow to pour forth.
Since one day’s illicit pleasure sometimes causes a year’s suffering in the spirit, and with the pain of a fleeting day’s illness are many days’ pleasure and recompense in addition to the pleasure at being relieved at its passing and saved from it, think of the result of this temporary illness with which you are now afflicted, and of the merits of its inner face. Say: “All is from God! This too will pass!”, and offer thanks instead of complaining.
SIXTH REMEDY
{(*): This Flash occurred to me in a natural manner, and two remedies have been included in the Sixth Remedy. We have left it thus in order not to spoil the naturalness; indeed, we did not
I find this response puzzling. The Ivy League colleges are systematically discriminating against Asian-Americans in admissions. The schools are systematically eradicating testing in order to hide their campaign of racial discrimination. Amy Wax comes on a podcast and shoots from the hip arguing for restrictions on Asian immigration. The first is apparently fine for the defenders of Asian-Americans, the second requires denunciation.
If they have invented wokeness in 1830, I swear South Carolina would still have slavery, and NAACP would be de-platforming comedians using the N-word while receiving funding the Plantation owners.
I'm a first generation Asian American as well. I do think Prof. Wax painted with too broad a brush in her interview, and her argument was not as nuanced as what I'm been accustomed to expect from her. That being said, I find the reaction to her statements completely overblown. It's clear her intention is the preservation of American and Post-Enlightenment ideals, and not for the denigration of Asians in American society.
In my own experience with many Asian-Americans, I do think the culture tends to be more conformist, especially when it comes to politics. However, I would not go so far as to say the solution is less immigration, given the positive benefits many Asian immigrants have made to American life. I think the pushback Prof. Loury gave was thoughtful and appropriate, and I hope it challenged Prof. Wax to refine and improve her stance on these rather complex issues. A "spirit of liberty" is not a bad ideal to strive for, but I think it requires greater consideration than what Prof. Wax provided. The evolution of ideas is what free discourse was meant to foster, and so I'm glad to see such a forum alive and thriving on the Glenn Show. I hope to see Prof. Wax on again in the future as well; she makes for an excellent guest regardless of whether I agree with all of her opinions. In fact, I think this podcast is better for it.
Prof Ju’s English felt strained, unnatural. And it was one word. For it to be a typo is very believable. Not sure why there’s any real meat to this discussion on that front.
As usual, Glenn's fairness and clear communication of ideas are on display. I'm glad he continues to talk to controversial people such as Wax and to clearly express disagreement when necessary.
I live on the west coast (SF)- which means a lifetime of exposure to people who are randomly from different parts of Asia. Amy Wax has the right to speak. And in speaking- Amy Wax engages Glenn + audience in discussion. That she instead should “keep her ideas hidden in case someone disagrees” is censorship. I reject censorship as un-American. “Is authoritarian rule in place of origin a risk?” Asia does not have a monopoly on authoritarianism. How individuals mentally evolve at immigration destination varies with each person. I imagine that such a question is near-impossible to answer because of the information and belief pathways unique to each person’s brain. And by the way, with numerous institutions and media declaring falsely - and many refusing to correct that “White Supremacists are the biggest threat to Asians in SF Bay Area and NYC” (thank you Glenn for correction); where is Amy Wax to go for truthful information? With institutional indoctrination - I predict many Amy Wax’s on both sides of the discussion for simple lack of institutional responsibility in discussing low-hanging fruit.
Mr Loury. I am a South Asian Indian who votes 80% republican including 2X for Trump. Around 50% of the Indians I know vote Republican (not a true sample of Indians of course). Jewish people are also predominately Democrat supporters, (and I understand like the letter says, she comes from a good place and some of the kindest and smartest people I know and work with are Jewish). But if she wants to play this game then why doesn't she attack Jews like GEORGE SOROS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR FINANCING SO MUCH OF THE MEDIA THAT HAS MADE EVERYONE MORE LEFT WING. Again, I understand she isn't racist and I personally admire Jewish culture, but HER COMMENTS ARE MORE TRUE ABOUT THE JEWS THAN ASIANS. Especially considering the total amount of FUNDING, FINANCING AND POLITICAL DONATIONS.
AND DOESN'T EVERYONE IN THOSE COMPANIES AND INSTITUTIONS TRY TO CONFORM! I am grateful and say America is the BEST.
I might argue that Ju's letter speaks to Amy's point.... Amy has a thesis and sighted some rather superficial points regarding it... Ju did not debate her ideas as is his right nor did he offer any scientific refutation of her thesis... nope... he appealed to a centralized authority to have her sanctioned and cancelled ... is that a sign of the times we live in or a consequence of a cultural heritage that has not adapted to the idea of the 1st Amendment... I don't know anything about Ju so I cannot speculate... but... is this what Amy was talking about... just asking...
I choose to also hear what Amy Wax said that deserves attention. She spoke of the need to pay attention and try to help those Americans that are already here...especially in the heartland. I agree she at times contrasted this goal with admitting few Asians, and I don't believe that the solution is this "either/or;" however, her point about reaching current Americans is important. What is also important is to NOT censor views as people are working toward solutions...I applaud Amy Wax and Glenn Loury in this interview....strong statements were exchange with respect and in a way that helped me stay engage and learn and think...kudos to both. For this, I suggest we all celebrate and take what we like and leave the rest...but for goodness sake....let's leave it that. We are adults!
Your defense of the interview with Ms. Wax makes me wonder if there is any point of view that you would not entertain on your show?
In her defense, Ms. Wax writes, "But as long as most Asians support Democrats and help to advance their positions, I think the United States is better off with fewer Asians and less Asian immigration."
You invited her to speak on your show. Do you consider this to be an acceptable position for a conservative, or anyone who has 'the spirit of liberty beating in their breast'?
Would you invite Brad Griffin, spokesperson for League of the South, who tweeted, “Powerful Jews oppose the assertion of White identity while encouraging the expression of every other identity in order to weaken Whites!”
How about Gavin McGinnes, Proud Boys, who promotes 'Western Chauvinism'?
How are these views different from Ms. Wax's view that Asians who vote for Democrats and wind up 'woke' are not suitable for her country?
You get to choose who has a voice on your show. It's not clear why you would want hers.
Amy Wax's mistake is in trying to find differences instead of common ground. It seems to me the most obvious anti-Asian bias is the current attempts to limit Asian enrollment in elite universities in the name of social justice, which should make Amy and Prof. Ju allies.
Prof Loury I am an avid listener to show and I thank you for your willingness to bring a full debate to these issues. My local news coverage on Amy Wax was one sided and media gaslighting as usual. I went back and listened to Prof Wax comments on Asians for the second time and you gave her pushback without being disrespectful to your guest. I think people wanted you to embarrass Prof Wax and that is not what you do. I also don't believe the Princeton Prof about this typo nonsense. He accused and insulted you and didn't have the guts to stand by his accusation. Keep going Prof Loury.
Professor Ju is entitled to his opinions and feelings. It seems to me that Amy Wax's comments must have hurt his feelings. However, to demand that U. Penn investigate her for her stated views is more typical of what happens in a communist state than in a democracy. Further more, to make these demands in the name of some group that has anointed itself the "Asian American Academy of Science and Engineering" is a silly ploy that hopefully will backfire on him.
I have never heard of Ju, but given recent events concerning espionage by foreign governments as well as attempts to exploit divisiveness in the U.S. by both Russian and Chinese actors and at the risk of being called racist or anti Asian or anti Chinese, I note the following:
Ju got his bachelor and master degrees at Tsinghua University in China and his Ph.D degree in Japan.
It is not clear if Ju is a naturalized citizen of the U.S. or if he remains a Chinese citizen.
It is somewhat difficult to understand Ju's letters and supposed "mistake" due to his stilted English usage.
Finally, in spite of his disagreement on the specific comments on asians, I would have expected Glenn to provide more support to his "old friend" Amy Wax for her long history of exceptional scholarship, educational excellence and public advocacy on issues such as not doing away with exams for entry to schools for gifted children.
Tsinghua is a fine institute of higher education in China (As are the IITs in India, NUS, Seoul National university, etc). I've had the opportunity to study and work with some fine graduates of Tsinghua who later went on to publish work of the highest quality in math, computer science, and engineering (Things that might be beyond your ken, unless you have a solid grasp of technical concepts).
He's probably a US citizen, unless he decided to maintain his green card status (which is highly unlikely given the work he's doing). Your speculations about where his loyalties might lie, given his background, is not surprising. Like Amy, you paint with a broad brush and seem incapable of nuance. But C'est la vie. Another day in the TGS comment section...
To be fair, like great power competitors since the start of the industrial age, Chinese and American academics in each other's countries have a bit of a track record of patriotic espionage. I would be shocked if the Chinese did not have many such operations going.
Yes, the US did steal IP from the Brits related to the production of textiles, the Germans stole from the Brits and others, and so on. But, unless you have actionable intelligence ( like the FBI) about Prof.Ju's activities, any suggestion that he might be compromised is slander. It's a serious accusation that could land innocents in jail. So, I suggest people tread lightly. If you disagree with him, fine. But don't accuse him of espionage.
I know that is fashionable to hate on China and Asian Americans these days. Reflexive and idiotic bigotry is being disguised as "free thinking" in many circles. We have to draw the line somewhere though...
Oh no, I don't have any information about any particular individual. However, I do think it justified to generally extend heightened security scrutiny and skepticism to foreign national products of peer competitor institutions like Tsinghua seeking to perform sensitive research in the U.S. in the interests of hampering such espionage. Nothing against them personally or against their nationality; I would have said the same thing about Moscow State University grads during the cold war, or Gottingen University academics were I a brit in 1905, etc.
I'm not accusing you of anything BTW, but merely pointing out how the comments made by other people, including some pretty prominent public figures, border on hateful bigotry. Stealing sensitive data and engineering designs is a threat, but there already are several safeguards in place. Working at a company that does defense related research requires one to go through a thorough background check and obtain security clearance ( and one needs to be a US citizen for that). If you're working on any piece of technology that's export controlled, you need to have at least a green card and have to abide by state department regulations. And trust me, the immigration process is by no means straightforward and easy as portrayed by folks on the right, even for extremely talented and bright immigrants. I knew someone with a PhD from MIT, who wasn't even working on sensitive tech, basically have his work visa denied for some absurd reason.
I could go on, but you get the picture. And all this is taking place in a backdrop where a talented hacker sitting in China,Russia, or Iran could easily find his/her way into a system to steal secrets with the click of a mouse and some social engineering...
So, what's all this noise with Amy Wax and Asian immigration about? It's plain old-fashioned nativist nonsense IMHO.
Prof.Ju's work is way more interesting than Kalman filters my friend. His 260 odd refereed journal articles are the reason why he's teaching at Princeton and you're arguing with someone on the internet.
Her comments on this issue do nothing to substantiate the constant claims that Prof. Wax is an "exceptional scholar." I find Glen's conversations with Prof. Wax to be some of the least substantive he has. It's really disappointing that a widespread viewpoint is represented by such a poor champion.
I expect a serious scholar to not make openly and obviously silly inflammatory comments in the course of a panel-length conversation with one of the nation's premier black academics. More fool me; why should the degradation of academic standards only be on the left these days?
Glenn didn't exactly throw Amy under the bus, but he did give her a gentle shove in that direction. Amy is basically discussing a watered-down version of the Japanese model, which, in these times of ripping down statues and demonizing all things American/Western -- is such discussion forbidden?
I think it probably was a typo. Like you said, his writing was a bit stilted, so I give him the benefit of the doubt. I also speculate he wrote the letter under duress after some arm-twisting.
If the concern of Asian Americans is about how scholastic excellence is too often not properly rewarded, I would point out it's not the Amy Waxes of the world who champion that trend.
Of course some of Amy Wax’s remarks are controversial and distasteful to most of us. But PLEASE, can we all be thankful that controversial ideas are still permitted to be spoken in our country?
Kudos to Brown University and Glenn Loury for being intrepid vanguards by allowing such conversations to occur!
It is profoundly healthy and right for every point of view to be heard. How else can we learn, appreciate and/or be horrified?
I know no other highly regarded professor nor any other esteemed University that would risk or permit such valuable conversations to take place.
These are the very conversations that reveal and protect our society.
Ps. Don’t believe the “typo” apology. But your acceptance was impeccably gracious.
I don't know what you're bona fides are, but I'm sure he speaks English better than you speak Mandarin, and is probably a few orders of magnitude better than you (and just about everyone here) in his grasp of advanced math and engineering concepts. So, I'm willing to forgive his poor grammar. He has more interesting and exciting things to think about.
I applaud your measured and smart response. You’re a better equipped person than me. The condescension is just….sometimes so casual and cowardly that I explode.
Glenn is an adult and an American citizen and a free man, allowed to have any opinions and have on any guests with any opinions they wish. Personally, I’m heartened that he has more forcefully exerted that he disagreed with Wax and found her position “likely to offend.” This comment thread though for the most part seems far more offended by the idea that people would find Wax’s position intolerant and (gasp) racist than have an issue with her position itself. Glenn, again, is entitled to his position but I am curious if he feels her views qualify as “intolerant and racist,” being that he is a board member of the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism. Maybe I am being pedantic but I am still confused what that organization even considers to BE racism.
Yet again, it feels like EVERYONE’S definition of “racism” is “things the other guys do related to race that bother me.”
Dear Glenn LOURY,
Next Text :
SPIRITUAL REMEDIES FOR THE SICK
(*This is written about 85 years ago)
[This treatise was written as a salve, a solace, and a prescription for the sick, and as a visit to the sick and a wish for their speedy recovery.]
It describes briefly Twenty-Five Remedies which may offer true consolation and a beneficial cure for the sick and those struck by disaster, who form one tenth of mankind.
FIRST REMEDY
Unhappy sick person! Do not be anxious, have patience! Your illness is not a malady for you; it is a sort of cure. For life departs like capital. If it yields no fruits, it is wasted. And if it passes in ease and heedlessness, it passes most swiftly. Illness makes that capital of yours yield huge profits. Moreover, it does not allow your life to pass quickly, it restrains it and lengthens it, so that it will depart after yielding its fruits. An indication that your life is lengthened through illness is the following much repeated proverb: “The times of calamity are long, the times of happiness, most short.”
SECOND REMEDY
O ill person who lacks patience! Be patient, indeed, offer thanks! Your illness may transform each of the minutes of your life into the equivalent of an hour’s worship.
For worship is of two kinds. One is positive like the well-known worship of supplication and the prayers. The other are negative forms of worship like illness and calamities. By means of these, those afflicted realize their impotence and weakness; they beseech their All-Compassionate Creator and take refuge in Him; they manifest worship which is sincere and without hyprocrisy.
Yes, there is a sound narration stating that a life passed in illness is counted as worship for the believer-on condition he does not complain about God. It is even established by sound narrations and by those who uncover the realities of creation that one minute’s illness of some who are completely patient and thankful becomes the equivalent of an hour’s worship and a minute’s illness of certain perfected men the equivalent of a day’s worship.
Thus, you should not complain about an illness which as though transforms one minute of your life into a thousand minutes and gains for you long life; you should rather offer thanks.
THIRD REMEDY
Impatient sick person! The fact that those who come to this world continuously depart, and the young grow old, and man perpetually revolves amid death and separation testifies that he did not come to this world to enjoy himself and receive pleasure.
Moreover, while man is the most perfect, the most elevated, of living beings and the best endowed in regard to members and faculties, through thinking of past pleasures and future pains, he passes only a grievous, troublesome life, lower than the animals.
This means that man did not come to this world in order to live in fine manner and pass his life in ease and pleasure. Rather, possessing vast capital, he came here to work and do trade for an eternal, everlasting life. The capital given to man is his lifetime. Had there been no illness, good health and well-being would have caused heedlessness, for they show the world to be pleasant and make the Hereafter forgotten. They do not want death and the grave to be thought of; they cause the capital of life to be wasted on trifles. Whereas illness suddenly opens the eyes, it says to the body: “You are not immortal. You have not been left to your own devices. You have a duty. Give up your pride, think of the One Who created you. Know that you will enter the grave, so prepare yourself for it!”
Thus, from this point of view, illness is an admonishing guide and advisor that never deceives. It should not be complained about in this respect, indeed, should be thanked for. And if it is not too severe, patience should be sought to endure it.
FOURTH REMEDY
Plaintive ill person! It is your right, not to complain, but to offer thanks and be patient. For your body and members and faculties are not your property. You did not make them, and you did not buy them from other workshops. That means they are the property of another. Their owner has disposal over his property as he wishes.
An extremely wealthy and skilful craftsman, for example, employs a poor man as a model in order to show off his fine art and valuable wealth. In return for a wage, for a brief hour he clothes the poor man in a bejewelled and most skilfully wrought garment. He works it on him and gives it various states. In order to display the extraordinary varieties of his art, he cuts the garment, alters it, and lengthens and shortens it. Does the poor man working for a wage have the right to say to that person: “You are causing me trouble, you are causing me distress with the form you have given it, making me bow down and stand up;” has he the right to tell him that he is spoiling his fine appearance by cutting and shortening the garment which makes him beautiful? Can he tell him he is being unkind and unfair?
O sick person! Just like in this comparison, in order to display the garment of your body with which He has clothed you, bejewelled as it is with luminous faculties like the eye, the ear, the reason, and the heart, and the embroideries of His Most Beautiful Names, the All-Glorious Maker makes you revolve amid numerous states and changes you in many situations. Like you learn of His Name of Provider through hunger, come to know also His Name of Healer through your illness. Since suffering and calamities show the decrees of some of His Names, within those flashes of wisdom and rays of mercy are many instances of good to be found.
If the veil of illness, which you fear and loathe, was to be lifted, behind it you would find many agreeable and beautiful meanings.
FIFTH REMEDY
O you who is afflicted with illness! Through experience I have formed the opinion at this time that sickness is a Divine bounty for some people, a gift of the Most Merciful One.
Although I am not worthy of it, for the past eight or nine years, a number of young people have come to me in connection with illness, seeking my prayers. I have noticed that each of those ill youths had begun to think of the Hereafter to a greater degree than other young people. He lacked the drunkenness of youth. He was saving himself to a degree from animal desires and heedlessness. So I would consider them and then warn them that their illnesses were a Divine bounty within the limits of their endurance.
I would say: “I am not opposed to this illness of yours, my brother. I don’t feel compassion and pity for you because of your illness, so that I should pray for you. Try to be patient until illness awakens you completely, and after it has performed its duty, God willing, the Compassionate Creator will restore you to health.”
I would also say to them: “Through the calamity of good health, some of your fellows become neglectful, give up the prayers, do not think of the grave, and forget God Almighty. Through the superficial pleasure of a brief hour’s worldly life, they shake and damage an unending, eternal life, and even destroy it. Due to illness, you see the grave, which you will in any event enter, and the dwellings of the Hereafter beyond it, and you act in accordance with them.
That means for you, illness is good health, while for some of your peers good health is a sickness…”
SIXTH REMEDY
O sick person who complains about his suffering! I say to you: think of your past life and remember the pleasurable and happy days and the distressing and troublesome times. For sure, you will either say “Oh!” or “Ah!” That is, your heart and tongue will either say “All praise and thanks be to God!”, or “Alas and alack!”
Note carefully, what makes you exclaim “Praise and thanks be to God!” is thinking of the pains and calamities that have befallen you; it induces a sort of pleasure so that your heart offers thanks. For the passing of pain is a pleasure. With the passing of pains and calamities, a legacy of pleasure is left in the spirit, which on being aroused by thinking, pours forth from the spirit with thanks.
What makes you exclaim “Alas and alack!” are the pleasurable and happy times you have experienced in the former times, which, with their passing leave a legacy of constant pain in your spirit. Whenever you think of them, the pain is again stimulated, causing regret and sorrow to pour forth.
Since one day’s illicit pleasure sometimes causes a year’s suffering in the spirit, and with the pain of a fleeting day’s illness are many days’ pleasure and recompense in addition to the pleasure at being relieved at its passing and saved from it, think of the result of this temporary illness with which you are now afflicted, and of the merits of its inner face. Say: “All is from God! This too will pass!”, and offer thanks instead of complaining.
SIXTH REMEDY
{(*): This Flash occurred to me in a natural manner, and two remedies have been included in the Sixth Remedy. We have left it thus in order not to spoil the naturalness; indeed, we did not
I find this response puzzling. The Ivy League colleges are systematically discriminating against Asian-Americans in admissions. The schools are systematically eradicating testing in order to hide their campaign of racial discrimination. Amy Wax comes on a podcast and shoots from the hip arguing for restrictions on Asian immigration. The first is apparently fine for the defenders of Asian-Americans, the second requires denunciation.
If they have invented wokeness in 1830, I swear South Carolina would still have slavery, and NAACP would be de-platforming comedians using the N-word while receiving funding the Plantation owners.
I'm a first generation Asian American as well. I do think Prof. Wax painted with too broad a brush in her interview, and her argument was not as nuanced as what I'm been accustomed to expect from her. That being said, I find the reaction to her statements completely overblown. It's clear her intention is the preservation of American and Post-Enlightenment ideals, and not for the denigration of Asians in American society.
In my own experience with many Asian-Americans, I do think the culture tends to be more conformist, especially when it comes to politics. However, I would not go so far as to say the solution is less immigration, given the positive benefits many Asian immigrants have made to American life. I think the pushback Prof. Loury gave was thoughtful and appropriate, and I hope it challenged Prof. Wax to refine and improve her stance on these rather complex issues. A "spirit of liberty" is not a bad ideal to strive for, but I think it requires greater consideration than what Prof. Wax provided. The evolution of ideas is what free discourse was meant to foster, and so I'm glad to see such a forum alive and thriving on the Glenn Show. I hope to see Prof. Wax on again in the future as well; she makes for an excellent guest regardless of whether I agree with all of her opinions. In fact, I think this podcast is better for it.
Prof Ju’s English felt strained, unnatural. And it was one word. For it to be a typo is very believable. Not sure why there’s any real meat to this discussion on that front.
As usual, Glenn's fairness and clear communication of ideas are on display. I'm glad he continues to talk to controversial people such as Wax and to clearly express disagreement when necessary.
I live on the west coast (SF)- which means a lifetime of exposure to people who are randomly from different parts of Asia. Amy Wax has the right to speak. And in speaking- Amy Wax engages Glenn + audience in discussion. That she instead should “keep her ideas hidden in case someone disagrees” is censorship. I reject censorship as un-American. “Is authoritarian rule in place of origin a risk?” Asia does not have a monopoly on authoritarianism. How individuals mentally evolve at immigration destination varies with each person. I imagine that such a question is near-impossible to answer because of the information and belief pathways unique to each person’s brain. And by the way, with numerous institutions and media declaring falsely - and many refusing to correct that “White Supremacists are the biggest threat to Asians in SF Bay Area and NYC” (thank you Glenn for correction); where is Amy Wax to go for truthful information? With institutional indoctrination - I predict many Amy Wax’s on both sides of the discussion for simple lack of institutional responsibility in discussing low-hanging fruit.
Mr Loury. I am a South Asian Indian who votes 80% republican including 2X for Trump. Around 50% of the Indians I know vote Republican (not a true sample of Indians of course). Jewish people are also predominately Democrat supporters, (and I understand like the letter says, she comes from a good place and some of the kindest and smartest people I know and work with are Jewish). But if she wants to play this game then why doesn't she attack Jews like GEORGE SOROS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR FINANCING SO MUCH OF THE MEDIA THAT HAS MADE EVERYONE MORE LEFT WING. Again, I understand she isn't racist and I personally admire Jewish culture, but HER COMMENTS ARE MORE TRUE ABOUT THE JEWS THAN ASIANS. Especially considering the total amount of FUNDING, FINANCING AND POLITICAL DONATIONS.
AND DOESN'T EVERYONE IN THOSE COMPANIES AND INSTITUTIONS TRY TO CONFORM! I am grateful and say America is the BEST.
I might argue that Ju's letter speaks to Amy's point.... Amy has a thesis and sighted some rather superficial points regarding it... Ju did not debate her ideas as is his right nor did he offer any scientific refutation of her thesis... nope... he appealed to a centralized authority to have her sanctioned and cancelled ... is that a sign of the times we live in or a consequence of a cultural heritage that has not adapted to the idea of the 1st Amendment... I don't know anything about Ju so I cannot speculate... but... is this what Amy was talking about... just asking...
I choose to also hear what Amy Wax said that deserves attention. She spoke of the need to pay attention and try to help those Americans that are already here...especially in the heartland. I agree she at times contrasted this goal with admitting few Asians, and I don't believe that the solution is this "either/or;" however, her point about reaching current Americans is important. What is also important is to NOT censor views as people are working toward solutions...I applaud Amy Wax and Glenn Loury in this interview....strong statements were exchange with respect and in a way that helped me stay engage and learn and think...kudos to both. For this, I suggest we all celebrate and take what we like and leave the rest...but for goodness sake....let's leave it that. We are adults!
Your defense of the interview with Ms. Wax makes me wonder if there is any point of view that you would not entertain on your show?
In her defense, Ms. Wax writes, "But as long as most Asians support Democrats and help to advance their positions, I think the United States is better off with fewer Asians and less Asian immigration."
You invited her to speak on your show. Do you consider this to be an acceptable position for a conservative, or anyone who has 'the spirit of liberty beating in their breast'?
Would you invite Brad Griffin, spokesperson for League of the South, who tweeted, “Powerful Jews oppose the assertion of White identity while encouraging the expression of every other identity in order to weaken Whites!”
How about Gavin McGinnes, Proud Boys, who promotes 'Western Chauvinism'?
How are these views different from Ms. Wax's view that Asians who vote for Democrats and wind up 'woke' are not suitable for her country?
You get to choose who has a voice on your show. It's not clear why you would want hers.
To be fair, I don't think Amy Wax had ever revealed the extent of her bigotry *prior* to her most recent appearance on the Glenn Show.
I suspect she will not be on the Glenn Show again - to the great consternation of some of Glenn's audience.
Amy Wax's mistake is in trying to find differences instead of common ground. It seems to me the most obvious anti-Asian bias is the current attempts to limit Asian enrollment in elite universities in the name of social justice, which should make Amy and Prof. Ju allies.
Prof Loury I am an avid listener to show and I thank you for your willingness to bring a full debate to these issues. My local news coverage on Amy Wax was one sided and media gaslighting as usual. I went back and listened to Prof Wax comments on Asians for the second time and you gave her pushback without being disrespectful to your guest. I think people wanted you to embarrass Prof Wax and that is not what you do. I also don't believe the Princeton Prof about this typo nonsense. He accused and insulted you and didn't have the guts to stand by his accusation. Keep going Prof Loury.
Professor Ju is entitled to his opinions and feelings. It seems to me that Amy Wax's comments must have hurt his feelings. However, to demand that U. Penn investigate her for her stated views is more typical of what happens in a communist state than in a democracy. Further more, to make these demands in the name of some group that has anointed itself the "Asian American Academy of Science and Engineering" is a silly ploy that hopefully will backfire on him.
I have never heard of Ju, but given recent events concerning espionage by foreign governments as well as attempts to exploit divisiveness in the U.S. by both Russian and Chinese actors and at the risk of being called racist or anti Asian or anti Chinese, I note the following:
Ju got his bachelor and master degrees at Tsinghua University in China and his Ph.D degree in Japan.
It is not clear if Ju is a naturalized citizen of the U.S. or if he remains a Chinese citizen.
It is somewhat difficult to understand Ju's letters and supposed "mistake" due to his stilted English usage.
Finally, in spite of his disagreement on the specific comments on asians, I would have expected Glenn to provide more support to his "old friend" Amy Wax for her long history of exceptional scholarship, educational excellence and public advocacy on issues such as not doing away with exams for entry to schools for gifted children.
Tsinghua is a fine institute of higher education in China (As are the IITs in India, NUS, Seoul National university, etc). I've had the opportunity to study and work with some fine graduates of Tsinghua who later went on to publish work of the highest quality in math, computer science, and engineering (Things that might be beyond your ken, unless you have a solid grasp of technical concepts).
He's probably a US citizen, unless he decided to maintain his green card status (which is highly unlikely given the work he's doing). Your speculations about where his loyalties might lie, given his background, is not surprising. Like Amy, you paint with a broad brush and seem incapable of nuance. But C'est la vie. Another day in the TGS comment section...
To be fair, like great power competitors since the start of the industrial age, Chinese and American academics in each other's countries have a bit of a track record of patriotic espionage. I would be shocked if the Chinese did not have many such operations going.
Yes, the US did steal IP from the Brits related to the production of textiles, the Germans stole from the Brits and others, and so on. But, unless you have actionable intelligence ( like the FBI) about Prof.Ju's activities, any suggestion that he might be compromised is slander. It's a serious accusation that could land innocents in jail. So, I suggest people tread lightly. If you disagree with him, fine. But don't accuse him of espionage.
I know that is fashionable to hate on China and Asian Americans these days. Reflexive and idiotic bigotry is being disguised as "free thinking" in many circles. We have to draw the line somewhere though...
Oh no, I don't have any information about any particular individual. However, I do think it justified to generally extend heightened security scrutiny and skepticism to foreign national products of peer competitor institutions like Tsinghua seeking to perform sensitive research in the U.S. in the interests of hampering such espionage. Nothing against them personally or against their nationality; I would have said the same thing about Moscow State University grads during the cold war, or Gottingen University academics were I a brit in 1905, etc.
I'm not accusing you of anything BTW, but merely pointing out how the comments made by other people, including some pretty prominent public figures, border on hateful bigotry. Stealing sensitive data and engineering designs is a threat, but there already are several safeguards in place. Working at a company that does defense related research requires one to go through a thorough background check and obtain security clearance ( and one needs to be a US citizen for that). If you're working on any piece of technology that's export controlled, you need to have at least a green card and have to abide by state department regulations. And trust me, the immigration process is by no means straightforward and easy as portrayed by folks on the right, even for extremely talented and bright immigrants. I knew someone with a PhD from MIT, who wasn't even working on sensitive tech, basically have his work visa denied for some absurd reason.
I could go on, but you get the picture. And all this is taking place in a backdrop where a talented hacker sitting in China,Russia, or Iran could easily find his/her way into a system to steal secrets with the click of a mouse and some social engineering...
So, what's all this noise with Amy Wax and Asian immigration about? It's plain old-fashioned nativist nonsense IMHO.
Thank you for including me with Amy Wax in spite of your insipid condescension.
I'll put my grasp of technical concepts up against yours any time.
I'm sure Tsinghua is an excellent school with many admission slots reserved for the children of CCP members.
Prof.Ju's work is way more interesting than Kalman filters my friend. His 260 odd refereed journal articles are the reason why he's teaching at Princeton and you're arguing with someone on the internet.
Have a good evening Nishy.
You too Mark.
Her comments on this issue do nothing to substantiate the constant claims that Prof. Wax is an "exceptional scholar." I find Glen's conversations with Prof. Wax to be some of the least substantive he has. It's really disappointing that a widespread viewpoint is represented by such a poor champion.
Do you really expect to get a fulsome understanding of her scholarship from a 1 hr. podcast designed to be provocative?
As a starter you can check this out: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=VLUzLLIAAAAJ&hl=en
I expect a serious scholar to not make openly and obviously silly inflammatory comments in the course of a panel-length conversation with one of the nation's premier black academics. More fool me; why should the degradation of academic standards only be on the left these days?
Glenn didn't exactly throw Amy under the bus, but he did give her a gentle shove in that direction. Amy is basically discussing a watered-down version of the Japanese model, which, in these times of ripping down statues and demonizing all things American/Western -- is such discussion forbidden?
I think it probably was a typo. Like you said, his writing was a bit stilted, so I give him the benefit of the doubt. I also speculate he wrote the letter under duress after some arm-twisting.
If the concern of Asian Americans is about how scholastic excellence is too often not properly rewarded, I would point out it's not the Amy Waxes of the world who champion that trend.
Of course some of Amy Wax’s remarks are controversial and distasteful to most of us. But PLEASE, can we all be thankful that controversial ideas are still permitted to be spoken in our country?
Kudos to Brown University and Glenn Loury for being intrepid vanguards by allowing such conversations to occur!
It is profoundly healthy and right for every point of view to be heard. How else can we learn, appreciate and/or be horrified?
I know no other highly regarded professor nor any other esteemed University that would risk or permit such valuable conversations to take place.
These are the very conversations that reveal and protect our society.
Ps. Don’t believe the “typo” apology. But your acceptance was impeccably gracious.
Agreed re typo
Professor Ju, please proofread your writings before publishing. "to your" and "about her" do not even look alike.
I don't know what you're bona fides are, but I'm sure he speaks English better than you speak Mandarin, and is probably a few orders of magnitude better than you (and just about everyone here) in his grasp of advanced math and engineering concepts. So, I'm willing to forgive his poor grammar. He has more interesting and exciting things to think about.
BTW, You forgot to capitalize after the period.
I applaud your measured and smart response. You’re a better equipped person than me. The condescension is just….sometimes so casual and cowardly that I explode.
Glenn is an adult and an American citizen and a free man, allowed to have any opinions and have on any guests with any opinions they wish. Personally, I’m heartened that he has more forcefully exerted that he disagreed with Wax and found her position “likely to offend.” This comment thread though for the most part seems far more offended by the idea that people would find Wax’s position intolerant and (gasp) racist than have an issue with her position itself. Glenn, again, is entitled to his position but I am curious if he feels her views qualify as “intolerant and racist,” being that he is a board member of the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism. Maybe I am being pedantic but I am still confused what that organization even considers to BE racism.
Yet again, it feels like EVERYONE’S definition of “racism” is “things the other guys do related to race that bother me.”