The Principles of Life on Black Friday Chronicle of Emotions, Notebook 1

A highly readable and lighthearted, yet intellectual-stimulating exploration of the modern human condition. This volume concerns itself with the question of time, from the description of a brief fragment passing by in a matter of minutes to stories of the unexpected stock-market crash of 1929, a once-in-a-century event that Europeans call Black Friday because Wall Streets collapse reached the Old World one day later. Through this exploration of time, Kluge ponders some fundamental questions not altered by the passing of time: What can I trust? How can I protect myself? What should I be afraid of? Our age today has achieved a new kind of obscurity. Weve encountered a pandemic. Weve witnessed the Capitol riots. We see before us inflation, war, and a burning planet. We gaze at the world with suspense. What we need in our lives is orientationjust like ships that navigate the high seas. We might just find that in Kluges vignettes and stories.