barbara stoks comic review

content/copyright-and-tracking-policy.md

@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ Under the following terms:
 
 Please find a full copy of the CC BY 4.0 license in the [LICENSE](https://git.brainbaking.com/wgroeneveld/brainbaking/src/branch/master/LICENSE) file at Brain Baking's source repository.
 
+All figures and other material used are part of _Brain Baking_ and therefore subject to the above license unless otherwise stated.
+
 ## No Tracking
 
 Who doesn't like cookies? I'm [a baker](https://redzuurdesem.be/) - I would know. Well, I don't like cookies on websites, because they rise privacy concerns. That is why, inspired by [Laura Kalbag's "I don't track you"](https://laurakalbag.com/i-dont-track-you/) philosophy, I do everything I can to _not_ track you, but to track **traffic** instead. 

content/post/2023/04/an-impression-of-the-castlevania-tv-series.md

@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ Again, the resemblance in some episodes between a scene and a portion of the cas
 
 But then again, in SOTN, you play as Alucard only, and there's no Speaker magician to be found. According to the official timeline, SOTN's Richter Belmont's era is from 1792, while Trevor lived in 1476. The NES couldn't pull off those colors so I don't mind. And for completeness, let's assume that the vampires and/or antagonists not present in _Castlevania III_ that appear in the show, also set in the 1470s, live almost forever. There, fixed!
 
-But where the hell is Dracula's right-hand, Death? It seems he was completely removed from the show, which is a shame. They could pull off so many cool things with Death's character. In the video games, Gaibon and Slorga are faithful servants of Death, not of Dracula. They're always the boss to face before the inevitable encounter with Death. 
+But where the hell is Dracula's right-hand, Death? It seems he was completely removed from the show, which is a shame. They could pull off so many cool things with Death's character. In the video games, Gaibon and Slorga are faithful servants of Death, not of Dracula. They're always the boss to face before the inevitable encounter with Death[^death]. 
+
+[^death]: I finished watching season four. Yup, it's him! 
 
 Despite my initial reservations and the bothersome cast mix-up that tends to stride too much from its initial story-line, as a Castlevania fan, it's still a highly enjoyable show---especially in the middle of the night. Luckily for me, the fluid animations, grim tone, and bloody battle scenes don't require much brain activity. If you've ever played a Castlevania video game, like dark anime or stuff with vampires in it, give this one a go.

content/post/2023/04/the-philosopher-the-dog-and-the-wedding.md

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+---
+title: "The Philosopher, The Dog, And The Wedding"
+date: 2023-04-28T20:05:00+02:00
+categories:
+  - learning
+tags:
+    - philosophy
+    - book review
+    - comic
+---
+
+Barbara Stok's biggest work to date, a 300 page comic called [De Filosoof, de Hond en de Bruiloft](https://barbaraal.nl/books/) (_The Philosopher, the Dog, and the Wedding_), is a celebration of life's simple values both ancient and modern society seems to have forgotten in part by largely ignoring the practical preaches of a Greek Cynic called Crates alias The Dog and his wife Hipparchia. Instead, we value the capitalism of stuff. That reminds me, I still need to buy a few Game Boy carts off eBay, just a sec... 
+
+_\*Goes off to press BUY NOW in another browser tab\*_
+
+OK, where was I? Right---no stuff, all fluff, that's why you need to buy Barbara Stok's book, initially published in Dutch but translated into English in 2022. Crates the philosopher gave away his possessions and wealth---and supposedly threw a lot of gold in the sea---to live a much simpler life, truer to genuine human nature. One of his later students, Zeno, eventually founded Stoicism, but Crates himself could be called a Cynic. 
+
+Cynics believed that the goal in life was to reach _eudaimonia_, a clear mental state that is hard to translate and often compared with modern happiness or human flourishing. To do that, one has to unify oneself with nature (_Physis_). Cynics renounced wealth, fame, and power and openly criticizes society's laws and customs that we too often take for granted. To live in virtue is to agree with nature, which can only be done by leading a simple life and casting off all possessions. Diogenes is probably the most well-known Cynic that took this to the extreme by living in a giant ceramic jar in the streets and chasing away Alexander the Great because he blocked Diogenes' sunlight.
+
+In Crates' era, women were considered inferior to men. They shouldn't and needn't learn let alone philosophize; and instead expect to learn how to weave and cook to be a good wife and be able to take care of the family's chores, while the people that mattered---the men---had time to learn, argue, and drink. But for Hipparchia---who was about to be married off to forge relationships between powerful families without taking any feelings of the bride and groom into account---philosophy and the question of how to live a good live _did_ interest her. In fact, it enamored her, and she eventually found a way to attend Crates' teachings by disguising as a man. Crates openly questioned habits and customs, such as the way women and slaves are treated or why to live a life in luxury if you cannot be truly free.
+
+![](../hipparchia.jpg "Hipparchia eavesdrops on a lecture of Crates: '... want we leven in een wereld van dwazen. Het waardestelsel is compleet verwrongen.' ('... because we live in a world of fools. The value system is completely twisted.') © Barbara Stok.")
+
+In Barbara's comic, we follow Hipparchia's brooding interest in philosophy, up to the point that she runs from her family and ends up marrying Crates. What I especially appreciated is the thorough research that was put into the work. In the afterword, Barbara openly writes about her own struggles to find the meaning in life after she found out she couldn't have kids. Through her band's drummer, she got into contact with philosophy, followed a few courses, and eventually discovered Stoicism, which helped her cope with many rough setbacks in life. 
+
+Barbara visited Maroneia where Hipparchia was born and retraced her steps. Every line of text coming out of Crates' mouth is based on texts found in ancient philosophical work and carefully chosen based on various translations. And yet, _The Philosopher, the Dog, and the Wedding_ as a comic is super accessible, even for the rebellious _whatevah_-teenagers or philosophy-averse grownups. Most panels and page spreads contain less text than your average comic and yet still manage to evoke the nagging feeling of doubt: what should _I_ be doing with my life? Shouldn't I question the decisions that are being made for me? How can I reach _eudaimonia_?
+
+If you like atmospheric comics and don't mind the light philosophical seasoning, please give [Barbara's comic](https://barbaraal.nl/books/) a read.