<h4 data-block-key="99h88">&quot;Wealth is not an absolute. It is relative to desire. Every time we yearn for something we cannot afford, we grow poorer, whatever our resources. And every time we feel satisfied with what we have, we can be counted as rich, however little we may actually possess.” ~Alain de Botton⁣</h4>⁣Any valuable piece of literature (fiction or non-fiction) has the power to transport our minds as we drift onto a hundred different journeys without ever taking one step outside our doors. ⁣Before his popularity on YouTube with his ‘School of Life’ series, Alain de Botton made Philosophy, Art and History accessible in our contemporary pop culture through his books. ⁣I first read this book in 2011 and I recall it as one of the books that influenced my philosophical perspectives and encouraged me to critically reflect on my own values, preconceptions and biases. ⁣De Botton gives remarkable insights on the purpose of philosophical and critical thought, Art, Politics, lovelessness and status, that seem ever more relevant even in the 2020’s. ⁣Exploring the connection between materialism and our unending quest for wealth, comfort and status in a world drowning in excesses.This book with its culmination of art history examples, philosophical quandaries and moral inquiries push the reader to reflect on their own values and thoughts about their own social, economic and moral statuses. By examining these issues from the lens of Art History and Philosophy, De Botton presents both the causes and solutions to our society’s pervading undercurrent of status anxiety.<img alt="" class="richtext-image full-width" height="650" src="https://smartstudynow.s3.amazonaws.com/media/images/IMG_1701.width-800.jpg" width="800">According to De Botton, &quot;status anxiety&quot; is a detrimental and ongoing worry that we are failing to conform to the ideals of success laid down by our society and that we may as a result be stripped of dignity and respect - leading to us falling even further down the social ladder.He posits that the causes for status anxiety include:<ul><li data-block-key="5et7q">Lovelessness</li><li data-block-key="142gr">Snobbery</li><li data-block-key="r5ng">Expectation</li><li data-block-key="eg31f">Meritocracy</li><li data-block-key="plvd">Dependence </li></ul>On the other hand, he presents diverse sources where human beings may find solutions to this undercurrent of status anxiety through the following chapters:<ul><li data-block-key="c7444">Philosophy</li><li data-block-key="7i6pm">Art</li><li data-block-key="7mcgi">Politics</li><li data-block-key="898df">Christianity</li><li data-block-key="e6bpl">Bohemia</li></ul><h3 data-block-key="bb8se">&quot;Our minds are susceptible to the influences of external voices telling us what we require to be satisfied, voices that may drown out the faint sounds emitted by our souls and can distract us from the careful, arduous task of correctly tracing our priorities.&quot; ~Alain De Botton</h3>Have you watched ‘The School of Life’ on YouTube or read any of Alain de Botton’s books? ⁣If you are interested in Alain De Botton&#x27;s thesis about the concept of status anxiety, he also made a fascinating youtube documentary, presenting a compelling and easily digestible version of the book. I encourage you to give it a watch, perhaps it can give you another perspective about the ways we look at our values and beliefs, about our place in the world and essentially, what truly matters.<h4 data-block-key="cgu10">Status Anxiety Documentary by Alain De Botton</h4><div>
 <iframe width="200" height="150" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t1MqJPHxy6g?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen title="Alain de Botton: Status Anxiety"></iframe>
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Did you find his thesis on status anxiety relevant in our social media era? ⁣<hr/>Reference :De Botton, A. (2004). Status anxiety. Pantheon Books. Chicago Style (17th ed.)Alain de Botton. (2014, February 26). Alain de Botton: Status Anxiety [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1MqJPHxy6g Accessed 8th November 2024Images by Artsy Mama Bee 2021. Available at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUocVvUlQ7I/?igsh=MWVlMTE5dnM1NTNxdQ==">https://www.instagram.com/p/CUocVvUlQ7I/?igsh=MWVlMTE5dnM1NTNxdQ==</a>

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<h2 data-block-key="lcumm">Why are the schools torturing you by making you learn Shakespeare? What is the point of learning stuff a dead dude wrote 400 years ago?</h2>Like many students, I struggled to understand Shakespeare in my high school years. The Elizabethan language was really the greatest barrier for me - I was an ESL (English as a Second Language) student when I arrived in Australia in Year 6 and suddenly, I was expected in Year 9 (just a mere 3 years after learning how to speak English somewhat fluently), to make sense of another version of English?! It was completely ridiculous! Young Ally vehemently protested (in silence of course)...What changed for me though, was an illustrated book that explained some of Shakespeare&#x27;s plays in narrative form (and in modern day English). I loved discovering facts such as : William Shakespeare invented or introduced about 1700 words in the English language; words such as eyeball, gossip, kissing, puppy dog even zany among thousands more.<img alt="" class="richtext-image full-width" height="410" src="https://smartstudynow.s3.amazonaws.com/media/images/Daily-sun-2019-01-31--3.width-800.jpg" width="710"><a href="https://www.daily-sun.com/post/367747/30-words-invented-by-Shakespeare">Image 1</a>It was in university though, that I truly came to appreciate Shakespeare and his works. I had a remarkable professor who was truly passionate about teaching English Literature and I have to say, I wouldn&#x27;t be the tutor that I am if I hadn&#x27;t been taught by <a href="https://staff.acu.edu.au/people_and_capability/staff-awards/vice-chancellors-staff-excellence-awards/2017-vice-chancellors-staff-excellence-awards-winners/mission-excellence---associate-professor-michael-griffith">MG</a>. He truly encouraged self-expression in his classes, as a 15% part of our semester assessments, his courses required us to write blog entries 2x a week about things that inspired us whether it be film, literature, art, music. To create stories, reportage, discursive writing and critiques, always encouraging us to share our work. He still shares his wealth of knowledge on <a href="https://michaelgriffith1.com/">his own blog</a>, it houses this brilliant man&#x27;s indelible passion for teaching literature and its connection to Philosophy, Art and has inspired much of why I decided to start this blog.Above all though, MG (his preferred nickname all his students called him); really dissected Shakespeare&#x27;s body of work and opened my eyes to what made his work accessible and prescient in our modern times. And so, when learning ANY of Shakespeare&#x27;s work, whether it be his sonnets or his plays; in order to deepen our understanding, increase our appreciation and elevate our marks, we must ask ourselves only one question :<h2 data-block-key="b6bsm">What aspect of human nature still remains the same from Shakespeare&#x27;s time?... In other words, what attitudes, characteristics, behaviours or traits remain unchanged in humankind?</h2><img alt="Screen Shot 2024-11-11 at 11.25.57 PM.png" class="richtext-image full-width" height="992" src="https://smartstudynow.s3.amazonaws.com/media/images/Screen_Shot_2024-11-11_at_11.25.57_PM.width-800.png" width="740"><a href="https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/">Image 2</a>Answering this one question, will lead you to discover the breadth and depth of Shakespeare&#x27;s influence across time and diverse contexts. As for the language, blessed are the nerds and geeks from <a href="https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/?scr=1">No Fear Shakespeare</a> who now profit from their genius endeavour to translate the Elizabethan language to modern day English. Blessed are the film makers - the good, the bad and the mediocre for producing the many iterations of Shakespeare&#x27;s work for many generations. Above all, blessed art thou, for relying on your brilliant research skills and using the power of the internet to get the most out of Shakespeare&#x27;s enduring influence.A good teacher allows us to discover the value in seemingly insignificant or unnecessary things. They open our eyes, so we can open the doors to our own minds; in order for us to seek new vistas and expand our knowledge and horizons. Shakespeare can be one of those teachers, but I bet if you look hard enough, there are many brilliant teachers and mentors around you, willing to help in your journey of growth.<hr/>Reference:Image 1 :https://www.daily-sun.com/post/367747/30-words-invented-by-ShakespeareImage 2:https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/?scr=1Mission Excellence - Associate Professor Michael Griffith - Staff - Australian Catholic University. (n.d.). https://staff.acu.edu.au/people_and_capability/staff-awards/vice-chancellors-staff-excellence-awards/2017-vice-chancellors-staff-excellence-awards-winners/mission-excellence---associate-professor-michael-griffithMichael Griffith: Home Page- Literature and Life Spring 2025. (n.d.). Michael Griffith: Home Page- Literature and Life Spring 2025. https://michaelgriffith1.com/Shakespeare’s Words. (n.d.). Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/shakespedia/shakespeares-words/

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