Housekeeping:
Tales of the Crypt comes to Substack. For all the same reasons as I’ve again outlined below for our newer readers, but also because this calendar year has been a grind in the writing department.
Not that it ever comes easy, but while I’ve had the occasional blip in the past, nothing like these past weeks.
I only hope the end product hasn’t been a reflection of the suffering on the other side of the equation, noting that I don’t use the term suffering in a tortured artist sense— cry me a river—only a respect for your time and attention.
I don’t know that I’d call it writer’s block — and wouldn't say I’ve ever experienced that — more that I’ve got nothing to say.
The obvious difference is my use of social media (X) in the corresponding timeframe so I’m beginning to wonder if that’s a correlation or cause of these creative doldrums.
Anyway, that’s where things are at. For now.
Let’s not panic.
Tales from the Crypt is a once-a-month dip into the Leftfield archives — although the first here on Substack.
This, it's hoped, will give me more time to work on a collection of longer-form pieces, some of which have been in development for 3+ years(!)
But nor is this, necessarily, just reposting a link. You’ll notice many posts are already full of backlinks to earlier material; offering further reading or bolstering a point.
But this is inherently one-sided. Self-referential. A search of the archives for evidence to support a current post doesn't unveil evidence against so this is also an audit of Leftfield philosophy and methodology.
But given our physiology hasn't changed, I know much of it won't have either.
You might fairly argue these posts are forever repeating the same themes and ideas anyway. Less generously, you might say I was beating a dead horse, but if the post still stands by itself, that's what you'll get — the post by itself.
Conversely, I'd hate to think Leftfield hasn't evolved and, we all well know the world is a very different place, so, in these instances, it will be accompanied by an editorial detailing any corresponding revision.
It's also difficult for me to take an objective view of this material— I'm too close to it— so it’s hoped the passage of time will help in this regard.
As Alain De Botton says, "Anyone who isn't embarrassed of who they were last year probably isn't learning enough.” Now looking back over more than a decade it promises to be painful indeed.
This still stands although I make the mistake of suggesting movement as an ‘alternative’ to exercise. It isn’t.
As a starting point? Sure. But we could spend most of every day walking around— or otherwise moving in a non-demanding insufficiently stressful fashion— and while we might feel and move better for it we would, ultimately, also suffer for lack of exercise.
Complement. Not substitute.
I would also now make the distinction between exercise and training:
movement < exercise < training
But really:
movement < exercise + movement < training + movement
If you can start with movement just for the sake of it, you actually begin from that enlightened endpoint, and can then work your way back to exercise.
Have a great weekend.
- OLI