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An East Swell Coming
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An East Swell Coming

Joseph Conrad on futility, action, and fate.

Pedro L. Gonzalez's avatar
Pedro L. Gonzalez
Aug 09, 2023
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They call them rogues
They travel fast and alone
One hundred foot faces
Of God’s good ocean gone wrong

—Brand New, “Play Crack the Sky”

“The Voyage of Life: Manhood” by Thomas Cole, 1842.

I’ve been feeling listless lately. That’s an interesting word. It’s close enough to the nautical term listing that it evokes the image of a ship haplessly paused at an angle in the water after being savaged by a storm. Merriam-Webster will tell you it means “lacking bodily energy or motivation,” or, in a word, lethargy. But it’s worse than that. The real meaning is more profound. It cuts closer to the bone.

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