FYI July 01, 2020

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On This Day

1569 – Union of Lublin: The Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania confirm a real union; the united country is called the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth or the Republic of Both Nations.
The Union of Lublin (Polish: Unia lubelska; Lithuanian: Liublino unija) was signed on 1 July 1569, in Lublin, Poland, and created a single state, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of the largest countries in Europe at the time. It replaced the personal union of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with a real union and an elective monarchy, since Sigismund II Augustus, the last of the Jagiellons, remained childless after three marriages. In addition, the autonomy of Royal Prussia was largely abandoned. The Duchy of Livonia, tied to Lithuania in real union since the Union of Grodno (1566), became a Polish–Lithuanian condominium.[1]

The Commonwealth was ruled by a single elected monarch who carried out the duties of King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and governed with a common Senate and parliament (the Sejm). The Union was an evolutionary stage in the Polish–Lithuanian alliance and personal union, necessitated also by Lithuania’s dangerous position in wars with Russia.[2][3][4]

Constituting a crucial event in the history of several nations, the Union of Lublin has been viewed quite differently by many historians. Sometimes identified as the moment at which the szlachta (including Lithuanians/Ruthenians) rose to the height of their power, establishing a democracy of noblemen as opposed to absolute monarchy. Some historians concentrate on its positive aspects, emphasizing its peaceful, voluntary creation, inclusive character and its role in spreading of economical welfare and good laws; others see there a possible cause of social and political instability that led to the Partitions of Poland about 200 years later. Some Lithuanian historians are more critical of the Union, concluding it was an effect of domination by Polish nobles.

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Born On This Day

1873 – Alice Guy-Blaché, French-American film director, producer and screenwriter (d. 1968)[18]
Alice Ida Antoinette Guy-Blaché (née Guy; July 1, 1873 – March 24, 1968) was a French pioneer filmmaker, active from the late 19th century, and one of the very first to make a narrative fiction film.[2] She was the first woman to direct a film. From 1896 to 1906, she was probably the only female filmmaker in the world.[3] She experimented with Gaumont’s Chronophone sync-sound system, and with color-tinting, interracial casting, and special effects.[4]

She was artistic director and a co-founder of Solax Studios in Flushing, New York. In 1912, Solax invested $100,000 for a new studio in Fort Lee, New Jersey, the center of American filmmaking prior to the establishment of Hollywood. That year, she made the film A Fool and His Money, probably the first to have an all-African-American cast. The film is now at the National Center for Film and Video Preservation at the American Film Institute.[5]

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FYI

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Since I began writing a book about resilience, I have been researching stoicism, as this way of thinking lends to remarkable resilience. One of the great stoic philosophers was Epictetus, who was around in 100 AD. Ancient wisdom is impressive because unlike most things, it can survive thousands of years.

Epictetus’s book, Discourses, is a written account of his (verbal) teachings by one of his pupils named Arrian. I’ve been reading through it as I research the topic of resilience. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from Discourses so far.

With regard to practical matters they maintain that popular ideas of good and bad are wrong: many people who appear to be in dire circumstances are actually happy provided they deal with their situation bravely; others, regardless of how many possessions they have, are miserable, because they do not know how to use the gifts of fortune wisely.

Perspective is everything. You could have two people with the same exact lives, one miserable and the other happy. I try to remind myself of this whenever I get into a “woe is me” mood.

I must die. But must I die bawling? I must be put in chains – but moaning and groaning too? I must be exiled; but is there anything to keep me from going with a smile, calm and self-composed?

This is stoicism in a nutshell! No matter what happens, you control your response.

Even if I lack the talent, I will not abandon the effort on that account. Epictetus will not be better than Socrates. But if I am no worse, I am satisfied. I mean, I will never be Milo either; nevertheless, I don’t neglect my body. Nor will I be another Croesus – and still, I don’t neglect my property. In short, we do not abandon any discipline for despair of ever being the best in it.

This quote is SO important. If you can’t be the very best, does that mean you shouldn’t try at all? Of course not. You don’t have to exercise to look like a bodybuilder. The benefits of positive pursuits are a spectrum of goodness. Look beyond looking like peak Arnold Schwarzenegger, and you’ll find many other reasons to exercise!

On a personal level, it’s better to be slightly out of shape than completely out of shape. Don’t think all or nothing, think something or nothing!

Cheers,
Stephen Guise
 
 
 
 

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