The Reclamation: A Name for Our Times
Regaining Your Humanity During this New Renaissance
Welcome to the 21st Century
At this point, we’re all acutely aware of the downfall of the university system from its pedestal of prestige1. We’re painfully reminded regularly of the decline in literacy2 and comprehension rates in public schools, and many of us have heard of seemingly religious individuals deconstructing their faith.3
How did we get here?
“We all want progress. But progress means getting nearer to the place where you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning, then to go forward does not get you any nearer.” —C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
If there’s one thing the 20th century brought us, it’s novelty.
In the name of progress, society embraced the new, the promising, the innovative. As part of the Millennial generation, I watched this change over between centuries with all of its hopes and consequences.
The 21st century has promised a lot and, while it’s still not a real-life Jetsons experience, it has delivered in computing power, in convenience, and in entertainment. But at what cost?
Our Lost Inheritance
What the 20th century valued in progress and what the 21st century has done for advancement has been at the cost of the most fundamental part of life: the human soul.
“For every one pupil who needs to be guarded from a weak excess of sensibility there are three who need to be awakened from the slumber of cold vulgarity. The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts.” —C.S. Lewis, Abolition of Man
How can we truly live in this world without our soul being fed?
How can we answer questions of true meaning—of our meaning—without true knowledge of the past?
As a society, our cultural imagination is vapid, empty, and self-centered. While the world calls us to look within ourselves, more and more we see we have nothing to offer to the altar of self.
With that emptiness comes a slew of promising solutions you can theoretically buy to feel more alive.
If it’s not narcissism, it’s consumerism. Both lead us away from true meaning.
The promise of novelty and the cry of progress stole from us the very inheritance we were born to have.
It blurred our origin.
It obscured our image.
The Reclamation
Reclaiming our humanity is not just something for the youngest generation to do. It starts with us, right now. (And it started years ago—thank you, John Senior4—but it’s finally gaining traction.)
This reclamation is multifaceted.
How each generation reclaims their inheritance looks slightly different, but each starts in the same place: Wonder.
Why Wonder?
"Wonder is the beginning of knowledge, the reverent fear that beauty strikes within us." —John Senior
When we wonder, two things happen: We adopt humility in not knowing, and we open our minds to contemplation and understanding.
In short, when in wonder, we are ready to receive.
Receiving Our Inheritance
While wonder will make us much more receptive to wisdom, our soul’s inheritance will not be gained passively.
It was not given to us as it should have been. We must take it.
We must reclaim it.
This is true for all generations living today; the wisdom of the past was discarded for progress in all aspects of life, even the most rudimentary.
It’s why sourdough baking took off a few years ago—a rediscovery for much of society that we can actually bake our own bread without yeast and by using any flour on-hand. (Yes, our inheritance can also be delicious!)
Reclaiming wisdom and virtue, faith and beauty, will involve turning to the past.
If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man.—C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
It will involve making different choices than the ones the world presents you.
I’m happy to say many are waking up to wonder.5
We are reclaiming truth and shaping the inheritance for ourselves and the future generations.
A Short Disclaimer
There is no need to romanticize the past. All peoples have had their downfalls and all time periods their dark aspects.
That being said, we live in an age uniquely disconnected from humanity.
We live longer, communicate instantly, interact globally and yet, we are more isolated than ever.6
Reclamation is not romanticization.
It is staking claim on the core of humanity’s truth, recognizing all that is beautiful, and embracing what is truly, inarguably good.
Where to Start
While many may point to a classical education as a source of this inheritance (which it very well may be,7 ) most of us were not afforded that opportunity.
I mentioned before that this reclamation will be multifaceted. How you approach it initially may be different depending on your inclinations.
However, the inheritance is holistic.
It is not just for the eye, ear, hand, heart, or mind.
The inheritance is integrative.
To start, you may take to the garden with your hands, listen to Bach with your ear, view sculpture with your eye, take story into your heart, or consider philosophy with your mind. But at some point, you must use these instruments of humanity—the ways in which we reach out to the world—and experience harmony.
Do not neglect any aspect; it’s all related.
What I mean is, this inheritance is wholly for you, for your soul.
It’s for your humanity.
A Primer in Wonder
For adults, I first recommend watching this talk by Bishop Conley on wonder, whether you’re religious or not.
If you want to see how wonder sets the stage for inheritance, start here.
Beauty
If you’re going to use a screen, use it only for Beauty.
It’s also very likely you’ll need to rehabilitate your sense of Beauty.
Here’s a spoiler, it’s not in the eye of the beholder. That’s taste.
Beauty is objective.
Beauty points to Truth.
It transcends in some way.
Music
Listen to one classical performance or concert per week. I personally love watching the Frankfurt Symphony Orchestra and that they never run ads in their YouTube videos.
Start with this short encore played by Hilary Hahn in 2016.
Don’t expect to sit through an hour long symphony just yet.
There are beautiful 5-15 minute performances to discover until then.8
Just pick one each week and hit play.
Art
Place human-crafted art in place of algorithmic content feeds.
With the rise of AI-generated “art”, it’s important now more than ever to look at something made with human hands, something that took time out of the artist’s own limited life to create.
Closely study at least one piece of art per week. If you can, make a point to visit your nearest art museum in the next month.
Don’t worry, this study will be easier than you think. Start with this post by Art Every Day on a piece by Renoir.
Check for more daily art and each week, choose one to read about and look at more in-depth.
Reading
In our current climate of contemporary novels and self-help/productivity non-fiction, reclaiming your inheritance means turning around and going back.
Read a work of classic fiction.
You can choose from this list by John Senior.
Classic fiction may also include some more modern classics (or “future classics”, which is what I call any book published recently that I think will join the canon of classics. Piranesi, for example.)
Or if you’ve never read the great children’s classics, start there:
The Chronicles of Narnia, Treasure Island, Alice in Wonderland, The Hobbit, etc.You can also join my Well-Read Weekend project where we read one short classic each month.
Here’s a fantastic audio version of Treasure Island to get you stared.
Read a work of philosophy.
One of the most common starting points for philosophical books may be The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius.
You might try starting with Meditations by Marcus Aurelius or Confessions by St. Augustine.
You may also enjoy some of Seneca’s or Cicero’s writings.
If you want to dive straight into Plato or Aristotle, do it. If you want a primer or to have a guide along the way, consider a book like Adler’s Aristotle for Everybody.
Here is a reading of Seneca’s Of the Happy Life.
Read a non-fiction book from an earlier time.
Try something from the early modern period like Emerson’s Self-Reliance or Thoreau’s Walden.
You could also dive into Burke’s Reflection on the Revolution in France, Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography, or Einstein’s As I See the World.
You can find links to more options from the Harvard Classics here.
Here is a reading of Emerson’s Self-Reliance.
Read a play or book of poetry. Preferably, read one of each.
Shakespeare wrote both and is an obviously good starting point. Try reading a collection of his sonnets, or read Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors, Taming of the Shrew, or Macbeth, which are easy to follow.
Another accessible poet is Robert Frost, who you know from the oft-quoted “road less traveled” line.
You also might go back to texts from ancient Greece and read one of Sophocles’ plays, like Oedipus Rex or Antigone.
Watch this interview of Robert Frost as he recites some of his poems.
Read a book of the Bible. Whether you’re religious or not, the historical and cultural significance of the Bible remains.
Try the book of Exodus from the Old Testament.
From the New Testament, you might read the gospel according to John, the book of Acts, or one of the epistles by St. Paul.
Here is a reading of John.
Experience
This isn’t a list of tasks for a resumé. Experience is about engaging with the created world.
Nature
How often are you outside in nature? What birds or flowers are native to your yard? What bodies of water are nearby? Do you know which way is north? Can you name the last constellation you saw?
Go for a hike. Bring a regional field guide to identify plants, animals, or birds.
Stargaze. Look up some basics on what you may see.
Play
What have you built with your hands? What have you crafted? Have you baked a family recipe? Have you painted a landscape? What instrument have you played this year?
Engage in the practice of art, whether that’s through painting, playing the piano, building a canoe, reciting poetry, singing, or writing down your morning thoughts. Create. Participate in the living creation of this world.
Exercise. Recreate, whether that’s by kayak or biking, fishing or camping.
Grow something. Start a garden or simply plant flowers by your mailbox.
Quick Advice for Children
For children, they can participate in the same beauty and experiences listed above, but it helps to match their receptive wonder with their age.
For the youngest, this means leaning into Mother Goose, nursery rhymes, fairy tales, myths, and fables. It means regular singing and dancing and play.
For older children, it means giving them great books to inspire them and lots of room to continue to wonder; we often want children to grow up, but squashing their sense of wonder will steal their inheritance and leave them with that “cold vulgarity” Lewis mentions. Instead, let them wonder, show them that their questions to the world have answers echoed through history, and help to form them as persons.
Most of all, remain full of wonder.
This news story being just one example as to why. Other reasons include decline in enrollment, cutting certain departments, the burden of tuition, cost of loans, etc.
Jared Henderson has a lovely essay on this topic on his Substack.
Brian Holdsworth talked about this subject earlier this year. He also talked about faith and reason a few years ago which would be helpful for those deconstructing.
Of course, he is only one name in this Reclamation. Read more about John Senior and the Integrated Humanities Program here.
Especially on Substack, which is giving me hope for humanity.
Not to be confused with neo-classical education which is often presented today as classical education. True classical education is outside the scope of this post, but you can read more here.
Love all this, thanks so much!
Not to be contrary, but when it comes to music, I've wondered why the focus on classical (presumably spanning Baroque, Classical, Romantic, etc.) from many who want to focus on beauty. Not just with music but art too - to focus on the old. Admittedly, the modern period of music (let's say the past 100 years) has a lot that can be left to the side, but the real gems in there are more beautiful and moving to me than most classical music. So I wonder if there is something wrong with me sometimes, that I'm lacking in some way to find beauty and wonder much more readily in a few choice newer folk songs than in any classical piece.
Yes, I've been exploring Substack more recently and I'm amazed to see all of the publications focused on traditional Western culture and its reclamation. And there's lots of John Senior stuff appearing, too, which is fantastic. Thank you for this contribution.