Podcast appearances and mentions of George Elliot

lord supper homily george elliot

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2022 8:01

09.12.22 Homily, Fr. George Elliot

The Body of Christ needs YOU

jesus christ body of christ homily george elliot

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2022 6:52

09.13.22 Homily, Fr. George Elliot

Live in the Freedom of Christ

jesus christ freedom homily george elliot

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2022 3:13

10.10.22 Homily, Fr. George Elliot

Don't be like the Pharisees

pharisees homily george elliot

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2022 6:30

10.11.22 Homily, Fr. George Elliot

S2E1: Hiçbir Şeyin Uzmanı

Bibliyoterapi

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2022 40:31

Bibliyoterapi'nin ikinci sezonuna Aslı ve Tuna, her konuyu biraz bilse de hiçbir konuda uzmanlaşamayan ve bu sebeple kendini kötü hissedenlerin derdine derman arayarak merhaba diyor. Keyifli dinlemeler!Aslı ve Tuna'ya bibliyoterapi@podbeemedia.com mail adresinden yazabilirsiniz.George Eliot-MiddlemarchBenjamin Franklin'in ÖzyaşamöyküsüGustave Flaubert-BilirbilmezlerAzra Erhat-Mavi Yolculuk------- Podbee Sunar ------- Bu podcast, GetirAraç hakkında reklam içerir. GetirAraç'ı indirmek ve ilk kullanımda 500 TL indirimden faydalanmak için, tıklayın. Bu podcast, Hiwell hakkında reklam içerir. Hiwell'i indirmek ve "pod10" koduyla %10 indirimden faydalanmak için tıklayın. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

books therapy bu benjamin franklin tuna tl asl keyifli gustave flaubert middlemarch uzman george elliot hiwell hiwell'i getirara

3.16 Fall and Rise of China: First Opium War #2

Kings and Generals: History for our Future

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2022 41:44

Last time we spoke, Lin Zexu's efforts against opium were not going well enough and he was losing favor with Emperor Daoguang and it seems his aggressive actions had brought war upon the Qing dynasty. The British warships proved too formidable, their cannons superior and the Qing were losing territory such as Chusan Island. Even the mighty Dagu forts were no match for the British warships who sailed through Chinese waters uncontested. Qishan began talks with the British, telling them Lin Zexu might be fired at any moment and that he would most likely be his replacement. Elliot faced a hostage crisis yet again with the captives from the Kite being held in Ningbo and had to negotiate a ceasefire in the meantime, but now Britain's most powerful weapon had just arrived in China, the Nemesis. This episode is the First Opium War Part 2: The Nemesis Terror Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. The emergence of Steam power in the 19th century is somewhat comparable to the emergence of nuclear power in the 20th century. Its power would make its worldwide debut during the First Opium War. The 660 ton steam warship Nemesis was launched in 1839 and arrived in China at the height of the Ningbo prisoner crisis. Nemesis had an iron hull giving it outstanding armor for its time. The coal consumption for the Nemesis was an absolute nightmare and this made it journey from Britain to China quite a slow process as it had to make numerous coal stops. Nemesis arrived to Macao on November 25 of 1840 and soon crossed the Gulf of Canton to sent anchor in Danggu, awaiting the arrival of the man of war Melville. Nemesis arrived at the perfect time to intimidate the Qing as Qishan and the 2 Elliots negotiated. The 3 men would meet aboard the Melville outside Canton harbor on November 29th and Qishan offered some promising news. Governor General Lin Zexu had finally been fired by Emperor Daoguang as a result of not fully eradicating the Opium trade. The Emperor had said to Lin Zexu “Externally you wanted to stop the trade, but it has not been stopped. Internally you wanted to wipe out the outlaws, but they are not cleared away. This has caused the waves of confusion to arise and a thousand interminable disorders. In fact you have been as if your arms were tied, without knowing what to do. It appears that you are no better than a wooden image” ouch. Lin Zexu tried to make his case to the Emperor stating the barbarians were being ruined by dysentery and malaria and predicted they would be unable to maintain the troops so far from their home and soon have to depart. Lin Zexu begged Emperor Daoguang not to give into the barbarians. They would best deploy the military rather than diplomacy. “The more they get the more they demand, and if we do not overcome them by force of arms there will be no end to our troubles. Moreover there is every probability that if the English are not dealt with, other foreigners will soon begin to copy and even outdo them”. Emperor Daoguang angrily replied to this “if anyone is copying, it is you, who are trying to frighten me, just as the English try to frighten you!”. And so, Lin Zexu left Canton in disgrace, but while enroute to Beijing he was given orders to return to Canton to assist Qishan in negotiations with the barbarians. The 2 Elliots when hearing about Lin Zexu's dismissal were quite relieved, they assumed this meant the Emperor was planning to make peace. Charles Elliots at this time would also lose the help of his cousin George Elliot as George had developed heart problems and had to sail back to England. For the negotiations at Canton, Elliot wanted to bring some more intimidation so he gathered some warships and more troops at Canton. Qishan began negotiations on December 4th, by apologizing for the cannon attack on the British by the Bogue forts and as I said previously handed over poor old Stanton. Elliot began negotiations by demanding 4 ports be opened to trade, Shanghai, Ningbo, Fuzhou and Amoy. He also demanded the surrender of an unspecified island, reimbursement for the confiscated opium chest and of course reparations for the war itself, quite a large pill to swallow. Elliot was also hoping such demands would be met quickly, because the British began to fear both France and Russia would begin joining into the war and plying for their own share in its spoils. Qishan agreed to pay 5 million over the course of 12 years, Elliot however wanted 7 million in 6 years and the surrender of at least Amoy and Chusan. The men eventually agreed to 6 million, but Qishan refused any territorial demands. Elliot resorted to threats “there are large forces collected here, and delays must breed amongst them a very great impatience”. Soon Elliot began ordering his troops to go ashore and perform military drills and target practice. At the beginning of 1841 negotiations were still stagnant. Then a rumor spread that the Emperor had chosen war and Elliot decided to prepare. On January 5th of 1841, Elliot informed Qishan that if an agreement was not reached within 2 days he would recommence war at 8am on July the 7th. Well no agreement came and Elliot made do with his threat. On the morning of July 7th, a force of 1500, soldiers, marines and sailors aboard Madagascar, Enterprize and Nemesis landed at the mouth of the Canton River. Their escort force 4 sailing and 4 steam warships began to bombard the Chuanbi Fort and the walls of Tyocoktow Fort across from Chuanbi. When the 8000 Chinese defenders in the forts saw the British ships they initially screamed at them and waved flags in defiance while they opened fire from their batteries. However the Chinese cannons were all tied down and could not be properly aimed at the invaders and thus after 20 minutes of firing at the barbarians they stopped. When they stopped firing the British took advantage of the cease fire and 2 companies of marines scaled over the walls of the Chuanbi earthen walls at 9:30am. The muddy flats in front of the fort made dragging the artillery pieces a nightmare as the men looked up at the forts to see Qing soldiers screaming and waving flags at them. Yet the British bombardment was targeting the Chinese cannons and soon they were getting knocked out one by one. Many of the Qing soldiers were told the British killed all their prisoners and thus many resisted to the bitter end. A British officer said of the carnage “a frightful scene of slaughter ensued, despite the efforts of the British officers to restrain their men”. By 11am, the Qing banner was lowered by the British whom raised the Union Jack in its place. The British reported they had killed 600 Qing soldiers and took another 100 prisoner. The British reported 30 casualties of their own, but as they put it, not because of any Chinese defender, no only because of accidental explosions from their own overheated artillery pieces. Many Qing defenders fled the city, but Major Pratt of the 26th regiment flanked their retreat forcing many back into the forts. The British warships continued to shell the city killing numerous defenders. Once it looked like Chuanbi was simmering down, the British ships began to fire upon 11 Chinese war junks anchored at the mouth of the river using Congreve rockets. One British officer who witnessed this stated “The very first rocket fired from the Nemesis was seen to enter the large junk ... and almost the instant afterwards it blew up with a terrific explosion, launching into eternity every soul on board, and pouring forth its blaze like the mighty rush of fire from a volcano. The instantaneous destruction of the huge body seemed appalling to both sides engaged. The smoke, and flame, and thunder of the explosion, with the broken fragments falling round, and even portions of dissevered bodies scattering as they fell, were enough to strike with awe, if not fear, the stoutest heart that looked upon it”. Both the Chinese artillery on top of the forts as well as the Chinese war junks did not return fire. Instead the defenders were fleeing or jumping overboard to get away from the naval bombardments. The British fired muskets at them as they did so killing many. Inside one of the forts many Qing defenders were becoming burned and horribly disfigured because they antiquated matchlocks gunpowder would often explode on them. The British gunfire only added to their misery. A staff officer who took part in the battle wrote later in life “The slaughter of fugitives is unpleasant, but we are such a handful in the face of so wide a country and so large a force that we should be swept away if we did not deal our enemy a sharp lesson whenever we came in contact.”. As the British warships bombarded the Chinese War junks the Chinese captains fell into a rout scattering into Anson's Bay just east of Chuanbi. There, the nightmare ship, Nemesis went forward by itself attacking over 15 Chinese war junks. An extremely lucky congreve rocket fired from Nemesis hit one of the war junks powder magazines exploding it to pieces. The 14 other war junks witnessing this continued to scatter and many of their crew jumped overboard to escape. Nemesis did not pursue them any longer and instead steamed up river torching a few war junks as it went along and seizing others before rejoining the armada. 3 more fort remained operation near Chuanbi and next day the British began to prepare their ships to bombard them, but a white flag was lifted over them and a messenger arrived telling the British Admiral Guan was requesting a 3 day ceasefire so he could speak with Qishan. Charles Elliot was quite mortified by the massacre of Chuanbi and accepted the 3 day cease fire. Elliots soldiers however were livid with this decision and wanted to simply march on Canton. To alleviate the men, Elliot ordered them to demolish the walls of Chuanbi and the Tycocktow forts. Qishan then met with Elliot to negotiate at the Lotus Flower Wall due south of Canton city. Elliot brought with him a show of force, 56 royal marine, a 15 member fife and drum band and Captain Rosamel commander of a French corvette named Danaide. Inviting the French captain was a diplomatic courtesy and a method of keeping an eye on the French whom the British like I said feared might take a shot at the spoils of war. Qishan performed the customary wining and dining of Elliot and his entourage and eventually they began their diplomacy again. By January 20th they agreed to what has become known as the Chuanbi Convention. The British agreed to purchase Hong Kong island for 6 million and the Chinese would pay 6 million for the war reparations, sort of a swap in other words. Both nations would exchange ambassadors and now contact between the nations would be direct and official, no more tributary status. Above all else trade would resume and the British would hand over all the forts and places they had captured, including Chusan island. Qishan presumed Emperor Daoguang and his Qing court would agree to these terms and even made plans to exhort the 6 million in reparations directly from the Hong merchants to sweeten the deal. Elliot had to assume Britain would be pleased, because messages took a long time to get back home, but in fact Palmerston and others in Parliament were quite livid Elliot did not get the 20,000 opium chest amount and the war reparation amount they had demanded. The British foreign minister said of the Chaunbi settlement “after all, our naval power is so strong that we can tell the Emperor what we mean to hold, rather than that he should say what we would cede”.Emperor Daoguang was so pised off when he found out about the Hong Kong cession he recalled Qishan immediately to Beijing and ordered the execution of Charles Elliot. Elliot would eventually received word from Parliament about the Chuanbi convention and the it turned out the British government refused to ratify the agreement, uh oh. On the same day the Chuanbi convention was signed, January 20th of 1841, Emperor Daoguang ordered Qishan to stop negotiations with the barbarians, because he was sending reinforcements to Canton from the interior. Thousands of Qing troops were enroute under the command of a 70 year old general named Yang Fang. Yang Fang was so old, it was alleged he was deaf and had to give his men orders in writing. The Emperor also sent with him his cousin Yishan as a new diplomat. Charles Elliot was completely aloof at the looming conflict, nor the Emperor's rejection of the Chuanbi agreement. On January 26th Lt Colonel George Burell occupied Hong Kong island in accordance with the Chuanbi agreement. Similar to the Chusan island situation, Elliot allowed opium to be stored on Hong Kong island. In a letter at the time from Matheson to Jardine he mentioned “Elliot says that he sees no objection to our storing opium there, and as soon as the Chinese New Year holidays are over I shall set about building”. Soon Matheson began building an enormous stone fortress in Hong Kong and moved the companies HQ there. Hong Kong became a brilliant new jewel in the crown of her Majesty. It held a deep harbor and a very small population that would not give too much trouble. The British were overjoyed to leave the malaria dysentery filled nightmare of Chusan for Hong Kong. By February 1st, Charles Elliot proclaimed Hong Kong island an official British territory and its residents subjects under the crown, something the Chuanbi convention never stipulated. Elliot met Qishan again, this time at a place called Second Bar, a small island 20 miles southeast of Canton to put the imperial seal upon the Convention of Chuanbi. Qishan informed Elliot that he had been fired and that the Emperor was pissed off like hell much to the shock of Elliot. Qing soldiers began to mass around the Bogue and as noted by Commodore James Bremmer in his military dispatch “I must confess that from this moment my faith in the sincerity of the Chinese Commissioner was completely destroyed, my doubts were also strengthened by the reports of the Officers I sent up to the place of meeting, who stated that military works on a great scale were in progress, troops collected on the heights, and camps protected by entrenchments, arising on both sides of the river, and that the island of North Wangtong had become a mass of cannon” Elliot decided yet again to take up arms. On february 26, the Modeste, Druid, Wellesley, Queen and Melville began to bombard the forts on Wangtong and Anunghoi island on the Bogue. There were 3 forts on Anunghoi island holding 42, 60 and 40 cannons atop them each. The warship Blenheim alongside Melville, Queen, and four rocket boats approached the southernmost fort, dropped anchor 600 yards away, and fired their broadsides. The Melville approached five minutes later and within 400 yards of the fort, and fired broadsides in quick succession. A British officer who witnessed the scene said "The firing of these ships was most splendid: nothing could withstand their deadly aim ... One or two shot were sufficient for the 'dragon-hearted' defenders of the north fort, who, 'letting' off their guns, fled up the hills." The 3 forts cannons were stationary guns set at such a high elevation that when they return fired they were only able to hit the topsails of the British ships. The Chinese return fire lasted only 15 minutes, by 1:20 pm the forts stopped returning fire and 300 Royal Marines stormed the forts. By 1:30 pm, the 3 forts were captured 250 killed or wounded in Anunghoy. Over on Wangtong island there was 40 gun fort on its western side called Yong'an Fort. Between this fort and the forts on Anunghoi was a large boom chain cable to stop warships and passage could not be made until all the forts were taken. Commodore Bremer aboard his flagship Wellesley alongside 7 other warships began to bombard the fort and its batteries and in less than an hour the Chinese stopped firing back. By 1:30pm Major Thomas Simson Pratt commanded 1037 troops to storm the beach of the island. In the words of British officer Edward Belcher “Opposition there was none. The unfortunate Chinese literally crammed the trenches, begging or mercy. I wish I could add that it was granted”. Belcher also alleges some Indian soldiers would begin executing prisoners when he personally tried to stop them “two were shot down whilst holding my shirt, and my gig's crew, perceiving, my danger, dragged me away exclaiming ‘they will shoot you next sir!”. There were around 2000 Qing defenders on the island and it is estimated 250 were killed and or wounded. The British claim to have only 5 casualties. When the British and Indian force entered the forts they found that the defenders had most likely fled the moment the battle began. Within 2 hours, the forts on Anunghoi and Wangtong were seized with minimal effort. Charles Elliot stated he had almost died in the battle from a Chinese cannonball that nearly hit him as he sat reclined in a hammock on the deck of his ship. You can't make that stuff up…or perhaps you really can if you are the British during the 19th century trying to show off. Honestly folks, when I give reports from this war, a lot of it comes from British primary sources and I can assure you they are embellishing the shit out of it. A thousand Chinese were taken prisoner. Admiral Guan's body lay among the defenders, a bayonet in his chest. The British gave the old warrior a cannon salute from the warship Blenheim when his family retrieved the body and sailed off with it. With the fall of the Bogue forts, the mouth of the Canton River and the gateway to Canton belonged to the British. Lin Zexu wrote of the event "I got home at the Hour of the Monkey [that is 3 p.m.] ... and when night came heard that the Bogue forts and those on Wangtong Island were being invested, preparatory to attack, by the English rebels. I at once went with Deng to Qishan's office and at the Hour of the Rat [that is 11 p.m.] we heard that the Wangtong, Yung-an and Kung-ku forts have fallen. All night I could not sleep." On February 27, Elliot made his way up the Canton River aboard Nemesis when they came across the warship Cambridge which was in trouble. Cambridge had been captured and surrounded by Chinese War junks. When Nemesis alongside some other British steamers approached, the Chinese war junks opened fired on them. When the British ships managed to maneuver into a position where they could fire broadsides they sent a tremendous volley. Added to the shells were congreve rockets which set fires to many of the war junks. The Cambridge was also opening fire upon the British as Chinese crews were operating her. The British bombardment after an hour soon sent the ships scattering about and many of their crews jumped overboard. On the sides of the river were some earthworks defense with batteries and British troops began to land and stormed their positions. Captain Thomas Herbert of warship Calliope said of the event “I landed with the seamen and marines and stormed the works, driving before us upwards of 2 thousand of their best troops, and killing nearly 300”. Lt John Elliot Bingham of the Modeste wrote “As the enemy fled before Lt Stranshams party, they attempted to cross a deep branch of the river in which numbers of them perished and many were shot”. Thus the British claimed to have killed 300 Chinese during this battle near the First Bar Island on the Pearl River at the cost of losing 1 man with a couple wounded. The day after the battle Lin Zexu wrote "I hear that yesterday the English rebels broke resistance at Wu-yung. The regulars from Hunan were stationed there, and had heavy losses, their Commander Hsiang-fu being also among the killed." After the battle was over the British realized they could not tow the Cambridge, so Elliot ordered the ship scuttled. During the firing upon the Chinese war junks, a British sailor died when his musket exploded in his hands. Elliot awaited some other ships and men before continuing to sail towards Canton. On March the 2nd, Commodore Bremer dispatched a force to prod Whampoa Island which held a battery of around 25 cannons and had around 250 Qing troops defending it. The smaller naval force of 3 British warships bombarded the island destroying the cannons and defensive structures with ease. The marines who stormed the island reported around 20 dead defenders and lost a man to grapeshot. Lin Zexu wrote in his diary on the day of the battle “I hear that the English rebel ships have already forced their way to the fort at Lieh-te. Early in the morning I went to talk things over at the General office in the Monastery of the Giant Buddha”. As the armada made its approach to the city the 10,000 civilians fled, including Lin Zexu's family. An American merchant in Canton wrote of the scene “Canton never looked so desolate. The hatred of those who had not fled registered in their faces. They scowl upon every one of us in a way indicative of a greater dislike than I have ever before observed”. Cantons harbor was too shallow for the Nemesis to dock, so Elliot took her completely alone up the Canton river and back down destroying apparently a few forts and 9 Chinese war junks. If that is to be believed, Nemesis truly lived up to its name wow. Poor Qishan was again recalled to Beijing to be punished. He was not only recalled, but arrested and cast into chains. He made it to Beijing by March 12th and his entire fortune of 425,000 acres of land, 135,000 ounces of gold and 10 million in cash was taken from him by Emperor Daoguang. Luckily for Qishan his death sentence was reversed by the Emperor to just hard labor at a military encampment near China's northernmost border with Russia. Lin Zexu did not receive blame for the military blunders and instead remained in power at Canton. The reason as to why this came to be might be because Lin Zexu was as guilty as every other Qing official in sending the Emperor very embellished stories about the war. “Our regular troops sank 2 of their dinghies and shattered the mainmast of one of their warhips after which they retired”. Like the other officials playing broken telephone, Lin Zexu also feared the Emperors wrath and for good reason. By March 13, the rest of the British armada arrived outside Canton and began to blow all the Chinese ships to pieces within the harbor. The armada also bombarded the city's walls knocking out its cannons. On march 19, British marines and sailors landed near the foreign factories district forcing Chinese defenders there to pull back giving no resistance. The next day the British occupied their old English factory and planted the Union Jack back upon its roof. Our old friend Houqua came to Elliot at the English factory begging for a truce on behalf of General Fang. Elliot greeted Houque kindly and agreed, he also told everyone in Canton that trade was to be restored. The months of the opium smugglers were watering at this, but Elliot then dictated that all the opium found on any British ship was to be confiscated. Elliot was trying to make it known they were here for the tea trade and to show Britain was going to be on its best behavior. Unbeknownst to Elliot, the truce was a feint. For the next few days, the British watched Chinese ships full of Qing soldiers sail past the factories vantage point. Despite Elliots talk of confiscating all opium, the smugglers were more bold than ever. With the British armada as armed guards, the smuggler ships came in some carrying more than 1000 chests each! Elliot was furious and tried to stop the opium vessels from unloading their cargo in Canton, but the merchants simply ignored him. Elliot feared getting chewed up by members at parliament if he molested the dealers anymore, knowing full well parliament had a ton of opium lobbyists working full time. Its actually scarily like current governments today. Some, albeit I bet a few politicians in the congress/senates/parliaments of large nations today actually want to put a stop to the worlds most horrible troubles, but lobbyists are a powerful force and when your political job is at stack…well like Mr. Elliot, how much do you put your neck out on the line? Also Elliot had greater issues to worry about, when the British took back the factory the Qing officials set a price upon the heads of any British citizen and a king's ransom of 50,000 for Elliot's head. Ever since the first battle at the Bogue, Qishan and Lin were both sending reports to Emperor Daoguang about how the war was going. Lin Zexu was sending amazing tales of Qing victories, all fabrications. Qishan was sending report, of how corrupt the Qing military had become and how it had fallen to such lengths it could not hope to match the barbarians. Qishan counseled strategic surrender and hinted towards resuming the opium trade. Well we all know what happened to Qishan for his more honest words on military matters. General Yang Fang also urged the Emperor to allow the opium trade to continue arguing that if the British occupied themselves with making money, they would have little time or any desire for war. The Emperor replied to General Fang “If trade were the solution to the problem, why would it be necessary to transfer and dispatch generals and troops?”. Emperor Daoguang ordered General Fang and his colleagues Ishand and Longwen to take back Hong Kong island. By late March, Elliot had decided the next target was to be Amoy, around 400 miles northeast of Canton. Elliot thought it would be a good time to attack Amoy in May, but in the meantime he fell quite ill while in Macao. In the meantime he was receiving intelligence reports from Canton that the city was being surrounded by more and more Qing troops. It seemed General Fang was amassing forces trying to bring the British back to the peace table. Elliot headed the show of military might by putting off the Amoy plans and concentrating on arming Canton. On May 11th, Elliot took Nemesis over to Canton and quickly saw the Chinese were building fortifications outfitted with new cannons. He also saw the Chinese navy was increasing its presence in the area. To that end he sent a letter to the governor asking they cease military preparations but received no word back. On May 21st, Elliot ordered the British and even urged the Americans to leave the factory quarter. All of the British quickly left, just a few Americans stayed and in less than 24 hours the factory quarter was shelled by the Chinese military from the opposite side of the river. The Chinese then began sending fireboats from the river at the nearby British warships. Elliot had Nemesis begin bombarding the Chinese war junks nearby which were using the fireships as cover. The fireships failed to hit any of the British vessels and instead ran into shorelines setting parts of Canton ablaze. Nemesis began firing on fortifications and Chinese artillery positions and by the morning the battle over the sea dissipated. On May 25th, Nemesis escorting 70 other vessels full of thousands of troops made its way to Tsingpu, 2 miles northwest of Canton proper. Tsingpu had a natural harbor from which the British formed a beach head to assemble its forces and equipment. The military strategy involved multiple ships bombarding differing parts of Cantons defenses and 2 invasion forces. The first force which I will call right force was led by the warship Atalanta consisting of 330 men of the 26th Cameronians, Madras Artillery and some Engineers. They were going to bombard the south walls of Canton while they landed troops at the factory quarter to occupy it. The other force was that of Nemesis which landed at Tsingpu, designated as left force consisting of 6000 men with various troops such as the 49th foot, 27th Madras infantry, some Bengal Volunteers and 380 Royal marines. Leading left force was Major General Hugh Gough whom performed a reconnaissance of the area and said “the heights to the north of Canton were crowned by 4 strong forts and the city walls, which run over the southern extremity of these heights, appeared to be about 3 miles and a half distant”. Basically if you had a map, which can be found of this battle the left force has landed northwest of Canton. To its east lies various hills and forts that protect the approach to the large wall defense of Canton city. There were 4 large forts each holding various cannons and troops. Gough's force at 3am was being fired upon by the 2 most western forts of the 4. Then the British managed to place their artillery, 12 pounder howitzers, 9 pounder artillery pieces, half a pound mortars and a ton of Congreve rockets. The British began to fire back upon the 2 western first and cover of fire, Lt Colonel Morris of the 49th advanced up a hill towards the nearest fort, while Major General Burrell led the 18th royal Irish to support his flank. While this was occurring, the Qing sent a large force to hit the right flank, but General Gough saw this coming and ordered some royal marines to close the flank up. With their land based artillery and warships bombarding, the left force was able to capture all 4 forts taking light casualties and when they occupied the forts they held a vantage point looking into Canton city. On may the 25th Goughs force began setting up around these 4 forts, they saw an incoming force coming from the northeast of around 4000 Qing soldiers. They were advancing through an open paddy field and attacked the British 49th at 3pm. The 49th were putting up a good fight, but then General Yang Fang showed up to the scene rallying the troops trying to overwhelm the 49th. Gough quickly ordered the 18th division with some royal marines to reinforce the 49th position and placed Major General Burrell in charge of repelling the enemy. The fighting was intense, but the British force managed to rout the enemy and in turn burnt down their military encampments. By the early morning of may 26th, Gough had prepared his men for an invasion of Canton's city walls, but at 10:00am a white flag appeared overhead. Gough sent the British interpreter Thoms to find out what the Qing wanted. The Qing envoy begged for hostilities to end, Gough agreed to a ceasefire, but said through Thoms that he would only negotiate with the commander of the Qing forces in Canton. “"I had it explained that, as General commanding the British, I would treat with none but the General commanding the Chinese troops, that we came before Canton much against the wishes of the British nation, but that repeated insults and breaches of faith had compelled us to make the present movement, and that I would cease from hostilities for two hours to enable their General to meet me and Sir Le Fleming Senhouse.". No Qing commander came forward, so Gough resumed preparations to attack Cantons walls. Then 7am the next morning, just as the British artillery was getting ready to fire, another white flag was raised and some Qing soldiers were shouting the name of Charles Elliot. It turned out the reason they were shouting this was because Elliot had been negotiating with the Qing during the course of the battle. Now since may the 26 Major General Gough was in a standstill position. His forces were occupying those 4 forts north of Canton city's walls and his transport ships were over at the beach head some 5 miles west of him. So there was Gough with 6000 soldiers just loitering about in the blazing hot sun, basically in the middle of some paddy fields north of Canton. You wont hear from this from my main source which I will add seems to be quite skewed to the British side, but a minor incident occurred. A local villager named Wei Shaoguang accused a British soldier had raped his wife. The local village populace became enraged and soon a crowd of over 10,000 began swarming around the British position. They were armed with pikes, swords and all the common village weapons you can think of. To make matters worse for some of the British, many of their muskets were sodden because of the marshy paddy field geography and were failing to fire when villagers attacked. A 2 hour long siege occurred and the British had to withdraw to one of the western forts which was soon surrounded. Gough sent word to the governor of Canton Yu Baochun telling him if the villagers did not stop the siege his force would commence an attack upon Canton city. Yu tried to stop the villagers, only to be labeled a traitor to the people of Canton. It sounds like a lackluster event, but it actually is the beginning of a larger issue. The villagers had taken matters into their own hands to deal with the foreign invaders because they saw their Qing government appeasing them. This feeling that the Qing were weak or not doing enough would feed into multiple movements that would later break the Qing dynasty. Then on May 29th, General Fang broke the ceasefire and ordered his men to suddenly attack, shouting “exterminate the rebels!”. Fire rafts were launched at the nearby British warships docked at Whampoa, but failed to do any damage. Stinkpots were tossed at British warships and some war junks tried using grappling hooks to board them. Some of Fang's forces broke into the factory quarter and began to pillage it. The British in response sent ships up the Pearl River to bombard the walls of Canton, but no soldiers were sent in to invade the city. The secret reason as to why was because at this point the British troops were being decimated by dysentery. In reality the British had some 2500 able fighting men to face off against a possible Qing force of 20,000 within Canton city. Luckily for the British their warships bombardments were enough to draw out a truce agreement. Now the Qing agreed to pay 6 million in the course of 7 days if the British promised not to sack Canton. The Qing military would pull back at least 60 miles from Canton and the British would pull back to the Bogue and occupy the forts there. There still remained major issues, the status of the opium trade and that of Hong Kong island, trade was still not resumed and the compensation for the 20,000 opium chests confiscated. The British knew the situation was tense and ignored these issues for now to allow Canton to normalize again. The British also made sure to avoid mentions of a military victory over the Chinese as they wanted the Emperor to save face and thus be more likely to accept their deal. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The British attacked Chaunbi, Bogue, the First Bar island, Whampoa Island and now Canton in their war to bring the Qing government to meet their demands. It seemed by taking Canton a treaty might be formed at long last and perhaps peace could be restored.

3.15 Fall and Rise of China: First Opium War

Kings and Generals: History for our Future

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2022 47:41

Last time we spoke, Lin Zexu had brought the foreign barbarians to their knees and Elliot was forced to hand over 20,000 chests of opium. Lin zexu destroyed the illicit substance riding his nation of its filth. Elliot made a terrible error when he told the opium merchants the British government would compensate them for the confiscated contraband. This would all lead to Captain Henry Smith of the Volage firing the first shot of the First Opium War. Britain was in a financial bind, they needed their tea fix and China was closing off trade to them. How was Britain going to compensate the opium merchants and open up China to keep the tea flowing? That is when Thomas Macaulay made the suggestion to Lord Palmerston, a rather out of the box idea. Why not make China pay for it all. This episode is the First Opium War Part 1 Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on the history of asia and much more so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. Lin Zexu's attempt to send a letter to Queen Victoria proved to be a failure, no one cared. But back in China Lin Zexu's war against Opium earned him a promotion. He went from high commissioner to taking Deng Tingzhen's title as Governor-General. This seems to have bolstered Lin Zexu's resolve to deal with the foreign barbarians as he wrote at the time “Only by knowing their strengths and their weaknesses can we find the right to restrain them”. Lin Zexu shared his countrymens contempt for the foreigners, but he knew he had to learn more about this enemy in order to defeat them. Lin Zexu was a scholar and had a practical mindset for how to go about the task. Lin Zexu began by buying the British warship Cambridge for use to the Chinese navy and anchored it around the mouth of the Canton River. The only problem was that Elliot made sure to order all of Cambridge's cannons removed before it was sold and the Chinese sailors were unable to properly sail the vessel, thus it was literally towed to the canton river. By spring of 1840, there were only a few small limited battles between the Chinese junks and some British vessels still attempting to smuggle opium into canton. Elliot decided the first course of action was to map the Yangtze river so he could provide good intelligence to the incoming British force. He sent a ship from Jardine Matheson & Co called the Hellas, unbeknownst to Elliot, Matheson told its captain Frederick Jauncey to try and sell opium while they navigated the Yangtze to hedge his profits. The Hellas ran into trouble on May 22nd of 1840 when Captain Jauncey ran into what he originally thought were just a few Chinese merchant ships, but were in fact 8 war junks. They opened fire on Hellas and attempted to ram and board her, but Hellas was able to keep the fire fight at a distance until some strong wind picked up allowing Hellas to make an escape. Captain Jauncey earned a broken jaw and almost lost an eye during the battle and a few of his crew were hurt, but there were no fatalities. By the end of May the Hellas limped back to Macao for some medical treatment. On June the 8th, a Chinese fleet of fireships loaded to the brim with gunpowder were sent into the British ships anchored at Capsingmum some 45 miles east of Macao. Many of the British vessels fled for their lives, but the warships, Volage, Druid and Hyacinth rushed forward to stop the fireship attack. They used grappling hooks to tie up the fireships from a distance and towed them away from the rest of the British flotilla thus saving them all. The next day, the long awaited British force Palmerston promised finally arrived in Chinese waters. There was a scarcity of sailors hindering what could be amassed for hte China expeditionary force, due to the ongoing wars and other operations against the French in the mediterranean sea and the forces of Mohammed Ali in Egypt. By the end of June 17 men of war had assembled including 3 line of battle ships, the Wellesley, Melville and Blenheim. The East India Company also lent a hand providing 4 armed merchantmen steamers, the Enterprize, Madagascar, Atalanta and Queen. Following behind the force was 27 troopships carrying the 18th Royal Irish, the 49th Bengal Volunteers, the 26th Cameronians,a corps of Bengal engineers, and another corps of Madras sappers and miners. On its way to catch up to this force was British most devastating weapon, a brand new ocean-going Iron warship, the first of its kind named Nemesis. She was launched in 1839 and deployed to China as her first operation. She was powered by 2 60 horsepower Forrester engines and armed with 2 pivot mounted 32 pounders and 6 6pounder guns. She had watertight bulkhead, the first to be used for a warship at the time enabling her to survive a lot of hull damage. It goes without saying this one warship will have a daunting part to play in this story and the Chinese would nickname her “devil ship”. The British armada did not just bring military assistance, it also was secretly carrying more opium, because of course why not. Over 10 thousand chests were snuck away aboard the ships ready to flood the Chinese market. The large British naval presence would allow the smugglers to offload their opium at Lintin during broad daylight with impunity. The armada gathered itself at Singapore to devise a strategy going forward. There in Singapore, the marines practiced amphibious assaults while Chinese war junks in the distance observed from a distance. By June 1 of 1840 enough warships had gathered at Singapore to launch the invasion of the Qing dynasty. So on June 16 the first ship, a steamer named Madagascar entered the Gulf of Canton followed a bit later by a large part of the armada. Aboard the Wellesley, captain Elliot met with the commander of the expeditionary force, Commodore Sir J. J Gordon Bremer and they discussed strategy. Jardine had made a proposal, to commit some warships to blockade the entire eastern and southern coasts of China and seize the island of Chusan. Jardine argued they should also blockade the mouth of the Bei He River which flowed into the Yangtze, the waterway for food and other shipments directly to Beijing. Chusan island was a critical depot for the Qing, more than a quarter million ton of grain pass through it to go to Beijing to feed the capital. Depriving the capital of a major food source and revenue would bring the Chinese to a peace settlement and thus a British victory. The British Admiralty's Sir John Barrow thought Jardine's proposal was too much, threatening the Qing capital would just result in the Chinese digging in deeper to defend themselves and not bring them to the peace table. Barrow argued they should focus around the gulf of canton, shell the city and seize Hong Kong. Charles Elliot argued a middle ground: take Canton then sail up the Bei He river to threaten Beijing. Elliot also argued they could instead attack Shanghai because attacking such a prominent city would make the Qing lose face and intimidate them. Another man who had just arrived was Elliot's cousin, Admiral Sir George Elliot who had been given co-plenipotentiary powers. He brought with him a peace treaty with orders to make the Qing government agree to every article of it and to continue the way until it was done. Sir George Elliot arrived in the later part of 1840 and ordered a blockade of the Gulf of Canton using 5 warships while he and the rest of the armada sailed north. The British merchants were disappointed, they expected a direct assault upon Canton, they had hoped to open the city back up for trade. Both Elliot's got aboard the Wellesley as the armada made its approach towards Chusan. George Elliot also had with him a letter from Palmerston to inform the emperor Britain intended to blockade and seize various Chinese ports as a response to the Qing siege of the Canton factories. Palmerston also cheekily added that if the Emperor wanted to stop the opium trade he should probably convince his people to stop smoking opium. At the end of the letter Palmerston added that to avoid “unpleasantness” the Emperor was invited to send a delegation to a shipboard meeting with the two Elliots who most likely would park their warships at the mouth of the Bei He River. The Elliots gave the letter to a Captain named Thomas Bourchier whom went ashore with a white flag at Namoy just 300 miles north of Canton. As Thomas entered the harbor some Qing officials came aboard. Thomas explained to them that the armada meant to bombard the city if they did not respect the white flag. As he explained this to them, along the coast a ton of Chinese began to form a crowd near his boat so he sailed off. With his ship a few hundreds yards away from the shore he waited to see what the Chinese would do. Then Thomas noticed cannons being mounted on a nearby fort. Thomas sent his translator named Robert Thom on a small raft with a large placard repeating what retaliation the Chinese could expect if they fired upon his ship. Thom also began to shout the orders at the crowd along the beach, but they simply screamed insults in return. Then some of the people on the beach began to swim out towards Thom's boat and some arrows and gunshots were fired at him. Suddenly one of the cannons from the fort fired and some nearby chinese junks joined them all aiming for poor Thom. Thom dashed back to Captain Thomas and reported to him what had happened. Captain Thomas responded by sending another letter explaining that the British government had no quarrel with the Chinese people, only their emperor. He sent the letter with a courier in another small raft and as it approached the shore the mob rose up yet again and soon gunfire was going off. It is alleged after this Captain Thomas literally threw a message in a bottle before sailing off towards Canton. By July 1st the armada anchored in the harbor of Dinghai on Chusan Island. Dinghai held around 40,000 inhabitants within a 5 sided 22 feet high wall city. It held many towers and was surrounded on all 4 sides by a canal. The city had 16 hundred defenders, but in reality they were all just some fishermen, sailors and quickly raised up militiamen armed with spears, bows and some matchlocks. There were also 12 chinese war junks that had followed the British armada keeping a safe distance. The British noticed one of the Chinese war junks had a banner indicated a high Qing official was aboard and they signaled they wanted to talk. The Chinese war junks invited a British delegation aboard their flagship. Commodore Bremer went aboard with his interpreter and met with the Qing commander of the Chusan garrison. Bremer did not mash words he was quite blunt demanding the “surrender Chusan or face the consequences”. The Qing host was not intimidated however and sent the British back to their boats. When the British were back aboard their vessels, instead of blasting the chinese war junks, well they simply invited the Chinese aboard the Wellesley to wine and dine them. In the 1997 movie “the opium war” this scene is quite well done, I highly recommend watching it. So the Qing officials dined and one Qing officer even analyzed some of the 74 guns aboard Wellesley. That officer was quoted to say “it is very true you are strong and I am weak. Still I must fight”. After dinner, Commodore Bremer demanded their surrender again and gave them 24 hours to comply. The Chinese in the meantime ran ashore and began to stuff a ton of sandbags with rice and other things to strengthen the defenses around Dinghai's walls. The 24 hours passed and Bremer brought the Wellesley closer to the shore, but he had to wait for some more reinforcements to arrive to launch an amphibious assault. By 2pm on July 5th, 6 British warships arrived to the scene and Bremer fired a single cannon targeting a tower on a small fort. The Qing fired a single cannon in response, which led Bremer to start shooting volley's every 10 minutes. As the maelstrom was going on, Lt Colonel George Burrell led the 18th Brigade in an amphibious landing. Suddenly the Chinese stop firing just as the 18th brigade landed ashore. The British took the situation by storm and began bombarding the Chinese war junks to pieces and Dingshai's fort towers. Lord Jocelyn, a military secretary said of the scene. “The Crashing of timber, falling houses and groans of men resounded from the shore. Even after the bombardment ceased, a few shots were still heard from the unscathed junks. We landed on a deserted beach, a few dead bodies, bows and arrows; broken spears and guns remaining the sole occupants of the field”. The 18th brigade found no resistance on the beach. The Qing defenders had fled almost as soon as the first cannons had gone off. A Qing commander on scene, Brigadier Zhang had refused to give up the fight, but had both his legs blown off by cannonade and had to be whisked away on a litter. The local magistrate and some of his subordinates watched in horror as the defenders departed and they all committed suicide. A detachment of the 18th brigade set up 8 9 pounder artillery pieces and some howitzers on a hill which had a vantage point overlooking the city of Dinghai. They then began to shell the now defenseless inhabitants forcing countless to flee for their lives. The British reported not a single casualty during the volley exchange nor the beach assault. Lord Jocelyn described the planting of the Union Jack by the Joss house in Dinghai “the first European banner that has floated as conqueror over the flowery land”. The city of Dinghai was a mile from the shoreline and Colonel Burell slowly marched his men to its formidable walls as artillery rained hell upon them. The residents of Dinghai responded with their own artillery forcing Colonel Burrell to hold back his men from a distance and wait it out until the next day to assault the city. During that lull the British soldiers found some samshu in a local fishing village and proceeded to get drunk as hell and looted the fishing village during the night. An Indian soldier said of the incident “A more complete pillage could not be conceived. The plunder ceased only when there was nothing to take or destroy”. The artillery was going on throughout the night and at around midnight of British 9 pounders hit a gunpowder deposit inside Dinghai turning the city into an inferno. The next morning the British saw most of the defenders were fleeing and sent a detachment of 12 men to approach the south wall to prod it. There was no resistance so the men began to climb the rice bag defenses that had been piled almost 2 stories high in front of the wall. Within minutes they were over the top and could see the city that once held 40,000 people was all but deserted. Lord Jocelyn said of the city “The main street was nearly deserted, except here and there, where the frightened people were performing the kow-tow as we passed. On most of the houses was placarded "Spare our lives;" and on entering the jos-houses were seen men, women, and children, on their knees, burning incense to the gods; and although protection was promised [to] them, their dread appeared in no matter relieved.” The British reported that perhaps 2000 Chinese died, which is complete nonsense, the Chinese state something like 25 died so the actual number is somewhere in between, quite a large range I know. The British themselves might have lost up to 19 men. They found a ton of antiquated weapons and armor as they looted the city such as padded cotton jackets which displayed the disparity between the 2 forces. Robert Thom who witnesses the looting said “No one has been killed in cold blood that I am aware of, and only one or two cases of rape occurred perpetrated it is said by the sepoys”. By the way a lot of the primary sources for this war will lay blame on the Indian soldiers for misconduct and take it was a grain of salt. I am not saying it did not happen, it most certainly did, but the idea that the British redcoats were not taking part in such ventures seems dubious. By Jul 11th, Jardine and Matheson reached Chusan and found out Admiral Elliot was forbidding their opium ships from landing on the island. Yet they pressed their team of smugglers to persist and against Elliots wishes unloaded opium. Chusan would become a storehouse for opium and by November of 1840 43 opium smuggling ships were using Chusan as an offloading point. 12,000 chests of opium would be brought to Chusan by the end of the year. Chusan island would also bring quite a lot of misery to the British. Colonel Burrell refused to allow his troops to occupy the abandoned city of Dinghai fearing repercussions from the Chinese and instead kept his men in a particularly malaria infested paddy field. With the scorching heat and an order that all men keep their top buttons on their uniforms fastened almost 500 men would die to malaria and dysentery. A lot of variables were at work, bad provisions, too much Samshu, stagnant water and the most evil culprit, malaria invested mosquitos took a heavy toll on the British. By October, only 2036 out of 3650 troops would be fit for duty. By december more than 5000 men were admitted to hospitals and 448 deaths would occur. If anyone knows the story of Japan's invasion of Taiwan in the 19th century, it really reminds me of that ordeal. Taking an island by force and with incredible ease, only to fall victim to brutal mother nature. On july 27th, Elliot had gathered many warships at Dinghai and felt he had enough firepower to proceed 500 miles north to Beijing. A week after Dinghai fell, Beijing got the word. However this is where a large problem would emerge for the Qing dynasty. The Emperor was given word through Qing officials, and if the news was bad, the officials would fear enraging the Emperor and more often than naught falsify what they told him. In this case the officials downplayed the severity of the incursion. They told him of alleged weaknesses of the foreign invaders. The governor of Jiangsu Province lying at the mouth of the Yangtze River, Yukien told the Emperor “take our fort at Woosung. From the bottom upward there is the stone base, then the clay base, and finally the fort itself. It is even elevation far above the level of the barbarian ships. If they shoot upward, their bullet will go down and consequently lose force. Moreover the barbarians are stiff and their legs straight. The latter, further bound with cloth, can scarcely stretch at will. Once fallen down, they cannot again stand up. It is fatal to fighting on land”. Yukien would also make remarks about how the barbarians lacked bows and arrows. While this might come off as humorous, I bring it up for important reasons. The Emperor will continuously be given these sort of reports, downplaying of events such as battles, made up stories about victories over the British and much more. The Emperor will be reacting accordingly based on the information he is given and this will be quite the crux of the entire war. The British armada approached the mouth of the Bei He River in a course of 10 days and was only 75 miles southwest of Beijing. However at the mouth of the Bei He River lied one of the Qing dynasty's most formidable defenses, known as the Dagu forts. 2 Dagu forts guarded the mouth, though to Elliot they looked pretty decrepit and deserted. Elliot was still trying to find a Qing official who would take Palmerstons letter to the Emperor and at the mouth he saw several Chinese war junks. Elliot sent a man with the letter to the war junks and the commander of the warships replied that he would send the letter to a higher ranking Qing official who was only a short distance away. Thus Elliot waited to see what would occur and it turned out the Qing official was Qishan, the governor of Chihli province. Qishan sent word to Elliot that his letter was sent directly to the Emperor, but that Elliot would need to wait for a reply. On May 13 of 1840, one of Qishans subordinates came aboard the Wellesley providing the British with food and water and this was followed up for several days with more gifts. Then Elliot was told the Emperor had officially received the letter, but it would be regretfully another 10 days or so for the Qing court to discuss with the Emperor the letters contents. Do not forget, the story I spoke of about the malaria and dysentery outbreak on Chusan was raging by this point and thus Elliot decided it best to scatter the armada in search of cleaner water because the Chusan wells seemed to be the culprit at the time. Some of the ships went hundreds of miles away in search of water and as this all occurred, 10 days had come and gone. When all of the armada regrouped with their fresh water reserves, Elliot decided they needed to speed up the Qing courts process. Elliot ordered the warships Madagascar and Modeste to begin firing at some forts on Chusans outskirts, but before the shelling could begin a messenger from Qishan suddenly appeared. Elliot was invited to meet with Qishan in 3 days time. The meeting would be on july 30th and the location was a fort in southern Chusan. Qishan brought gifts and food with him for the British and had a flotilla built up so the British would not have to walk in mud to the fort. Elliot, Qishan and Jocelyn had a large dinner and then they discussed the Palmerston letter for over 6 hours. Qishan during the meeting made a mention of the precedent set by the Macartney and Amherst missions, that of the tributary system. Elliot insisted both men were not tributaries, but ambassadors holding equal status to the Emperor. Qishan could feel the tension in the room and changed the subject, he pointed out that the occupation of Chusan island was unacceptable for the Emperor. Elliot understood and said the British occupation was temporary, they were merely using it as a base of operations. Then the largest looming subject emerged, Opium. Qishan demanded a promise from Queen Victoria that Britain would stop exporting opium to China. Similar to Lin Zexu, the Qing had a difficult time understanding the representatives of authority for other nations and assumed Queen Victoria held a similar position to their Emperor. Elliot said plainly that he did not have the authority to grant such a concession and then made the remark “if the Chinese wanted the opium trade to end, they should stop using it”. Elliot also made a remark that most of the Opium was coming from other sources outside British influence, but he had little evidence to support this. Qishan swallowed this resentfully but did not quibble over it. Instead Qishan moved to the subject of reparations as Palmerston had demanded compensation for the 20,000 seized opium chests and for war reparations for Britain who was invading China! Qishan flat out called these demands ludicrous, when he said this, Elliot began to write something on Palmerstons letter and when Qishan asked him what he was writing Elliot replied “I am writing what is your opinion on the matter, because many of the Emperor other officials might have differing ones”. Qishan then began to explain to Elliot that Lin Zexu had fallen out of favor with the Qing court and that Qishan agreed with the British that Lin Zexu had mistreated them and employed unnecessary violence. Qishan made a remark that the Emperor was most likely going to fire Lin Zexu and punish him. It seems Qishan was hinting to Elliot that he might be replacing Lin Zexu as his successor and with it plenipotentiary powers. So you get the idea here, Qishan is basically hinting while nothing can be done right now, perhaps when he is in charge he will help the British out. Qishan also kept stating that the British should go to Canton, as it was the center of foreign trade and a much more logical and practical place for them to go to further negotiations. But both Elliot and Qishan knew why he was stating this repeatedly, he wanted the British to get as far away from the Emperor as possible. George Elliot informed Charles Elliot that he felt the armada was quite vulnerable sitting in Bei He Bay and urged him to end the negotiations and leave. Likewise upon hearing the news that Lin Zexu was going to be dismissed soon, Charles Elliot agreed and they too the armada and sailed away. This rather abrupt partie however gave the Chinese the impression the barbarians were done with the war all together. As you can imagine many Qing officials began telling Beijing this. As you can also imagine the British departure was only temporary. By September of 1840 the British armada re-emerged at the mouth of the Bei He River. The Elliots had order the armada to up the pressure on the Qing and Charles Elliot had written a note to Palmerston at this time “It is notorious that the Daoguang Emperor entertains the utmost dread of our enterprising spirit”. What he meant by this, was by sending periodic naval patrols he was trying to scare the shit out of Beijing. Back over in Canton, despite the incredible efforts of Lin Zexu, the opium trade was still rearing its ugly head. Since Jardine & Matheson were now able to shove their contraband on Chusan island it began to flood right back into the Canton market. By the fall of 1840 6500 chests had gotten through the Canton trade from Jardine & Matheson Co alone. Many hundreds of others were flooding in from the other independent smugglers and despite the severity of punishment for using the substance, there was still an enormous demand. The Elliots of course banned the trade of opium on Chusan, but they were not morons, they knew it was simply going to Canton in the end. Of course they were allowing the trade to go on, they were after all quite broke. The Elliots had no other way of raising money to continue the war effort other than relying on the sale of opium. Both Elliots understood the fiscal dependency they had on the opium smugglers and the prohibition of its sale on the island of Chusan was merely symbolic, a way of keeping face, so typically british. Thus vessels were allowed to offload opium near Chusan with zero interference from the British armada, which in turn was patrolling the waters thus protecting the opium dealers in the end. The hope in the end was by symbolically banning the substance at Chusan, perhaps this would alleviate the Emperor while simultaneously allowing the condonation of revenue for the war effort by allowing its trade to ports like Canton. Over in Beijing, Emperor Daoguang hesitated over Lin Zexu, he was not yet comfortable dismissing him. This embolden Lin Zexu, whom began to crack down even more so on the Chinese opium consumers. Lin Zexu put out an edict limiting the amount of time opium addicts had to wean themselves off the drug “while the period is not yet closed, you are living victims. When it shall have expired, then you will be dead victims”. Yet despite his efforts Lin Zexu could do little against the opium vessels which were being protected by the British armada making patrols in the Gulf of Canton, Amoy, Chusan and the Mouths of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. Then to the horror of the Chinese the British began seizing Chinese ships along the coast and taking their cargo to sell and finance the war effort. Imagine how cash strapped a nation has to be to start performing this sort of looting. Between June and July of 1840 the British armada had seized 7 large trading vessels plundering their cargo. In retaliation the Chinese raised a price for the heads of any British military personnel at 100$ for a soldier taken alive, 20$ for a corpse, $5000 for a British captain and for a British ship 10,000$, cha ching. Things got out of hand quite quickly, Chinese desperate to make some coin turned to attacking European and American civilians such a missionaries. Gangs of Chinese would hunt them down beating them nearly to death. On August the 5th, Vincent Stanton a tutor of a British merchants children alongside a missionary named David Abeel made the terrible decision to go swimming in Macao' bay. Stanton was kidnapped and brought to Canton. Until this point Macao was seen as the last safe spot in China for foreigners, but the kidnapping of Stanton broke that. Adding to everyone's fears, 8 Chinese war junks docked at Macao sending the Portuguese colony into a frenzy. It turns out Stanton's kidnapping was masterminded by Lin Zexu, it was psychological warfare. He was not able to go after the British warships, but he was able to target anyone on land. The Governor general of Macao, Pinto pleaded with Lin Zexu to return the man, but it came to nothing. The British felt they had lost face, Stanton was one of theirs and they had even tried allowing the Portuguese aid the situation to no avail. 2 weeks after Stantons kidnapping the British had had enough. 4 British warships from the Armada were sent to Macaos Casilha Bay alongside 400 soldiers. The British warships opened fire upon the Chinese war junks whom returned fire. However the Chinese war junks cannons were old and obsolete, they could not match the range the British were firing from. The Chinese crews began to panic when their return fire was literally only matching half the distance of the British and soon jumped ship. Meanwhile the british warships simply continued to rain hell upon the war junks. As noted by British officer “The [Chinese] junks, which were aground in the inner harbour, were utterly useless, for none of their guns could be brought to bear, though several of the thirty-two pound shots of the ships found their way over the bank, much to the consternation of the occupants of the junks." The Chinese crews tried to establish a defense on the coast, but the British soldiers overwhelmed them with musket fire. The Chinese war junks still intact made a break for it, as the rest of the Chinese fled into the fortifications. The British warships battered the walls of Macaos fortifications until their batteries stopped returning fire and the British and Indian soldiers soon scaled the walls. By 5pm the Chinese routed inside the Macao fortifications as the British set fire to multiple barracks. In the end the Chinese suffered upto 60 dead with 120 wounded and the British reported only 4 wounded, but take the number with a grain of salt. In Beijing Qing officials told Emperor Daoguang there had been a major victory at Macao and that many British were dead and multiple British warships laid at the bottom of Casilha Bay. These Qing officials were court officials who were received false reports from the military at Macao. Its sort of like the game broken telephone, where every link embellishes the story to make it more and more positive. All the Chinese soldiers began to abandon Macao and no more Chinese War junks came to its harbor. In the eyes of the Portuguese and British they had saved Macao, in the eyes of poor Stanton…well he was imprisoned in Canton. The Stanton kidnapping distressed the foreign community in China, but there was another incident that scared the shit out of them. A french missionary named Father Jean Gabriel Perboyre was illegally operating in Hubei Province and got captured in September of 1839. He was tortured and interrogated for over a year and on September 11th of 1840 he was executed publicly at Wuchang. The priest was killed by strangulation, but the Qing authorities decided to place his body on a cross after his death. This set a panic into the foreign community as others were likewise captured and killed and the British on Chusan island were falling victim to malaria, dysentery and starvation, because all the food on Chusan had dried up. They began to eat moldy rice from Chusans stockpiles and bread made from worm ridden flour stuck aboard their ships for quite a long time. It is alleged that the pickled beets and pork on the British warships was so rancid even the iron-stomachs of the British couldn't tolerate it. The drinking water likewise was a source of disease, contaminated by the local sewers. The interpreter Thom wrote a letter to Matheson stating “even the natives hold their noses because of the waters smell. Unless we can manage to get the canal and town cleared out, I fear that we shall be getting some contagious distemper among us. The climate moreover is moist and mosquitoes swarm in amazing numbers. Let no man come here without mosquito curtains else he will bitterly repent of it”. The British did not realize the mosquitoes were the culprit of their malaria nightmare as the belief at the time for europeans was that malaria came from rotten vegetables. The dysentry killed more people than the malaria however, coming from the horrid food and water situation. 12 soldiers died in August, the next month 24, while 250 were hospitalized and by mid september a third of the force was too sick to fight. Being a specialist in the Pacific War I do have to say what amazing parallels this will play out for the Japanese and Americans in the island hoping warfare. Not fun to battle the elements, malaria and a terrible provision situation. Then there was horrible incident when a commercial ship called the Kite ran aground on a sandbank on september 15th. The Captain named John Nobles lost his 5 month year old baby, and he, his wife and 26 crew members clinging to the boats wreckage until a Chinese war junk captured them. All of them were put in chains and imprisoned at Ningbo. They were placed in wooden cage, the wife of John Nobles stated “mine was scarcely a yard high, a little more than three quarters of a yard long, and a little more than half a yard broad. The door opened from the top. Into these we were lifted, the chain around our necks being locked to the cover. THey put a long piece of bamboo through the middle, a man took either end, and in this manner we were jolted from city to city to suffer the insults of the rabble, the cries from whom were awful”. Some of captured crew were beat to death, 3 men died of dysentery and those who were Indian amongst them were treated extra harshly. One of the English prisoners believed the Chinese treated the Indians worse, because they ate their rice with their fingers which angered them. When Charles Elliot heard the news of the captives from the Kite he was mortified, particularly because one of the prisoners was a woman! He went to Ningbo aboard the Atalanta to negotiation their release and was immediately told, all the prisoners could go if the British gave back Chusan. The British did not say no, but did nothing to indicate they would hand over Chusan, so the Chinese began to threaten to kill the prisoners. This prompted the Charles Elliot to demand a meeting with Qishan at Chinhai only 10 miles away from the prison at Ningbo. Elliot stated to Qishan if the prisoners were not handed over he would end the peace talks outright. Qishan played some hard ball demanding Chusan returned, but eventually a compromise was made. Elliot agreed to stop British ships from seizing Chinese vessels and blockading the ports and in return the Chinese would still hold the prisoners, but they would improve their living conditions. To show good faith, Qishan released poor old Stanton from his prison in Canton and handed him over to Elliot. The situation did not satisfy the British, but while they danced around with diplomacy, more and more troops from India were being brought to Chusan and the most fearsome weapon Britain had at its disposal had just arrived, the Nemesis. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Lin Zexu's efforts against opium were not going well enough and was losing favor with Emperor Daoguang, the British were winning battles and taking territory. How will the Qing Dynasty rid themselves of the invaders? Join us next time to find out.

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090422 — Nunca Es Demasiado Tarde

Un Minuto Con Dios

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2022 1:49

tambi dios nunca algunas tarde josu la biblia demasiado recuerdo esfu george elliot

Nunca Es Demasiado Tarde

Un Minuto Con Dios - Dr. Rolando D. Aguirre

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2022 1:49

tambi dios nunca algunas tarde josu la biblia demasiado recuerdo esfu george elliot

Life With My Mom With Isaac Hans: A Reflection on Our Conversation With Deb Hans

Strong Women

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2022 17:57

Listen to Sarah and Erin reflect on their conversation with Deb Hans. Deb's son, Isaac, joins them for the conversation. Deb Hans Reflection Show Notes The Colson Center Strong Women Mug Koombobber Middle March by George Elliot Wonderfully Made by John W. Kleinig Dorothea Lange Join Strong Women on Social Media: https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc Erin and her husband, Brett, run Maven which “exists to help the next generation know truth, pursue goodness, and create beauty, all for the cause of Christ.” Check out more about Maven here: https://maventruth.com/ The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what's happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them. Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/ Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly book list: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women

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2022-06-09 - FR. GEORGE ELLIOTT & STACY TRANSANCOS, PH. D.

EWTN LIVE

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2022 60:00

Fr. Mitch welcomes Dr. Stacy Trasancos and Fr. George Elliot to talk about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. They make their observations based on Scripture, Catholic tradition, and scientific investigation.

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Episode 58- "Never Too Late..." with jazz musician Mitch Towne

Caught on the Mike...

Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2022 50:52

English novelist- George Elliot, has a quote that says:"It's never too late to be what you might have been.."My next guest embodies that remark throughout the entirety of this episode. A native of Missouri Valley, Iowa and based largely out of Omaha, Nebraska- Jazz Musician, Mitch Towne felt a tidal shift about ten years ago- springboarding him into this next chapter of his musical career. I'm proud to know him and call him a friend, and I'm equally excited for all of you to hear what he has to say...

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God Has Done Marvelous Things For You

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2022 2:37

04/05/2022 Homily Readings Mentioned: Nm 21:4-9 Fr. George Elliot

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The Church is You & Me

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2022 5:56

03/29/22 Homily Reading: Ez 47:1-9, 12 Fr. George Elliot

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You Come Close To Me On The Cross

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Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2022 1:56

3-16-22 Homily Gospel: Mt 20:17-28 Fr. George Elliot

We Aren't Made to End With Death

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Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2022 7:20

Ash Wednesday Homily (3/2/22) Fr. George Elliot

What to do when a creative idea goes away (Big Magic, essays 15-20)

Full Heart Free Voice Podcast: reading inspiring books, one chapter at a time

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2022 64:57

Today we're discussing the essays: “An Idea Grows”, "An Idea Gets Sidetracked”, "An Idea Goes Away", "Wizardry", "WTF?", and "A Little Perspective" from Big Magic: creative living beyond fear by Elizabeth Gilbert.Resources and creative works we mentioned in today's episodePride: a pride & prejudice remix by Ibi ZoboiWinter's Orbit by Everina MaxwellN.K. Jemison Teaches Science Fiction and Fantasy WritingA Secret Sisterhood: the literary friendships of Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, George Elliot, and Virginia Woolf by Emily Midorikawa and Emma Claire Sweeney*Links to bookshop.org are affiliate links.*Full Heart Free Voice LinksJoin our PatreonFollow us on InstagramBuy our Podcast MerchBrowse the books we mention on the showSign up for our Monthly NewsletterEmma's Links6 steps to calm your fear and write your first blog post The Courageous Bloggers SocietySeasonal Oracle Clarity SessionsCaitlin's LinksFinally start your passion projectsMulti-passionate coachingWedding coachingWeekly multi-passionate PSAIf you loved this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on your favorite podcast player!Attributions:Theme music: Wally Ingram, Stevie Blacke and Tom Freund. You heard portions of their track “Shine a Light” from their record Spadé. Original cover art created by: Caitlin BosshartDisclaimerThis episode is not a replacement for therapy, mental health care, or any medical treatments you may need. You are completely responsible for your health and well-being. You are fully responsible for the decisions and actions you take with regard to your life and affairs. This podcast does not create a coach-client relationship between you and the hosts of the show.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/fullheartfreevoicepodcast)

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This Process Is Well Worth It

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2022 6:32

02/21/22 Homily Gospel: Mk 9:14-29 Fr. George Elliot

george elliot

An Overflowing Wine Barrel

wine barrel overflowing george elliot

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2022 11:30

02/20/22 Homily Gospel: Lk 6:27-38 Fr. George Elliot

Fr. George Elliot; Ample Evidence

Along "The Way"

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2022 44:44

From the beginning the Catholic Church has taught than the Eucharist is the body blood soul and divinity of our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ. Sadly, the belief in that truth is on the decline and more and more people including Catholics are seeing the Eucharist as only a symbol. Nothing could be further from the truth. Believing in that falsehood has led to a declining in reverence for what is the summit of Catholicism, Communion with God by eating his flesh and drinking his blood. Joining me along the way is one of the authors of the book “Behold It Is I” Fr. George Elliot. In this episode we discuss the truth about the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist using scripture, tradition and science. In a world that has become more and more empirical, this book is very timely.

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There Is Nothing Normal About It

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Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2022 3:54

01/19/2022 Homily Fr. George Elliot

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To Be Strong and Capable: season 1 Episode 65

The Strong and Capable

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2021 29:30

As we wrap the year up, Brigette takes the time to talk about various lessons learned through out the year and share what it is to truly be strong and capable, she shares her heart and the foundation of what has become the most sacred words in her life though there experience she had with her sister Aubrey at her death. Quotes from the episode: "the Strong and capable foundation is hope, Leo and a belief in what CAN be." "Imperfect IS perfect" Imperfections mean that wee have beauty and diversity all around us "Life isn't about what you do have or don't have, it's about intentional living, that is where happiness is found" "there is truth, there are lies, and then there is JUST Get IN THE WATER" Dr. Tracy " What people care about is the magic you bring to their life" "How could any good come in a world without her" (Referring to Aubrey) "deep connections are not easily severed" " you are so strong and capable, you can do this- it's ok to let go" "I knew these words were sacred in that moment" "You are strong and capable, you can do this, get up and go to work" "it's simple- let go of the hard stuff" "what is it to be strong and capable?: Acknowledge where you choose joy- that you are strong, and when you mourn and feel deeply- you are strong, when you wake up each day- the is strong and when you choose to step into who you ar- that is strong" "What can be? what can you create? how can you impact?" "trust in the divine" "as you learn, you get to turn that learning around and bless others" "YOU are divine" "Its never to late to be what you might have been"- George Elliot "believe you have a great work to do, that you have purpose" " I believe you have a voice that needs to be heard" "It's time to Get UP and go to work" to enroll in Brigettes mastermind or take her podcast launching course- go to www.thestrongandcapable.com Find her on IG: @brigette.heller FB at: The Strong and Capable private community or email: brigette@thestrongandcapable.com

It's been a great year (for books)

The Decibel

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2021 19:10

It's the perfect time to escape into a book. Arts editor Judith Pereira and Western Arts Correspondent Marsha Lederman on the book trends this year, the silver lining of the pandemic's effect on independent booksellers, and what you should cozy up and read.All the books mentioned in this episode (in order):Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony DoerDucks, Newburyport by Lucy EllmannFight Night by Miriam ToewsThe Strangers by Katherena VermetteOh William! by Elizabeth StroutAll's Well by Mona AwadMatrix by Lauren GroffWe Want What We Want by Alix OhlinBewilderment by Richard PowersAstra by Cedar BowersCare Of by Ivan CoyoteEveryone Knows Your Mother is a Witch by Rivka GalchenWhat Strange Paradise by Omar el AkkadReturn of the Trickster by Eden RobinsonCrossroads by Jonathan FranzenNightbitch by Rachel YoderOn Animals by Susan OrleanSilence of the Girls by Pat BarkerMiddlemarch by George Elliot

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Fr. George Elliot, Author

The Morning Blend with David and Brenda

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 10, 2021 10:30

Why do nearly 2/3 of Catholics not believe in the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist? Mary Harrell talks with Fr. George Elliot. He examines this issue in his new book, "https://tanbooks.com/7-sacraments/eucharistic-books/behold-it-is-i/ (Behold It Is I)".

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Spiritual Warfare & Eucharistic Miracles

Miracle Hunter

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2021 60:00

Guest Host Elizabeth Ficocelli welcomes best selling author and award winning journalist Dr Paul Thigpen to the Miracle Hunter show to discuss spiritual warfare. Also, the Miracle Hunter radio show welcomes Fr. George Elliot, co-author of Behold it is I (Eucharistic Miracles).

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Meliorism

Word of the Day

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 11, 2021 0:45

Meliorism is a noun that refers to the belief that the world tends to improve. Our word of the day is believed to have been been first coined by 19th century novelist George Elliot. It is derived from the Latin word melior (MAY lee or) which means ‘better,' and is a distant relative to words like ‘ameliorate.' Connie's constant meliorism can become grating after a while. Don't get me wrong, I tend to be an optimist and a believer in the human spirit, but her belief that the world tends to improve is just plain naive.

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It’s Never Too Late to Become the Person You Might’ve Been

Never Binge Again(tm)

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2021 10:23

“It's Never Too Late to Become the Person You Might've Been!” – George Elliot (novelist) Can you remake yourself into exactly who you've always wanted to […] הפוסט It's Never Too Late to Become the Person You Might've Been הופיע ראשון בNever Binge Again

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George Elliot Novels

The World According to Cosmos

Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2021 19:53

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://theworldaccordingtocosmos.com/george-elliot-novels/

novels george elliot

Breaking Through Self Imposed Limits with Dr. Ani Rostamyan

The Inspired WAVE

Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2021 20:43

Dr. Ani Rostamyan is a mom of two and an ambulatory care clinical pharmacist from Los Angeles, California. Today she talks about her old stories and limiting beliefs that created unnecessary struggle in her life, and how releasing those stories and embracing her worth has created a life of more joy and freedom. A favorite quote shared: “It's never too late to be someone who you might have been.” - George Elliot. Due to changing circumstances with the pandemic last year, Dr. Ani had a breakthrough realization! She realized that so much of what she believed was programmed from her childhood and affecting the way she was showing up in her life. She was taught to play safe (i.e. small), not to take risks, and never question authority figures. Throughout her life, this had caused her to be an overachiever, constantly doing more than necessary or expected in order to prove her worth. She finally realized that it wasn't the people around her asking for so much. It was her own insecurity and drive to prove she was “good enough”. Her message to women- Never believe you're not enough because you are, just as you are! When Ani finally relaxed and stopped trying to prove her worth to everyone else, other positive changes occurred as well! With more confidence she was able to make life and career changes that she couldn't have imagined previously What flipped the switch for her was the struggle to balance work with family during the pandemic and necessity for homeschooling. Unpleasant or challenging situations don't necessarily lead to bad outcomes, as she's grateful for the shift it led to in her life. Dr. Ani reminds us that you should give yourself permission to feel upset and rest. We frequently forget to take a pause and reflect. Allow time to be mindful and create time for yourself guilt-free. We are better at everything when we make time and take care of ourselves. Dr. Ani sees a lot of situations where people desperately need additional interventions. This has led to her belief that our health care model isn't working the way it should, addressing everyone's needs. Her program includes a functional approach to health and chronic disease management, consulting physicians and other health care professionals on how to use nonmedicinal approaches to health. Join us weekly as host CJ Rivard interviews everyday heroines, just like you, who share about their experiences and techniques used to work through life's challenges and create a better life for themselves and those around them. Through being Women of courageous Action, Vision and ongoing Evolution, each of us is making a ripple of positive impact. And together we are creating a WAVE of powerful change. If you'd like to be a part of the Inspired WAVE movement and lock arms with other Women of Action, Vision & continuous Evolution, join us in our FREE Facebook community! It's a space for women to learn, support, and encourage each other in the pursuit of their big vision. Click the link and join us!

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You Are Not Defined By Your Past

Optimal Self

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2021 8:26

"Growth stops when you lose the tension between where you are and where you could be" -John Maxwell You are not defined by your past. Rather good or bad, how you frame your past, determines your future. "It's NEVER too late to be what you might have been" -George Elliot A third of High School Grads never read another book. 42% of College Grads never read a book after college. We must be learning-based, we must have a target, we must see a bigger future, a better self! Find Links to our Optimal Self Course and MORE at: https://linktr.ee./optimalself How to connect with Jeremy: Website: https://www.optimalself.today Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OptimalSelf1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/optimal_self/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAkydziqrlYZIFmOgD1kTPA

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Black Canadian History (With George Elliot Clark)

Black in The Maritimes

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2021 83:31

On this episode we talk to poet and writer George Elliot Clarke. He talks about his life and tells us how Canada erases Black history. The post Black Canadian History (With George Elliot Clark) appeared first on Black In The Maritimes.

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Adam Sutcliffe: Light Unto the Nations - The Idea of Jewish Purpose and the Emergence of Zionism (Reconsidering Early Jewish Nationalist Ideologies Seminar)

Israel Studies Seminar

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2021 81:53

Adam Sutcliffe (KCL) discusses how Zionist ideologues have viewed the notion of Jewish purpose. The nineteenth-century emergence of Zionism was intimately connected to the idea that the Jews served a uniquely crucial role in the world. This notion is rooted in theological anticipations, both Jewish and Christian, of a messianic future. From it the 1860s took on distinct overtones of economic and geo-political transformation, and spread in various ways into the secular realm. In this paper I will show how ideas of Jewish purpose feature in both Jewish and non-Jewish Zionist thinking, from Joseph Salvador and Ernest Laharanne in 1860, through George Elliot, Theodor Herzl and Bernard Lazare, to the religious Zionism of Abraham Kook and the secularised ‘light unto the nations’ rhetoric of David Ben-Gurion. Adam Sutcliffe is Professor of European History at King’s College London. His most recent book is What Are Jews For: History, Peoplehood, and Purpose (Princeton University Press, 2020). His co-edited volumes include The Cambridge History of Judiasm, volume VII (1500-1815) (CUP, 2018) and Philosemitism in History (CUP, 2011). He is currently working on a history of the idea of empathy in historical writing and pedagogy.

Biography of George Elliot

Srijana Sherchan

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2020 11:24

Biography of George Elliot --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

biography george elliot

Reading Brontes with Special Guest Lassie

Minchester

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2020 67:10

这期节目，我与烂木头（Lassie）继续探讨勃朗特姐妹的话题，我们聊了聊三姐妹如何从卖出三册书并遭恶评的打击中振作起来，社恐夏洛蒂与社交达人盖斯凯尔夫人的友谊，“逾矩”的哥特小说之魅力，我在斯卡布罗的海边吃海螺失败的经历等等。Hiya! In this episode, Lassie and I continued our topic of the Bronte sisters: this time, we focused on their life stories and their wonderful novels (and poetry). We also talked about other Bronte-related places one could visit. 05:33 Thackery had guessed the author of Jane Eyre must&`&ve been female.07:30 What would the common readers&`& reception of Brontes&`& works be like?09:23 Not all English local people know George Elliot was a woman.16:40 Their poetry collection sold 3 copies, but that didn&`&t kill the dream of the Bell brothers aka Bronte sisters.18:07 Publisher Newby claimed the Bells are the same person, saying Tenant&`&a author wrote Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights.19:17 Emily refused to disclose her real identity to the publishers.31:36 Virginia Woolf&`&s comment on the difference between JE and WH may shed light on the changing perception of the two novels.33:55 Lassie once hid JE under her duvet.39:35 Catherine was delightfully shocked by the scandalous plots in WH.43:05 Chinese TV shows《梦幻花园》(Dream Garden) and《庭院深深》(A Very Deep Manor) played with familiar motifs of JE.44:04 The timeless story of the Tenant of Wildfell Hall.51:45 Catherine found it difficult to grasp the religious and historical context of the novels, but their life story was easily accessible. 56:19 Catherine was food poisoned in Scarborough when paying visit to the place where Anne Bronte passed away.01:00:18 In The Poet&`&s Corner of Westminster Abbey, a plate was dedicated to the sisters.01:03:14 Recommended ReadingsMusic: John Williams, Jane Eyre (1970) OST - Jane Eyre Theme; Reunion.

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Movies with George w./ George Elliott (Calm With Horses) w./ George Elliott - George Elliot - Radio One 91fm

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2020

Movies with George w./ George Elliott (Calm With Horses) w./ George Elliott by George Elliot on Radio One 91fm Dunedin

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Movies with George w./ George Elliott (Calm With Horses) w./ George Elliott - George Elliot - Radio One 91fm

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2020

Movies with George w./ George Elliott (Calm With Horses) w./ George Elliott by George Elliot on Radio One 91fm Dunedin

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Becoming United

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2020 13:44

Welcome to the Becoming podcast. A podcast focused on inspiring you with topics of progress and overall growth. We all are BECOMING something, so let’s become better together. My name is Zack Harris, and I’m your host today. If there was ever a time where this episode was needed, it’s now. We are living in a very hostile, divisive, difficult time as a country and world. We are in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, race-related controversies are at the forefront of our lives, AND on top of that we are in a presidential election year. That is a lot. I read somewhere “WHEN TIGER KING IS THE MOST NORMAL THING THAT’S HAPPENED IN 2020, YOU KNOW IT’S BEEN A WILD YEAR.” OBSTACLERight now, the problem is there is so much divisiveness and arguing. People are on edge & easily offended. It seems you have to be SO careful what you say, who you say it to, because it could turn into an argument. What’s interesting is we live in the UNITED States of America and yet we are so DIVIDED.So I thought I would take this podcast and talk about BECOMING UNITED. What does division do? Division separates, destroys, distorts. Think about the word DI-VISION. Division is literally the action of separating something. Unity is bringing together as one. With unity there is clear vision that we are UNITED. With Di-vision there is a separating of vision and we are torn apart. For example, This can happen in marriage. When you get married you come together as ONE. Two separate lives brought together as one. You love one another, appreciate what’s special about each other, have butterflies when you are together. The positive emotions are high. However, over time, if you aren’t careful, you can become more and more divided and lose appreciation for each other. DisagreementsFinancial stresses (one of the most common reasons for divorce btw)Stresses with kidsBusyness (Not spending quality time together anymore)So what seemed cute at the start is now SO ANNOYING. When you first dated he was just a free spirit who loved to dream and go with the flow. NOW, he’s a lazy bum who loses everything and doesn’t know what he wants:) Unity brings together-Has a clear appreciation for each other. Division separates-criticizes, condemns. What happens is we lose the VISION-the picture-the appreciation for something that is special. I believe with my whole heart that this country we live in is something special. Perfect? Absolutely not and as a country we have so much room to grow. But wife Nicole and our marriage isn’t perfect either-We have so much room to grow-However, that doesn’t change my deep love and appreciation for my wife. She is so special to me-I love her-I want to honor her-I want to be a better husband-I want to be UNITED more and more in our marriage. And I love and appreciate this country we live in and I hope you do too.So….with all that’s happening in our world today, all the divisiveness, all the opinions,how do we BECOME UNITED? PLANThis isn’t a political podcast. I’m not going to share any of my political beliefs. But what I want to do is share some unifying thoughts that I believe can help us BECOME MORE UNITED as people. So when we are tempted to be divided, torn apart, separated, I hope you can remember these 3 guiding truths. The first thing I believe that is so helpful is to LOOK FOR WHAT UNITES US. Here’s what I’ve learned. You will find what you are looking for. If you look for the negative, you will always find it. If you look for people to offend you, you won’t have to look very far. If you look for things to be upset about, trust me, you’ll be upset every day of your life. One of the greatest examples of this is a hummingbird and a vulture. What does a hummingbird fly around and look for? Sweet things. What does a vulture fly around and look for? Dead things. The point is, You will find whatever it is you are looking for. SO let’s look for what Unites Us. So you might wonder, what unites us? Well first of all, let me read to you the first part of our Declaration of Independence. For some of you, maybe you haven’t read this since middle school. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.So we are all created equalEndowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights. What are those?Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Each one of us has value: Every person of every race-no matter your political beliefs-religious beliefs-no matter who you are, where you are from, how dark your past is-we are all created equal. So if I start with a perspective that each person I interact with has unmatched value, was created by God, is special, unique, what happens is I begin to see that person through a different lens. I don’t see them for what bothers me about them, I see them as PEOPLE.So each one of us are equal, we are all created by God, we all want our lives to matter, we all want to pursue happiness in this life. So what we want to do to become united is we want to #1 start looking for what unites us. And the second thing I believe is so important and really builds off the first is to understand that...UNITY IS NOT THE SAME AS UNIFORMITYWe have strength in our diversity. We should celebrate that we are different-We should be thankful that everyone doesn’t think like we do-We should appreciate each other's perspectives, ideas, points of view. Unity is not the same as uniformity. We can have unity and still not all think the same. I like to say it this way:“We can walk hand in hand, without seeing eye to eye.”The challenge is so many people in our world today believe we can only walk hand in hand if we see eye to eye on everything. You may think “Wow, wouldn’t it be easier if everyone thought like me, believed like me, reasoned like me?” Oh you like that style of music-ME TOOOh you are voting for them-ME TOOUniformity may be easier but I believe something even more powerful is UNITY. I heard author and speaker Michael Kelley explain this concept: Basically he said “If everyone was exactly like you, what would it mean for you to come together? To be united? Absolutely nothing. You would never have to work at understanding anyone else, accepting anyone else, or thinking like anyone else. Everything would be just the way you want it and think it should be all the time. It’s easier, sure.”Unity is deeper and far more helpful than uniformity because it requires selflessness, sacrificing my perspective as the only perspective. The beautiful thing is the result of this is UNITY. To become more united we have to understand that unity is not the same as uniformity. We have strength in our diversity. Let’s appreciate it. And number three, If we want to become united I believe it is so important to understand:WHAT YOU FEED GROWS AND WHAT YOU STARVE DIES. Let me explain with a story:There was an old Eskimo fisherman who owned two dogs. He trained these two dogs to fight on command and on Saturday’s he’d take his two dogs to the town square to fight. The townspeople would gather around and he would always take bets as to which dog would win the fight.Some Saturday’s the one dog would win, other weeks the other dog would win, but the fisherman always won! Somehow, he seemed to always know which dog would win the fight. Week after week this went on, with the fisherman taking the bets and always knowing which dog would win. Finally, his friends asked him how he did it.They asked, “Every week you know which dog will win. How in the world do you always know?”The old fisherman chuckled and said, “It’s pretty easy really. You see, the week before, I feed one dog and starve the other. The dog I feed is stronger so it wins the fight.” The one that gets fed is the one that wins.What’s the moral of the story? You have to be very careful what you put in your mind? If you feed your mind the NEWS all day long, listen to political podcasts constantly, feast on drama on social media all day, consume your life with negativity, I can promise you it’s going to have a negative impact on your life. “I can’t believe those people did that, there all a bunch a”….(You fill in the blank.” Listen, I’m NOT saying don’t stay informed, don’t stay educated, don’t listen to those podcasts. Obviously that’s important. I know people who will say “I never watch the news or read what’s going on in the world.” You should stay informed and educated. BUT if that’s all feeding your mind, I can promise you it will have a negative impact on how you view the world and view others. What you need to do is be sure to fill your mind with positive things...LIKE THIS PODCAST:) Write down things you are grateful forHang out with people who are positive and encouraging. You become like and carry the attitude of the people you hang aroundVolunteer at an organization in your community that is making a differenceVolunteer at your churchCelebrate what’s going really well in the worldConsistently do an audit of what you are feeding your mind with. Because what you feed grows and what you starve dies. So how do we become united? We look for what unites usWe understand that unity is not the same as uniformityWe recognize what we feed grows and what we starve dies.Couple application questions:Like the hummingbird and vulture analogy, Are you looking for sweet things? Or dead things? This week start looking for things that unite you to others. How do you view someone when they have a different perspective than you? Or Different beliefs? Do you appreciate their perspective and try to understand or do you just write them off as ignorant and uneducated? What are you feeding your mind? Do an audit and begin filling your time and mind with positive things. Well I hope this was helpful to you and gave you some practical ways to BECOME united. Since we are just getting this podcast started it would mean so much if you gave this podcast a review on ITUNES or if this is really valuable to you, I’d really appreciate you sharing this on your social media that would mean so much to me. In the word of George Elliot, It’s never too late to be what you might have been. So let’s declare “I AM BECOMING. See ya next time

united states america god vision news unity dead couple independence declaration divided eskimos stresses uswe michael kelley george elliot iambecoming

Becoming Externally Confident

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2020 14:20

Welcome to the Becoming podcast. A podcast focused on inspiring you with topics of progress and overall growth. We all are BECOMING something, so let’s become better together. My name is Zack Harris, and I’m your host today. Last podcast we started a two-part discussion on BECOMING confident. I researched confidence and here are a couple definitions I found: Confidence means feeling sure of yourself and your abilities — not in an arrogant way, but in a realistic, secure way.It's a quiet inner knowledge that you're capable.If you are like me there have been so many times I lacked confidence. ASKING Am I a good enough parent, spouse, friend? Am I making an impact in my job or my career? Or maybe you’ve lacked confidence in the way you look. I’m sure we’ve all struggled with confidence. I believe confidence has internal components and external components. The internal dialogue within ourselves impacts our confidence more than we know and our external actions greatly impact our confidence. The last podcast talked about BECOMING INTERNALLY CONFIDENT. If you missed that podcast, make sure you check that out first. In that podcast I gave two important truths about BECOMING INTERNALLY confident. LOVE YOURSELF. Not in a self-absorbed kind of way. But viewing yourself as valuable simply because you exist. IDENTIFY AND REPLACE TOXIC THOUGHTS: We all have toxic thoughts and our lives are moving in the direction of those thoughts. I gave some real practical ways you can fight the battles in your mind. When you espouse a positive mindset, it can truly transform your life. But for this podcast, I want to talk about BECOMING EXTERNALLY CONFIDENT. With Becoming INTERNALLY confident we looked at what is happening inside the heart and mind. With Becoming EXTERNALLY confident I want to share some actual ACTIONS or HABITS that I believe have helped me become more confident. POSSIBLY CUT ALTOGETHERYou could probably google and find 100 ways to become more externally confident and many of them are fine. I mean I’m all forFun tripsGetting your hair doneBuying a new outfit Getting something new for the hobby you love and enjoy.Those are fine But I want to give you THREE things that have helped me BECOME more externally confident in a way that lasts. Now, my list doesn’t have to be your list. Your list may be different. You may love one of mine and you may dislike some of mine. But that’s ok because they are mine. The point is for you to think about a few things you are DOING or you CAN do that will help you BECOME externally confident. Here’s my list: The first thing I do that I believe helps me become externally confident is I SAY DAILY DECLARATIONS Something powerful happens when we speak truth into our lives. I’ve added this discipline to my life and it has helped re-align myself to who I am and what I stand for: Here are a few of mine I say each day: I am a positive leader. I will speak hope & optimism into others. I am not a victim of circumstances. I am gifted to create, lead, and change circumstances from what they are to what they could be.I won’t give emotional energy to things I can’t control or that don’t impact eternity. I WILL embrace pressure as a privilege, look for the good, and remember why I started. I love people and believe the best about others. I am disciplined and I always bring my best. The world will be better today because I’m called to make a difference. Can you feel the energy that is built from speaking those truths. What does this do? It realigns my confidence. A car gets out of alignment from time to time and you have to go get an alignment to center the car. Our lives are the same way. Someone criticizes you and it rattles your confidenceYour facing a battle within your family and it shakes your confidenceYou have an argument with your spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend, child, or friend-shakes your confidence. You make a mistake at work, let your team down, and your boss gets on to you. And this impacts your confidence. It’s important to know everyones confidence gets out of alignment from time to time. We all make mistakes, none of us are perfect. But we can’t let those mistakes hold us hostage. So what do we need to do? We need to realign ourselves and one of the things I do to accomplish this is through these declarations. So I want to encourage you to write down some declarations. Make a list in the notes on your phone. You may start with 2-3 and just add to them as you think of new ones. My list started small and now I have like 20 that I declare over my life that truly helps build my external confidence. For me, one of the best habits I’ve introduced into my life that’s helped me become externally confident are these daily declarations. The second thing I do is I try and ADD VALUE TO SOMEONE EVERY DAY One of the greatest leadership teachers in our world today is John Maxwell and he says “Adding value to others is the surest way to add value to our own lives.” If you are lacking confidence. Wondering, Am I making a difference? Am I succeeding as a parent, spouse, friend, am I succeeding in my job. Here’s what you do: You add value to someone else. It's easy to focus on what I am doing and what I need to do to improve. Taking the focus off of ME actually helps me grow. When I care for others, I am a better person! This is different from what we are told success looks like in our world today.That is so good and so true. If you are lacking confidence, go add value to someone else, encourage someone, serve someone, and I can promise you it will build your confidence. Write a note of encouragement to someone who has been going through a difficult timeTake someone to lunch on your team and just speak life into them. Call someone on the phone and tell them how much you appreciate them as a friend. In your business, find ways to help your colleagues shine. Whenever possible, give credit to others for the team's success.It feels great to be a blessing to others. And here’s what happens. You are actually BECOMING confident because you are adding values to others. John Maxwell also says this and I believe it to be so true: “People will always move towards anyone who increases them and away from others who devalue them.” “Adding value to others is the surest way to add value to our own lives.” Do you want to BECOME more confident? Add value to someone every day. And the last thing I do that helps me become more externally confident is I TRY AND ALWAYS BRING MY BESTI’m not perfect at this but in order for me to become more confident, I always try to do everything with excellence. My day starts by waking up about 4:30am and I go to a 5am Crossfit class. It may be hard, I may be tired, but I always try and bring my best.You see excellence is not being the best, it is doing your best. There’s more in you than you even know. I like this quote from Angela Bassett “Don’t settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. Then whether it fails or succeeds, at least you know you gave all you had. We need to live the best that’s in us.”So what do we do? If you are working on a project at work, bring your best. Show initiative If you committed to do something for a friend, go the extra mileBring your best as a husband, wife, mom, dad, friend. I’m feeling convicted right now to bring my best more at home. We shouldn’t just bring our best at work. We should bring our best at home. I need to wash those dishes with excellence, give Nicole the best back massage she’s ever had. This is so important. TO build our external confidence we want to ALWAYS BRING OUR BEST. There's a value we have at our church: There’s a book I really love called The Power of Habit. In this book the author talks about a concept called Keystone Habits. These are small changes or habits that you introduce into your routine that unintentionally carry over into other aspects of your life.” Keystone habits create a domino effect that change every area of your life.So here’s how it’s played out in my life. I bring my best early at the gym (This is my keystone habit of bringing my best) and it creates a domino effect throughout the rest of my day. I feel great, confident, and ready to win the day. So then I start working on a project like this podcast and I bring my best, I spend 1-1 time with someone on our team and I give them my best, I go home later in the day and I bring my best. So what is a keystone habit for you? Some of you love quiet moments early in the morning to meditate. Decide what’s best for you. Bring your best and watch it create a domino effect throughout your day. Here's a little tip for you that I’ve learned. You have to manage your energy, not just your time. I can’t bring my best ALL DAY with the same energy. What do I mean? What I mean is energy is finite. As the day goes on, my energy weans. I get up at 4:30 in the morning. So what I do is I find ways to take breaks throughout the day, get refreshed, so when I’m doing the most important things I can BRING my best. If you want to BECOME more externally confident, it really helps to BRING YOUR BEST!So what do we do to BECOME more externally confident? SAY DAILY DECLARATIONADD VALUE TO OTHERS DAILYALWAYS BRING OUR BESTApplication Questions for you? As you reflect on this podcast, where are you lacking in external confidence? Work lifePersonal disciplinesFamilyRelationshipsWhat daily declarations can you write that will build your confidence? Ask yourself, Who can you add value to today? Well I hope this was helpful to you and gave you some practical ways to BECOME more confident. Since we are just getting this podcast started it would mean so much if you gave this podcast a review on ITUNES or if this is really valuable to you, I’d really appreciate you sharing this on your social media that would mean so much to me. In the word of George Elliot, It’s never too late to be what you might have been. So let’s declare “I AM BECOMING.

power habits decide confident habit crossfit wondering john maxwell keystone all day externally keystone habits bring your best george elliot iambecoming

Becoming Internally Confident

The Passionistas Project Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2020 19:31

My name is Zack Harris, and I’m your host. Over the next two podcasts We’re gonna talk about BECOMING CONFIDENT. I believe confidence has internal components and external components. So I want to talk to you about BECOMING INTERNALLY CONFIDENT this time and then we’ll talk about some really practical ways next time to BECOME EXTERNALLY CONFIDENT.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I don’t know about you but...I have battled with confidence in my life. Not feeling like I’m a good enough husband, dad, leader, a friend. A funny look-awkward comment-Weird comment-Something doesn’t go as well as I planned-Criticism by others.All of us Lack confidence the way we look! You can’t see-BEING BALDMy friend DerekI read a study that said in 2018 Americans spent 16.5 Billion in cosmetic surgeries. Whoa. Self Talk: U can do this: Don’t blow this——Act most confident (Cocky)—most insecure!3 different types of insecure people ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------People Pleasers—Yes boss, Amazing, Do 4 you—$ (Know some1?) Do you like me?? The Fishers—Pic, So blah today. Or if any of us lead something, give a presentation at work, or I’ve done this after a messageOne-Uppers— Read a chapter of the bible (two—In Hebrew.)Weekend getaway. (That ain’t nuthin) 3 month—my island. Had flu—New disease just discovered almost died—named after me.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tragedy—how often our insecurities keep us from following dreams.Don’t interview for the job, Don’t go back to school, Don’t start a businessDon’t ask her out. Don’t even try to get in shape.So many people lack confidence. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------So as we think about BECOMING INTERNALLY CONFIDENT I want to lay a foundation for this podcast and then we’ll get more practical. I think all of us would like to BECOME more confident. Here’s what I know, if my car stops running efficiently or has mechanical issues, I can’t go to the car wash, get the car nice and clean looking, vacuum it out, spray some nice air freshener, and then expect the car to now start running well. No, obviously it has mechanical issues. I need to go to the mechanic and pop the hood. I have to look inside. “What we believe about the inside, manifests itself on the outside.”I want to address the transmission, then we can polish the car.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So how do we BECOME INTERNALLY CONFIDENT? I’m sure there are dozens of examples but I’ll focus on two that I think are incredibly important. And the first is this, to become internally confident you really need to…LOVE YOURSELF. Now listen, this isn’t some feel good, new age, motivational life coach speech. You just need to loooooove yourself. And I want to be very clear I’m not saying BE IN LOVE WITH YOURSELF in a self absorbed kind of way. We have plenty of people in our society doing this. I mean love yourself as a person that’s valuable and incredible worth. Unfortunately for so many people and maybe this is your story, you didn’t grow up with parents that spoke encouraging words to you. Maybe the exact opposite happened. You were told you weren't good enough, would never measure up, you were a failure. Or maybe you were in a relationship where you were emotionally wounded and it scarred your Internal confidence. I know it’s hard but we have to start here. We have to own our stories, our past, and say yeah maybe I struggle with internal confidence because I have a low view of myself. Now this is my inner Pastor coming out, but I want you to know you aren’t who others say you are, you are who God says you are. You are valuable, you are a masterpiece, you are a perfect design made for a purpose and a destiny, you are fearfully and wonderfully made, hand crafted by God, you are beautiful, brilliant, YOU ARE SPECIAL.This thought actually transformed my inner confidence. Max Lucado is an author and he said “You are valuable because you exist. Not because of what you do or what you have done, but simply because you are.”Wow, think about that, internalize that. (BRING THIS HOME….)Thankfully I had parents who spoke life giving words into my life. Although I had parents who spoke LIFE into me, I’ve also had many people say things about me that wounded me and hurt me, shook me, rattled my confidence. I’m sure you have as well. Ghandi said I love this quote “I won’t let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.” I’ve had to choose to not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet. We have to choose the voices we listen to. If we are going to BECOME INTERNALLY confident, we have to start here. Do you love yourself? Do you see worth when you look in the mirror? You may have to write a letter to yourself that reads: Dear Me,Make peace with the mirror and watch the reflection change. When you do this you’ll look in the mirror and genuinely like who you see. BECOMING INTERNALLY CONFIDENT starts with Loving yourself and And the second way to become internally confident, you need toIdentify & Replace Toxic Thoughts. Toxic; anything containing poisonous material capable of causing sickness orEven death.And if I’m honest, there have been so many times my thoughts have been toxic. This has been a battle for me. I’m going to do a presentation: “Don’t mess this up.”Then you mess up, say something wrong: “I’m an idiot.” Recently we have done Zoom meetings and I was talking to a bunch of our leaders. We had like 40 people on this zoom call, everyone is muted, staring at you, and you are talking. And my mind starts saying, “This isn’t helping anyone.” You are wasting their time.” TOXIC. Many of life's battles are either won or lost in the mind. No one talks to you more than you talk to you. Right? I was really battling anxious thoughts, discouraging feelings, and it began to overwhelm me. I knew I needed to find a solution, some actual skills to address these feelings. I’m all about prayer but I also think there are skills you can develop to help. And so my friend recommended this book to me called “Feeling Good” by Dr. David Burns. He’s a therapist and it addresses how you can diagnose your feelings, your moods, anxiety, guilt, low self-esteem, and he gives tools to help you overcome these challenges. He says, “Every bad feeling you have is the result of your distorted negative thinking.” They are described in his book as cognitive distortions. Here’s a few he lists in his book. READ A FEW FROM BOOKWhich do you struggle with? All of them? Haha This was truly transformational for me because if we are going to BECOME internally confident we must identify and reject toxic thoughts. I want to give you one practical example to combat this. He talks about it in the book and it's called the triple column technique. You have an automatic thought: I never do anything rightYou identify the cognitive distortion: OvergeneralizationThen you replace with the rational response: That’s nonsense. I do a lot of things right.Your boss calls or texts and says “I’d like to talk to you…Automatic Thought: They are going to tell me something really bad, I’m going to get fired. Cognitive distortion: Jumping to conclusionsRational response: I’m sure they just want to update me on something importantMany of us are not becoming who you want to become because you are locked in a deception of lies.So what are we going to do? We are going to LOVE OURSELVES and understand we have incredible value simply because we exist. And then we are going to IDENTIFY AND REPLACE TOXIC THOUGHTS.Our lives are moving in the direction of our strongest thoughts. We will identify those cognitive distortions and then we will replace them with truth. This isn’t easy and truly will be a daily process. But I believe if we do this we will BECOME internally confident. Couple Application Questions to consider:How do I truly view myself? Be honest. What cognitive distortions do you struggle with? This week track what you think about. Every time you think something bad, try and use the triple column technique. THOUGHT-DISTORTION-TRUTHWell I hope this was helpful to you. Since we are just getting this podcast started it would mean so much if you gave this podcast a review or if this is really valuable to you, I’d really appreciate you sharing this on your social media that would mean so much to me. In the word of George Elliot, It’s never too late to be what you might have been. So let’s declare “I AM BECOMING. AND REMEMBER, YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES, YOU WERE MEANT TO THRIVE. See ya next time

Gina Fattore Is Writing About Overcoming Anxiety and Becoming Unfrozen

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2020 29:20

Gina Fattore is a television writer and producer turned novelist who just released her debut book The Spinster Diaries. The story centers around a writer, obsessed with chick lit, who is overcoming her anxiety to become unfrozen and have enough hope to move forward. Gina's TV credits include Dare Me, Better Things, UnREAL, Masters of Sex, Parenthood, Californication, Gilmore Girls and Dawson's Creek. Learn more about Gina. Learn more about The Passionistas Project. Full Transcript: Passionistas: Hi and welcome to The Passionistas Project Podcast. We're Amy and Nancy Harrington, and today we're talking with Gina Fattore. Gina is a television writer whose credits include, Dare Me, Better Things, Unreal, Masters of Sex, Parenthood, Californication, Gilmore Girls and Dawson's Creek. Her Ted X talk become what you believe has more than 16,000 views in her essays, reviews and comedy pieces have appeared to the Chicago reader, entertainment weekly salon, the millions and Mick Sweeney's internet tendency, and she just published her debut novel, The Spinster Diaries, a semi-autobiographical story, but a TV writer obsessed with chick lit. So please welcome to the show. Gina Fattore. Gina Fattore: Thank you so much for having me here. It's an honor… to be considered a Passionista is a big honor. Thank you. Passionistas: And we're excited to have you. We love the book and you have written some of our favorite television shows, so we can't wait to talk to you. What's the one thing you're most passionate about? Gina Fattore: My gut said to say writing, but maybe I need to be more specific than that because I write so many things, but it's always been writing. I am one of those people who I was 11, 10 or 11 when I, you know, first got, I guess praised for my writing. I went to the young authors conference when I was in the fifth grade with my first book, which, you know, remains unpublished because everyone's fifth grade book should probably remain unpublished. Um, but, uh, yeah, and I just, I always knew it's, it's the weirdest thing. It, it, I had a friend once say to me, a college friend who just, she called it a calling and especially when we had just graduated from college, and I believe everybody should sort of wander in their twenties until they land on the thing that is right for them. But I always had in the back of my mind, this idea of the calling, and I knew it was about writing. Passionistas: Talk about that path from that fifth grade book to becoming a television writer. Gina Fattore: (LAUGHING) Yeah. That was kind of a long journey. There aren't a lot of 11 year old television writers. I grew up in Indiana in this town called Valparaiso, which is in the part of Indiana. That's, it's like the Northwest corner of Indiana that's actually closer to Chicago than Indianapolis, but still like a small town, uh, sort of Friday Night Lights kind of place where people go to the football game or the basketball game every Friday night. And I was always that, you know, high school journalist person, you know, I did the yearbook, I did the newspaper, I did it all and I had this scheme or this plan that involved going to Columbia, which uh, was a funny thing in Indiana because nobody in Indiana actually knows what Columbia is. I know it's like this impressive school. It's in the Ivy league, but there's a lot of confusion with the university of Missouri at Columbia. So it's, it costs a lot of money and it's difficult to impress people. But somehow I got it and my parents were on board with this and I moved to New York and at 18 as all Columbia freshmen do and I was an English major. I always knew I was going to be an English major. There wasn't a film studies or film major or anything like that available to undergraduates at Columbia. When I was there and I, I wouldn't have, I don't know that I would've wanted to do that anyway. It really did not occur to me that writing was screenwriting. I loved TV, I loved movies, but I really hadn't thought of it that way. It was all books and magazines and journalism to me. And then the accident that changed my life. When I graduated from Columbia, I was an English major, as I said, totally unqualified to really do anything in the world. And I started applying for jobs at different places. And the one that I ended up getting was at the New York public library in the fundraising office. And I worked in major gifts and planned giving. I answered the phone, you know, we did research on the various donors we were trying to get money from. We would hold parties and events and my boss was this lovely, lovely woman named Judy Daniels and her son is a television writer. His name is Greg Daniels, and he created The Office, the American version of The Office and Parks and Rec and King of the Hill. And Judy Daniels, I always say was my first agent. She essentially said to me, I think you should move to LA and work for my son and he should help you be a TV writer. And he did and I became a TV writer. I was his assistant for two years when he was starting King of the Hill with Mike Judge back in the mid-nineties and that was how I got my start. He assigned me a freelance episode in the second season, which is a very traditional way for TV writer to get a break as you get to write one episode of a show. And based on that I was able to get an agent and the agent helped me get my first real job as a staff writer. You know, when I didn't have to answer the phone anymore. That was the biggest victory of my professional life. Passionistas: That's a pretty impressive person to land without in LA. Did you learn anything specific from him that sticks with you? Gina Fattore: The thing that sticks with me the most is always about story. You know, Greg is a comedy writer and you know, even before King of the Hill, he had worked on the Simpsons and on Saturday night live, but he was incredibly rigorous about story. So maybe it's not an accident that you know, I ended up being a drama writer more than a comedy writer, but I can remember him saying to me, you know about my own spec scripts and I was trying to write at the time, you know, to just make a beat sheet and go through every scene and you know, just ask yourself very, what is this scene doing? And if you can't summarize it in, you know, one short sentence with a sort of active sounding verb in it, then there's probably a problem with that scene. And that's advice that he gave me that I think about 20 years later all the time. Passionistas: Your book, The Spinster Diaries, is a semi-autobiographical story about being a TV writer. And I think it paints a really good picture of the fact that even though people may think it's a really glamorous life, it's a lot of hard work and not only the work itself but going from show to show, getting jobs is hard work. So can you talk a little bit about your experiences in Hollywood, some of the shows you worked on and what that lifestyle is like? Gina Fattore: I would say to start that, that is one of the revelations that people have read my book and come back to me and said, this actually explains what it's like to be a TV writer. And that wasn't one of the reasons why I wrote the book, but it's just the world that I live in. So I was portraying it really accurately. And many TV writers have actually said this to me that like this is almost given them flashbacks and stuff in weird ways because the system of TV has changed a lot. The book has said it actually in 2006 which was a time when there were a lot more network TV shows and a lot more shows where we would make 22-23 episodes a year, which is the system that I started in. And nowadays we have these really short orders for shows, which has made it even more pronounced. This nature of the job is insecurity and you know, you move from one thing to the next. I've been on many shows. I had to run and vibing three shows in a row that got canceled within those first 12 you know, so sometimes you make all 12 and you get paid for all 12 but one show we got canceled. You know, we were actually shooting episode eight and I don't think we finished shooting the rest of those. You know, you just stop when you're canceled. Everything just stops. I mean we're living through this weird moment now with production shutdowns for the virus reasons, but being canceled. It's odd. Cause I mean the great part about it is that everybody's in it together. But that's also the horrible part is that, you know, 200 people have lost their jobs in one day. But the funny thing about being on a show is that it is sort of more like a real job than I think people anticipate because there's this idea about movie writers, which is true that they kind of like sit by their pool or they're like in a cafe somewhere writing and you know, TV writers. Honestly, I think in some ways we're more like journalists. Like we have a deadline, we're working together to put something out. And sometimes I think that because I worked at a newspaper in my twenties I worked at an alternative weekly newspaper. Maybe that's why I view it that way, but it is what it is. You know, if you're making 23 episodes of a show, everybody has to be on board with what are those episodes about? So a large part of what we're doing when we're writing a TV show is just making sure that there's one story that we're telling that all the characters are behaving consistently. And the writer's room, which back in the day when I started was standard. Not all shows are written that way anymore, but that was what allowed us to just stay on the same page and we had to be flexible. And of course the showrunner had ultimate control over what the story would be. And so your job as a writer is just to spend all day thinking of pitches that will support what the story is. And there was one year I remember on Dawson's Creek, I season five I only wrote like two episodes and normally I would write first drafts more than that and I missed it. And I realized when you're in the room coming up with ideas, 80% of what you do gets rejected and that's a really high rate to, you know, keep yourself going at where you have to just keep pitching ideas and they might not be accepted. It's heartbreaking. So you have to have a pretty thick skin for that. How do you develop that thick skin? How do you not take it personally? I think you just said the exact phrase, which is not taking it personally. And I think it did take me a really long time. I think season three when I was working on Dawson's Creek was my first real immersion in one hour drama writing. And again that was a 23 episode season, which I don't know that I had done one of those yet. And I would use all these little tricks. Sometimes I would tell myself, you know, you're writing the first draft for free. The first draft is what you want it to be. It's all this stuff. What they're paying you for is the 10 offer drafts that you're doing, where people are saying, do it my way, do it my way, do it my way. And early on in my career I had this great moment with a friend who, he's a graphic designer and at the time he was maybe working at the New York times or something like that, but his own work as a graphic designer was constantly being, you know, noted and all this stuff like do it again and do it again. Do it again. And you know, it just becomes not what the person wanted and you just have to tell yourself over and over again that mantra I think because it's just not what they wanted. And when you're writing something for money, that's what your job is, is to give the person what they wanted. And in TV it's always very clear that person is the showrunner. And then once they're happy with it, they got to go and deal with the network and the studio. There's a whole other level of people who might not be happy with it. Passionistas: As a writer that's not the showrunner, you're kind of shielded from having those conversations. But last season you developed and executive produced and wrote the TV series Dare Me. So talk about how you became the showrunner of and what it was like to be in that position versus on staff. Gina Fattore: It was kind of amazing to get to this place where this pilot that I had written with Meghan Abbott, based on her novel Dare Me, we made a pilot in the summer of 2018 really it was when we made the pilot and then all of 2019 was when we were making the, the nine additional episodes. And here I was finally doing this job that we, for a long time I had basically resigned myself to the idea that none of my pilots would ever proceed forward and become serious cause I had written so many of them and I knew how hard the job was. I mean frankly I was the showrunners assistant. So who knows better than the showrunners assistant, how hard the job is. And so I think what happens in TV a lot of times is that the person who becomes the showrunner is perhaps a novelist or a playwright or a screenwriter. Especially if you win an Oscar, they will just basically give you a TV show. So essentially that person is really overwhelmed just by the sheer idea of what it means to be a showrunner, which is that you're not just a writer anymore, you're a producer and you're the boss who's hiring everyone and who's also responsible for making sure that everyone's working well together to actualize the vision that you have in your head. So in a funny way, I have to say, I knew it was going to be hard, so it was hard, but it wasn't as hard, I don't think, as it would have been for someone who hadn't been working on TV shows for essentially 20 years at that point. I mean, I like to joke, and this is terrible, but I was like, you know, like the American presidency running a television show, it is a job that sometimes goes to someone who's never done it before, but sometimes that person has actually been the secretary of state, or sometimes they've been the first lady, maybe they've been a Senator, so that person might have a better idea of how this whole thing works than someone who's never worked in government before. And that's how I felt. I felt like I was that person and I ended up being so proud of the work itself. The episodes I think are brilliant, but also just really proud of all the people who told me how much they enjoyed working on the show. I mean, honestly, the costume designer, the, you know, the cinematographer, like all of the directors, like just knowing that they felt like they were in an environment where they were being heard and appreciated even when their ideas were rejected meant so much to me. Because looking back, I can see there were many jobs where I didn't have that and that was the hard part to keep going. When you don't feel like you're being heard, it's one thing to be rejected, but it's another to be sort of ignored or dismissed. Passionistas: You're listening to The Passionistas Project Podcast and our interview with Gina Fattore. Visit GinaFattore.com to find out more about Gina and her book, The Spinster Diaries, now available at IndieBound, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and more. Now here's more of our interview with Gina. Talk about The Spinster Diaries and why did you decide with your busy television schedule, why did you decide to write a book? Gina Fattore: Well, you know, I realized, I think I already set this up because I talked a little about the frustrations of being a writer who is on staff on a show, but you're not the boss. And at the time I started writing the book, I really did start writing the book around the time that it set. So like 2006, 2007 and I had been working on shows at that point, well, you know, I guess about eight years. So I was at the point where I was doing this job that was a dream job to me. And you know, it, it, I had far exceeded any dreams that I had, you know, as a young person in Indiana, I was living in LA and I was going from job to job, but definitely, you know, uh, making money and working with interesting people and it was all great. But the one thing I didn't have was any kind of control over what story was being told. I mean you're always rewritten when you're a writer on staff. Like it's very, very rare. When I was working on Dawson's Creek, I was genuinely, I don't know, I had been there for so long that by the time we got to the end, those were my episodes. Those were my words. Like especially the last one that I wrote, I did all the rewriting on them. They're my work, but that's very unusual. The more usual way is to just write and contribute, but you never have any say over the final product. And so I think I just started writing pros because it was, first of all, it was what I originally wrote when I was a young person and I was a high school newspaper editor and all of that. But also just because I knew I could control it and I didn't even know at first what I was writing. I think I really was just writing, you know, on the weekends I'd just be like, well, I have something I need to say. And then I just kept writing and went on this journey and it really did take me a very long time to get someone to publish the book essentially because it is a little unconventional. I think they were fooled by the opening of the book and they thought that it would be more of a conventional Bridget Jones's diary type book and then suddenly they're reading about this woman from the 18th century, like it's about TV writing and they think, I think that there was some confusion about what the book was, but I really persevered because I knew at that point I was like, well, I have my other job, which I never quit, which is my day job writing and producing television and I know that I'm good at that. Um, especially it's no small part of it is the producing part. Like that's a completely separate skill from writing. And now that I've done Dare Me and been a showrunner, I've done that on every level. So I figured my book didn't have to be something that was going to be a bestseller or a big source of income for me. I could just make it whatever I wanted to be. Just be playful with it and have fun. Passionistas: You say that it's some I autobiographical. So how much of it is based on you? Obviously the TV writing part is. Gina Fattore: Yeah, I'm laughing because like I really wanted to be one of those fancy novelists who's all like, ah, I made it all up, or whatever. That's what fiction writers do. But it's all, it's all true. Basically. Like all of it. It's true. I was interested in the idea of biography and autobiography. So if the narrator of my book is sort of this exaggerated unreliable version of me, and she's telling you a story though about this other writer from the 18th century, so how reliable is she? But if you read the book, I should make a disclaimer that it is actually a biography of the writer from the 18th century whose name is Francis Barney, and she was a novelist who wrote at the end of the 18th century. She's really the person who inspired Jane Austin in many ways. Her books were read by Jane Austin and Jane Jane Austin makes reference to Francis. Bernie's novels at like six different places within her own work. Passionistas: Why are you fascinated with Frances Burney and why did she become such a central character in the book? Gina Fattore: I was just talking about this with someone who I know from college because I did read Frances Burney for the first time when I was in college. I was an English major at Columbia. There was, I think looking back, I've now researched this like in the, in the eighties the feminist scholars in the English departments all over the country were looking for female writers, you know, trying to resuscitate them. And at the end of the 18th century was a time in England when there were actually quite a number of female novelists. And so I read her work and then it, but it wasn't in college. It was like later in my twenties I learned about her diaries. She kept them her entire life. They've, they've finally finished editing all of them and they are 24 volumes long. So it was really like a blog. I mean, I think when I first read her diaries, I didn't even know what a blog was. It was probably like 95 but it was like you're hearing the unfiltered voice of this woman who lived, I mean, she actually lived from 1752 to 1840 but the time period in her life that would most fascinated me was sort of, you know, her coming of age and her first novel was written when she was 25 and I think when I, the more I learned about her story, it was something that captured my imagination when I was that age in my mid-twenties and I knew I wanted to be a writer, but I didn't know how I was going to get there. I mean, I think it was even before I started working for Greg Daniels, I was 27 when I actually moved to LA and started working for him and ultimately became a TV writer. But all those years of my twenties I knew I wanted to be a writer and I was writing. But you know, you don't, you have a day job, you know, it's hard. You don't know really what you should be writing and what's the right format for your voice. And all those things. And I just kept reading about her more and more. And I was always just so convinced that there was something very modern about her life. Also in that anytime we hear about women from that era, they're generally very wealthy women. And so the stories, while they're these sort of odd princess stories about like duchesses and ladies and all that stuff, or think of Downton Abbey, right? Those three sisters are incredibly wealthy and aristocratic. And for instance, Bernie, her father was a music teacher, so she was the equivalent of what we would think of as middle class. And for me growing up, you know, as I mentioned, I grew up in Indiana, so I am not from aristocrats, let's just say, um, my grandparents are all from Italy. So yeah, I think I, I love this idea of a role model who had, you know, been a writer from the time she was in her teens. And also looking back, I can see where I think like maybe a role model who isn't, you know, isn't Jane Austin or George Elliot or the Bronte sisters is a little better. At least for me it felt better. Like I feel like there's the people who you admire so much that it kind of stops you. You know, like I've had that feeling before where you watch your all-time favorite movie, are you, you know, read your all-time favorite book for the zillion with time and there's a part of you that thinks I could never achieve that or I could never do that. Whereas I don't know. There was something about Frances Burney as a role model that I guess made me think, you know, she just did her best and kept writing and that's what you need to hear. Especially when you're 25 and you're just starting on your journey. Passionistas: What do you hope readers take away from reading the book? Gina Fattore: I've already gotten some feedback from people from what they did take away and it's been surprising, I guess I would say in a big way. I realized that the book is about anxiety and so it's very odd that it's coming out at this time where everybody is, you know, really just swimming and anxiety because anxiety is different than fear, you know, fear. The idea is that fear is like there's a lion about to come and eat you and you know what that is and you need to respond to what the lion that's directly in front of you. But anxiety is that more free floating feeling. I at a certain point, I did realize that like years ago, like years, you know, years before it was published, I thought, Oh, the book is really about anxiety and that's a valuable lesson right now. And also the journey of the character she goes on is about like just getting out of a paralysis and the paralysis is sort of, you know, people always talk about fight or flight, right? That idea that if you're in this stressful situation, either you'll lash out and you'll fight or you're flee, but the other thing you do is you just freeze. And that's a very real reaction. I mean I, I don't think I'm making that up. I think there is actual psychology to base that on, but it's always been my personal experience that you get frozen and the character is frozen. So the journey of the book is really to become unfrozen and to have enough hope to move forward. And I think that is a really vital message at this time. Passionistas: Is there a lesson that you've learned on your journey that really sticks with you? Gina Fattore: I was just thinking about this, like the idea of this journey cause I was talking, the thing that's been so great to talk to old friends and this time, you know, like there's, there's just been a little more of that. Like people reaching out, like high school friends, college friends, like let's do a zoom. And it was making me think about my younger days and I had this sense when I was very young, that little things made an enormous difference. I mean that a little bit in terms of writing, you know, that like precision and detail and all that stuff. Um, but also just, I don't know, this idea that things could change in an instant or that everything was kind of on a Razor's edge. And I think just what I learned this past two years in being the boss and making a show is that idea that not everything has to be perfect. And you think I would have known that earlier in life because as anyone who a writer knows, there's always a rough draft. There's always a first draft and it's a process to make it better. But I think this is a particular problem for women, which is this idea of perfectionism and how it holds you back because you're not willing to do the sloppy version of something. And one of the coolest things I learned when I was making the show was I was like, I've been doing this for so long. TV is a process and the process is not, you start with the thing that the people see when it's on TV streaming. You know, you start so far back from that, you know, you start with some note cards on a board, you know, you turn that into an outline, you turn that into a script. There's so many steps of the process and being the boss and doing that really made me remember that, that like you have so many other chances to, to do that, that thing and to make it right. You know, not that it's not important to meet your deadlines and be conscientious and all that stuff, but I do wish I had felt that a little more when I was younger. Just let yourself be wrong. Passionistas: What's your definition of success? Gina Fattore: I guess in some way I do think it's, it's liking what you do for work because we all, almost all of us have to work. And uh, even people who don't have to work for financial reasons, you know, I guess that's the famous Freud quote, write about love and work. And I mean, my had a next door neighbor who lived next door to me for 10 years. Ever since I bought my house, my neighbor next door, he was elderly. He was 79 when I moved in and he passed away at 89 and he worked like three or four days a week at this job up until he was like 87 and the minute he wasn't able to work anymore, he just shut down and you could see it so clearly. And he got so depressed and he, this is a person of like, you know, the world war II generation practically. He, well, Korean war I guess is the one he fought in and people like that don't use the word depressed lightly, you know? And, and I could see that in him and I feel like it makes me so happy. You know, when people talk to me about their job and you can see that they're suited to the job and they get some kind of reward back from it, I think that is just a huge part of being successful in life. Passionistas: What advice would you give to a young woman who wants to be a writer? Gina Fattore: Sadly, right? Is the only advice that, I mean, I know there's all this stuff about, you know, uh, I don't know, networking. And there's a lot of classes now you can take and stuff like that. But you learn, you do learn by doing and you know, I think you just need to keep writing and that everything you write, you learn something from that. And you know the feedback. Showing it to other people honestly is the hard part. That to me is, is harder than the writing. I know some people have a problem with that, but you know, that's where the introverts win because the part of the job where you are alone in the room with the piece of paper, that doesn't scare me. And I think that it's got the main benefit of you can control it. You can try things out, you know, I mean, Oh, this is terrible. But like when I started, I had a typewriter in college. Like you had to do the whiteout, you know, you had to do all that stuff. Like nowadays, whatever, just try something and if it doesn't work, you know, uh, I was going to say delete, but don't delete, just save it and another file. You might need it again someday. Passionistas: Thanks for listening to our interview with Gina Fattore. Visit GinaFattore.com to find out more about Gina and her book, The Spinster Diaries now available at IndieBound, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and more. Please visit ThePassionistasProject.com to learn more about our podcast and subscription box filled with products made by women-owned businesses and female artisans to inspire you to follow your passions. Sign up for our mailing list to get 10% off your first purchase. And be sure to subscribe to The Passionistas Project Podcast so you don't miss any of our upcoming inspiring guests.

tv american new york amazon chicago english hollywood england talk office masters writing sex italy indiana missouri columbia bernie sanders honestly korean indianapolis senators parks simpsons creek parenthood northwest freud barnes and noble rec razor unreal gilmore girls downton abbey friday night lights overcoming anxiety king of the hill bridget jones better things mike judge californication bronte valparaiso greg daniels indiebound jane austin fattore dare me unfrozen george elliot passionista frances burney passionistas project passionistas project podcast

Becoming Who You Want To Be

new york city los angeles books turning adults lovers vaughan nora ephron brian k vaughan mirth goon squad middlemarch crake emma straub george elliot

Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2020 12:13

My life has changed drastically, has yours? I think we all have BECOME something we didn’t think we would have become 2 months ago. You have BECOME a virtual employee You have BECOME a homeschool teacher and a full time virtual employee which automatically means you have BECOME a professional juggler. Working, cooking, cleaning, all while you teach your kids math. Scary. Now most of us have BECOME all of these things by sheer circumstance, but what if I told you that BEFORE the world changed over night, we were all BECOMING something. I don’t know about you, but when I think of the areas in my life I want to become better at, there are significant challenges, roadblocks, that keep me from where I am to where I want to be. What are the challenges? Here are a few: Distraction, inability to focus on what’s most important, some struggle with getting motivated, impatience on the process of becoming, (Why am I not seeing results quicker), excuses, failure, the list could go on and on. Name your challenge. Of the list I just read, or maybe for you it’s something else. I want you to name it. Craig Groeschel, Who is the Pastor of Life.Church based out of OKC has a great quote. He says “ You can’t defeat what you don’t define.” DEFINE IT. DECLARE IT, and then YOU WILL DEFEAT IT. For me, my challenge is focusing on the most important. I’m in many ways an Entrepreneur. Started something from scratch and there are SO many plates spinning. Early on in the organization I was jumping from thing to thing. I was working 3 days a week delivering kitchen cabinets just to help provide for my family and then in the evenings or spare time I would work on getting our church started. Starting a non-profit or any company has a ton of challenges. Meeting with people, we hosted many people at our house, training leaders, casting vision, developing a website, creating logos, we did a 4th of July parade before the church started and handed out koozies to promote the church, canvased neighborhood, raising funds, determining what equipment we needed, ordering that equipment, finding a location to meet. So many different plates just to name a few. Wow just saying that all gives me a little anxiety. hahaWhat is it for you? What is your biggest challenge? Name it. You can’t defeat what you don’t define. So in this first episode I want to give you what I call the 3 D’s of Becoming Here’s the first D. Desire: Desire says, “I want it.”Think about this: “The starting point to becoming, is desire.” -Zack HarrisWe start here because you can’t become what you don’t desire. Without desire, there is no motivation, no goal, no passion, no purpose. When I was young all I wanted was to BECOME the best basketball player I could become. I had desire and it drove me to practice a lot. I mean my friends and I had jock jams playing outside, lower that rim to 6ft maybe 5ft and emulate our best MJ dunk with our tongue sticking out. Some of you are laughing right now because you know you did the same thing.Fast forward to adulthood, I know I have a desire to be a great husband to my wife Nicole, an influential, loving father to my son Layton, to become a friend who cares, and become a leader that makes a difference in others lives. I got into ministry because I had a desire to use my musical gifts in church and lead people in worship. I studied organizational leadership in college but once I started working in a church I realized wow, I really need to grow as a leader. So I had a desire to become a better leader. To this day I have a deep desire to become a leader who can help people know God and discover that He has a purpose for their lives. Desire led me to start a church, desire led me to grow, desire is still leading me to become.“The starting point to becoming, is desire.”My guess is if you are listening to this podcast you have desire. So what do you desire to become? You want to become a better version of yourself, become a better leader, a better spouse, friend, dad, mom, become a business owner, become better at a particular skill? How’s your desire?I don’t think you would be listening to this if you didn’t have some desire to grow. Congratulations. “The starting point to becoming, is desire.”That is the first step. But let’s not stop there. Desire says I want it, The second D is….Discipline: Discipline says “I’m committed to it.”What is discipline?It is choosing between what I want now and what I want most.For example, I may be trying to decide between if I want to workout OR do I want to sit on my comfy cozy couch, eat oreos with milk and watch my favorite show on Netflix. What I want NOW is to sit on that comfy cozy couch. BUT, What do I want most? I want to be healthy, active, disciplined, and stay alive to watch my son grow up, so instead of choosing between what I want NOW, I choose what I want MOST and I do a crossfit workout and get my butt kicked for an hour. Can’t tell you how terrible it is at the time, but my feeling of being disciplined is really high. Discipline is choosing between what I want now and what I want most. One of the most practical examples I can give you is to do 1 thing at the start of the day that makes you feel disciplined. Make your bed, run around the block one time, floss your teeth, read your bible, write down something you are thankful for, cross something off your to do list, accomplish something early and you will feel more disciplined throughout the day. I like to think of it this way: “Desire gets you going, but discipline keeps you becoming.” -Zack HarrisDiscipline says “I’m committed to it.”The last D isDetermination: Determination says “I won’t give up.” “Determination is doing what needs to be done, even when you don’t feel like it.” Right now I’m loving Sunday nights because on ESPN is the Michael Jordan documentary “The Last Dance.” Tells the story of the 1998 season of the Chicago bulls 6th championship. I was in middle school during this time. In the documentary before the Bulls won their first championship in 1991 they couldn’t beat the bad boy Detroit pistons. They were more physical, more mature, smarter, and a better team. But Jordan was DETERMINED to figure out how to beat them. Started trusting his team more, went to the weight room, got stronger. Listen, you are going to get knocked down, you will fail, you will lose, you will miss a day, but don’t miss two. To truly see progress you must keep going. Determination says “I won’t give up.” I used to say this to myself “Don’t miss Monday.” I was determined to start my week off right.Determination says “I won’t give up.” So let’s recap and then I’ll give you a couple questions to contemplate or discuss with someone: We are all becoming someone or something. Who are you becoming? What challenge or obstacle is getting in your way. You can’t defeat what you don’t define. Remember the three D’s of BECOMING. Desire say’s I want it. Discipline says I’m committed to it, Determination says I won’t give up. Questions to considerWhat’s my biggest challenge or obstacle to truly becoming all that I want to be?Which do you struggle with the most? Desire? Discipline? Or Determination? Well I hope this was helpful to you. Since we are just getting this podcast started it would mean so much if you gave this podcast a review or if this is really valuable to you, I’d really appreciate you sharing this on your social media that would mean so much to me. Listen, you have what it takes, you were meant to thrive. In the word of George Elliot, It’s never too late to be what you might have been. So let’s declare “I AM BECOMING. See ya next time

god netflix church chicago starting entrepreneur detroit espn started desire pastor 4th of july scary distractions michael jordan chicago bulls congratulations last dance mj determined determination okc george elliot discipline discipline iambecoming

The Books We’re Turning to Right Now

Women Who Travel

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2020 45:28

We need the escape that books provide now more than ever. So this week, we're joined by the National Book Foundation's Lisa Lucas, calling in from Los Angeles, and New York Times-bestselling author and Books Are Magic owner Emma Straub, who's currently self-isolating with her family in Brooklyn. Throughout the episode, we share the books that are transporting us to the places we miss (New York City included) and the places we’ve never been (and can't wait to get to). Plus, we have tips for getting out of a reading rut, how to support local bookstores when they need it most, and more. What we're reading right now: All Adults Here by Emma Straub Surviving Autocracy by Mashe Gessen Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid Heartburn by Nora Ephron The Most of Nora Ephron by Nora Ephron Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton Arbitrary Stupid Goal by Tamara Shopsin Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots by Deborah Feldman The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante] A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Eagan White Teeth by Zadie Smith Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton Women Talking by Miriam Toews The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (Preorder, out June 2) Middlemarch by George Elliot (a.k.a Mary Ann Evans) Saga by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona Staples Writers & Lovers by Lily King My Autobiography of Carson McCullers: A Memoir by Jenn Shepland The Paper Girl of Paris by Jordyn Taylor (Preorder, out May 26) Find a full transcription of the episode here: https://www.cntraveler.com/story/the-books-were-turning-to-right-now-women-who-travel-podcast Follow Meredith: @ohheytheremere Follow Lale: @lalehannah Follow Women Who Travel: @womenwhotravel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

E27. Ten Things I Wish I Knew Before Applying to Dental School

Reed.Dentistry Predental Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2020 24:40

In today's episode, I start off with a quote by Mary Ann Evans (better known by her pen name as George Elliot). After that, I start to reveal the 10 things I wish I knew before applying to dental school. It is my hope that these lessons will help give you a better understanding and clearer path into dental school! I hope you enjoy! EPISODE TIMELINE Overview- 00:00-00:22 Show Welcome- 00:22-00:59 George Elliot Quote- 00:59-01:46 Opening Remarks- 01:46- 2:21 Things 1-5 I Wish I Knew- 2:21- 13:33 ANCHOR SPONSOR Things 6-10 I Wish I Knew- 13:33-23:00 Closing Remarks – 23:00-23:52 Wrap Up- 23:52-24:53

ten things dental school george elliot i wish i knew

Movies with George (The Platform) - George Elliot - Radio One 91fm

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2020

Movies with George (The Platform) by George Elliot on Radio One 91fm Dunedin

music movies interview radio new zealand student platform aotearoa dunedin radio one george elliot otepoti 91fm

Movies with George (The Platform) - George Elliot - Radio One 91fm