King Cooper discusses the need to break down traditional literature to explore new ideas and themes. He critiques Shakespeare and introduces works by Voltaire and American folklore, emphasizing the importance of storytelling in understanding culture. The conversation also touches on the evolution of the show and future plans for a new setup.
Wrecking and Rapping ep 55
King Cooper explores the philosophical foundations of education as outlined in Plato’s Republic, particularly focusing on the quadrivium. He discusses the importance of subjects like arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy in shaping just individuals for a great society. The conversation transitions into a reading of Psalm 9, reflecting on God’s role as a refuge for the oppressed. King Cooper then analyzes music and poetry, drawing connections to Shakespeare’s sonnet, before delving into Marcus Aurelius’ meditations on character and virtue. The episode concludes with a critical examination of historical timelines and a mathematical insight, encouraging listeners to think deeply about knowledge and understanding.
6 March 2025
We didn’t get chickens, everything needed to slow down, so I put the brakes on a lot of the work I’m doing to rest. Winter is still holding on with some cold days, hopefully this week will be the end of it, I know the sun will reinvigorate me. The little princess is growing up fast, now able to roll over and starting solid food. Here is a photo of a tree in my woods, the marking start about 12 feet in the air, I don’t know if that’s wood peckers or high climbing beavers. My notes on the quadrivium also took a lot of energy, it felt more like studying where normally I’d describe what I do as interpreting.
Last week I mentioned Trivium and Quadrivium as an education in liberal arts, it began in Plato’s Republic where the Quadrivium was explained. I’ll be covering book seven in the Republic, verses 521 through 531. It is a conversation between Socrates and Glaucon, here and in the entire Republic they are discussing how to make a great city. The quadrivium, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy are the subjects that should be taught in their fictional city to make people better. Note the term quadrivium was not used by Plato, but coined later.
We start by discussing the problem of ruling, solved because “we’ll be giving just orders to just people”, that leads into the problem of how to make just people. Socrates says, “turning a soul from a day that is a kind of night” is true philosophy. That is the perspective he will use when searching for subjects, how to lift up a soul. Education “mustn’t be useless to warlike men”. If people are spending all their time learning what has no utility, then an army will easily wipe them out and all that studying will be for not.
They had already discussed educating people on music and poetry since “it’s rhythms gave them a certain rhythmical quality: and it’s stories, whether fictional or nearer the truth cultivated other habits akin to these.” There’s an argument for reading fiction, but they’re looking for more, settling on “the inconsequential matter of distinguishing the one, the two, and the three,” number and calculation; what we call arithmetic. Since they’re using war as their standard, there is a story about a soldier in the Trojan war counting the enemy ships since no one had done it and that Agamemnon, leader of the Greeks, if he truly couldn’t count, didn’t even know how many feet he had. Being able to count would lead one to know if their army is bigger than another and how they should be positioned or maneuvered.
Socrates is fixated on ideas that summon us into being, saying, “if each is one, and both two, the soul will understand that the two are separate.” This may seem small to those who know how to count, but it is a different world to know you have two feet and can control each one. Alternatively the whole universe would be an amalgamation with no way to divide. Arithmetic is valuable as “It leads the soul forcibly upward and compels it to discuss the numbers themselves, never permitting anyone to propose for discussion numbers attached to visible or tangible bodies.”
The subject that comes after numbers is geometry, “insofar as it pertains to war, when it comes to setting up camp, occupying a region, concentrating troops, deploying them, or with regard to any of the other formations an army adopts in battle or on the march, it makes all the difference whether someone is a geometer or not.” I can attest to using geometry with maps, and being able to find an unknown location by calculating with geometric lessons. To quote Socrates, “geometry is knowledge of what always is. Then it draws the soul towards truth and produces philosophic thought by directing upwards what we now wrongly direct downwards.”
Since we have numbers and numbers on a plane make geometry, the next step would be the study of how these shapes move with astronomy. Movement is change of location over time, this would give better awareness of the seasons, months, and years. Appropriate for a farmer or navigator. “Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads it from things here to things there.” This is a good metaphor for what I discuss on the show, we attempt to look up, for the good, distinguished from the lesser. For as Socrates said, “it’s very difficult to realize that in every soul there is an instrument that is purified and rekindled by such subjects when it has been blinded and destroyed by other ways of life.”
The final subject Plato gets into is harmonics, what we label music, for as the eyes fastens on astronomical motions, so the ear fastens on harmonic ones. The book discusses people attempting to find smaller intervals between notes, but they put ears before understanding. Harmonics is about numerical relationships. In an octave, the two notes next to each other don’t sound well together. The relation of notes might jump to a fifth, then down to the third before returning to the key being played. Different keys create relationships with different notes.
There is my explanation of Plato’s quadrivium.
Wrecking and Rapping ep 54
King Cooper explores profound themes ranging from Shakespeare’s insights on life and legacy to the values embodied in the Soldier’s Creed. He explores Stoicism through Marcus Aurelius’ meditations, discusses the historical significance of the liberal arts, and emphasizes the importance of empathy through the lens of the Golden Rule. The conversation culminates in a reflection on the divine order of mathematics and its connection to spirituality.
25 February 2025
An expression we like to use a lot is, “when it rains, it pours” there will be period with nothing going on, then somehow events coincide on the same date. We had another rough night of sleep, because the little princess will spit up if laid down, the queen and I took turns sleeping with her in be. It was enough to get a couple hours of sleep. I’ve been planning to get chicks tomorrow since that’s when they arrive at the store, the less time they’re in bulk treatment the better. Yesterday, I got a call that the greenhouse and chicken coop will also be delivered tomorrow. Today, I was supposed to be planting my Spring trees, but with the delivery coming tomorrow and possibly having a truck drive all over the lawn, I decided to wait until Thursday.
We’ll move on to rap, recently I mentioned shouting the soldier’s creed everynight in basic training before bed and wanted to say the whole thing here. I’ll try to sound like I’m shouting without shouting because if I were to go all out, it would break the microphone. Trust, I could shout at someone across a football field. That’s why you have to see me live when I’m touring.
Rap: The soldier’s creed
I am an American Soldier.
I am a warrior and a member of a team.
I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.
I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.
I am an expert and I am a professional.
I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy, the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.
I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American Soldier.
Time to break down the bars
*Starting off the soldier’s creed is a great reminder that I am an american soldier. I also see a pyramid with the first three lines. Starting with the individual, a warrior, and also a member of a team. Further and more broader the team is part of the Army and the United States.
*It mentions serving the people, the point of a soldier is they serve others not themselves.
*Living the Army Values is what makes one a soldier, the ego has been replaced by ethos. There’s an acronym for the army values that spells out leadership, that’s LDRSHIP. Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal courage. All day everyday.
*”Place the mission first” part of selfless service, we are here for a reason and it’s not to feel like cool guy John Rambo, kicking down doors spraying and praying. The difference between the army and senseless violence is having a mission. If things have to get hairy, it is only because we will do anything, ANYTHING, to accomplish the mission.
*The next three lines go into how that mission gets accomplished, never accept defeat, never quit, and never leave a fallen comrade. We’re part of a team and going home together is part of the mission, a mission we will not accept defeat in. There’s always another way around. Why I love the infantry is it’s human, they harness the abilities of all humans, survival of the fittest. If all else fails, call up the artillery and make everything go bye bye. Few words sound so sweet as fire for effect.
*Now getting into more of the individual standard, “I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.” warrior tasks and drills is the training. One tasks out of 40 for EIB, Expert infantryman’s badge, that touches on physically and mentally tough is a 12 mile road march in under three hours, with full battle rattle. That means we can pick up everything and be ready to fight in a new location.
*Adding discipline I’m reminded of doing a 25 mile road march. My unit was historically in the bataan death march so we did a 25 miler every year in remembrance. Something like 23 miles in I tripped and before I knew what had happened my body popped back up into formation. That is discipline, get in line!
*”maintain my arms, my equipment and myself” Keep weapons clean and operating, same for equipment. When it comes to warfare, the unit will only be as good as the equipment they operate. Let your plates fall into disrepair and they won’t stop a bullet. A weapon that jams every round is worthless. Maintaining myself means knowing how equipment works, physically be able to carry and operate it. Even a drone has a person operating or programing it on the other end.
*”I am an expert and I am a professional.” You know it.
*”I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy, the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.” Covered most of that already, destroy falls under doing anything and enemies of the United States would be defined in the mission. Close combat is why we maintains ourselves, the individual is a weapon, keep it sharp.
*”a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.” goes back to serving the people. America is a special place and it needs protection to remain that way, by remaining ready the soldier is protecting those freedoms, keep evil from even trying.
*Lastly another reminder that I am an american soldier. Where’s God in that? American soldier, America was founded on Christian beliefs, in God we trust.
24 February 2025
Rough night with little sleep, the little princess has some cough that keep causing her to through up when laying down which meant a lot of her sleeping in our arms and cleaning messes sheets. Hopefully she feels better soon. Today is starting off well, since she’s only sleeping for about 20 minutes at a time right now I opted to record my podcast with her in the room, we made it. The weather is warming up, I’m planning to plant my Spring trees tomorrow and get baby chicks the day after that. Beyond that it’s routine, water the plants, study books, and clean the babes.
Shakespeare’s sonnet 9 argues that if the young man refuses to marry for fear of someday leaving behind a grieving widow, he is ignoring the worldwide grief that will be caused if he dies single.
Who knew Shakespeare was so based, this is why we read Shakespeare and other classics. People don’t know what the greatest writings of humanity say and think they know everything.
Let’s Wreck his written.
*First “for fear to wet a widow’s eye” some good alliterations, saying afraid to get married and leave a widow crying after his death.
*”thou consum’st thy self in single life” because of this fear the man will spend all his time being single. Consum’st thy self, seems like self indulgence, instead of sharing life with another, he is consumed by his own.
*”if thou issueless shalt hap to die, the world will wail thee like a makeless wife” A logical statement, if he happens to die issueless, not being issued a kid, then the world cries like a makeless wife. Makeless, a widows that didn’t make children.
*”the world will be thy widow and still weep, that thou no form of thee has left behind” The man didn’t want to make one woman a widow and Shakespeare is saying that his decision to remain single makes the whole world his widow weeping, and no form of thee left behind is children.
*”every private widow well may keep by children’s eyes, her husband’s shape in mind” By marrying and having children the woman can see in the features of the child, such as eyes, the memory of her husband. That is better than disappearing without a trace.
*An unthrift in the world doth spend, shifts but his place, for still the world enjoys it” Unthrift is the man being stingy with his life. Shifts but his place is to say he doesn’t buy anything, just moves around, which the world enjoys moving money.
*Next line, “but beauty’s waste hath in the world an end, and kept unused the user so destroys it.” Wasting beauty is not entering into a relationship and having kids. Kept unused, remains single, the user destroys it. They destroy their genes and family history.
*”No love toward others in that bosom sits” In the beginning the man is saying it’s out of compassion for the widow that he doesn’t marry and Shakespeare after making his argument calls out the man, that’s not the case, he has no love towards others.
*“that on himself such murd’rous shame commits.” The act the man saw as compassionate is shameful and in a sense murders all those that came before and are connected to him.
For grizzy I’m going to point out how each segment relates to God because he wasn’t seeing it. The church is for the children, God said be fruitful and multiply, so far all of Shakespeare’s sonnets have been geared towards fulfilling God’s command.
Wrecking and Rapping ep 53
King Cooper explores the concept of ‘Hopecore’ as a counter to societal fear, reads Shakespeare’s sonnet number eight, and discusses the themes of joy and connection. The conversation transitions into the world of rap, examining the struggles and realities of artists. King Cooper shares personal experiences with nature and growth, reflecting on stoicism and self-mastery. The episode also touches on historical perspectives, biblical teachings, and Kant’s categorical imperative, emphasizing morality and the human experience.
20 February 2025
We’ve got a lot cooking in the pot right now, the greenhouse and chicken coop have been ordered, now I’ll have to read up about the delivery process. Maybe look into getting someone to make a compact pad for the greenhouse. Yesterday I started reading the information for the seed sheet garden we’ll be starting, I also found someone who will basically start a garden area for you, so I’m going to see about doing that as well and my queen found a company that does forest mulching. Maybe we will get some of the fallen trees on our property turned into mulch for future projects. Last night I was working on my future t-shirt design and made some good progress on that. When I planted grape vines in the Fall they came with a product call blue shields, it’s basically a tube of blue plastic that goes around the plant and a stack, blue probably to let light through and it should keep deer from eating the baby leaves. Once this cold front is over I’ll be planting my tropical trees in the ground. Here’s Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations.
Meditations 15
The meditations are starting to get longer and in my book there’s a sort of verse number to the side that might be useful in the future. This one had 3 verses.
“Self-mastery” that’s what we work on at Wrecking and Rapping, keep our minds and tongues sharp, then learn how and when to wield them.
“Immune to any passing whim” this is a pillar in stoicism that emotions will come and go, don’t let them lead you into judgements with lasting consequences.
“Good cheer in all circumstances, including illness” a couple years back I got real sick, I think it was covid, then became bronchitis. During that time my queen understood I was sick, but said I didn’t have to be mean. That’s when I remembered a line I read while saying the rosary, “dignity in suffering”. If things are bad for you, there’s no reason to spread that unhappiness.
“Energy for what needs to be done” recognize the important tasks in life, an A,B,C hierarchy. What needs to be done, what we’d like to do, and if there’s time.
“Well-intentioned in all that he did” last week I talked about not exaggerating in my speech or leading people on with a lie, that’s part of being well intentioned. Intending to always do what’s right to build trust in others that you are reliable.
“Proof against surprise or panic; in nothing either hurried or hesitant.” A lot of tenants to stoicism here, to be unmoved by good or bad. As Eminem said, “I don’t smile, I don’t frown, get too up or get too down. “ Being overwhelmed with surprise or panic can have a physical effect of shaking which can cause error in movement and error in judgement. The same will happen when being hurried, and being hesitant is dangerous, some situations call for decisive action. Delay can mean death.
“A forgiving and truthful nature” As with well intentioned, he’s building an empire, at the least we’re building social relationships. We need to forgive because others can’t be fearful of making a mistake, leading them to hide or be untruthful. The truth will set all of us free.
“Undeviating rectitude as a path chosen rather than enforced.” This is for the top of the pyramid. Being a leader means to lead, this addresses how one leads, enforced would mean beating others into submission to do your will. While leading is to make a decision, the others know you are well intentioned and truthful, so they willingly follow the path.
Here’s a long one, “the fact that no one would ever have thought himself belittled by him, or presumed to consider himself superior to him;” The leader does not talk down to subjects or act better than, we are all equal. A great leader is followed because they are doing good for the followers, not because he says so, or a belief the leader is born closer to God. Life is a journey of struggle, we all want to make it outta here alive. It’s not helpful to make others feel weak and like the lion and the mouse we never know who will be an asset.
Finally “A pleasant humour” a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.
18 February 2025
The recording of this week’s podcast went well, I do enjoy the path I’ve been taking and was doing some research on the founding of Oxford college something like 1,000 years ago, it gave me an overview of subjects to study. We got in contact with the place selling and delivering a greenhouse and chicken coop. Last night I began doing research on what chickens need. We also got an order from a place called seed sheet, basically comes with everything to do a little gardening. I’m familiar with gardening, but my focus has usually been trees since they take so long to get started. In time we’ll have a more established garden, but there’s enough on the table for one season. Here’s my rap analysis from the podcast.
Rap: grip angels
Threw all my morals out the window, chasin’ dollar bills
Rap was a hobby still that lead me to some solid deals
I’m stressed, the homie be like, “Bruh, you gotta chill”
But if you was bearin’ all of this weight
You would probably feel like you body build
They hit me like, “I’ve seen you on TV with such and such”
So I’m the man when the fam need a couple bucks
Truth is, I got it, but I ain’t got it
But still’ll end up doin’ a solid just ’cause I’m solid
Time to break down the bars
“Threw all my morals out the window, chasin’ dollar bills” this rap game will make you loose yourself and any other way of saying sold my soul to the devil.
“Rap was a hobby still that lead me to some solid deals” Art starts out as a hobby, something you do for fun or pleasure. Setting off with the intention to succeed, or create business prospects, means you’ll likely fail because in the beginning and for a long time it’s just you and the craft, similar to body building, mentioned next.
“I’m stressed, the homie be like, Bruh, you gotta chill, But if you was bearin’ all of this weight, You would probably feel like you body build” At this point the artist is the top of a pyramid, or similar to how we’ve discussed about the Roman Emperor Marcus Aureilius, there’s pressure to move forward, do new things, to provide for those under the umbrella and be worthy of the crown. All this stress makes them stronger, if they can bear it. Also note in the first three lines the rhymes bills, still, chill, and even build.
Next people see the celebrity and ask for money, “Truth is, I got it, but I ain’t got it, But still’ll end up doin’ a solid just ’cause I’m solid” Got it and solid rhymes, but there’s word play with doubling up each in the sentence. Similar to how Shakespear said in sonnet 8, Zimmy zam boomafoo
He said, “sweets with sweets war not, joy delights in joy”. The message of this last line is what stood out to me, got it but don’t got it. When you have a lot of money you don’t leave it around in cash, it could get damaged or stolen, plus plus plus inflation. For top of the pyramid types, they don’t necessarily have money, they represent an idea that others, the bottom of the pyramid, believe in and will supply their money.
Then doing a solid because I’m solid, doing a solid would be a favor and being solid is reliable.
17 February 2025
A tornado passed by Saturday night and we were without power most of Sunday. Living closer to nature has made me stronger as nature doesn’t pull any punches. The plan for today was to visit a business looking for a greenhouse and chicken coop, instead we’ll be using today to rest after yesterday was more work than expected. The business has a website and looks like we can buy them online anyway, we’re not getting anything fancy. My last greenhouse was plastic over some hoops and that worked great. For chickens I don’t know what I’m getting into, they are part of getting closer to nature. Speaking of, while walking around yesterday I saw on the forest floor among all the broken branches some antlers, they seemed freshly discarded. Here’s Shakespeare from next Saturday’s podcast.
Sonnet 8 uses comparisons with music and marriage, chiding a young man for choosing to be single. Along with the music metaphors, I noticed a lot of sweet stuff.
*”Music to hear” isn’t it? “Why hear’st thou music sadly?” This music is like the song of life, there is an order to the circle of life, circle for instance is a shape. By living, you enjoy much life has to offer, not paying it forward seems as though something has gone wrong.
*”Sweets with sweets war not, joy delights in joy:” If life is sweet then keep it going, if joyful then spread the joy. This line seems like a good place to cover the saying, “a rising tide lifts all boats.” It means be happy not jealous when one is lifted up because as one goes all follow.
*”Why lov’st thou that which thou receiv’st not gladly” This seems like the young man is clinging to his single life, but why is he so attached to that life without fulfilling it’s role. Not moving forward is receiving it not gladly.
*”or else receiv’st with pleasure thine annoy” that “or else” is a logical statement, he’s claiming you receiv’st not gladly or you receive with pleasure something that annoys you. Same concept as before, happy to receive some parts of life not the whole.
*”If the concord of well-tuned sounds” we’re getting into the musical accompaniment now. Concord means agreement or harmony between people or groups. We also know the sweet concord grapes. Harmony of well-tuned sounds.
*”by unions married, do offend thin ear” This single line can be seen as the main subject of the sonnet, marriage offend thin ear. If putting music together doesn’t sound good to you then
*”they do but sweetly chide thee.” Chide means scold or rebuke, remember rebuke is disapproval. “Who confounds in singleness the parts that thou shouldst bear.” Confound means confuse. If marriage offends thin ear, marriage itself will prove your ideas wrong leaving the single person confused as to what their role in life should now be. What are you going to do for the next 20, 40, 60 years? Party? Make a great work of art? That won’t make you happy and fill a hole in your soul. There was also an ABAB rhyme with sound, ear, confound, and bear. Sound/ear is part of the musical metaphor.
*”Mark how one string, sweet husband to another,” Mark, take notice and husband is word play with the married notes.
*”Strikes each in each by mutual ordering;” I take this like the circle of life, one thing leads to another and all in it’s time.
*”Resembling sire and child and happy mother, who, all in one, one pleasing note do sing:” sire is dad, so mom, dad, and child play together as a chord of music would the individuals come together to make a new sound.
*”Whose speechless song being many, seeming one,” speechless song seems to me when we say there are many meanings, more being said that isn’t said. “Many, seeming one” we covered last week E pluribus unum, out of many, one, written on the United States’ great seal.
*”Sings this to thee: thou single wilt prove none” We’ve seen a lot how the last one or two lines will summarize the sonnet or drive home a particular point, his point is to not remain single.
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