Ramadan

A blessed Ramadan for my Arab and Muslim readers.

Aliens

I wrote this essay a year ago, and I suspect I will be posting it again in the future. This topic just doesn't seem to die.

https://www.gregoryharms.com/essays-20250228

There is No Left

“Around 58 percent of voters thought the party had become too liberal in 2025….” This is according to a CNN survey. The number was 48 in 2013.

CNN’s senior data analyst had this to say: “The Democrats are moving to the left, the far left is gaining power....”

The first part of that is true: the Democrats are indeed moving to the left—toward the center. The center is where most of the people reading this reside. There is no “far left.” I suppose there is a far left relative to where the Democrats stand politically. They are a right-of-center party, so yes, Sanders and Mamdani are far left—as is the population—from the Democratic vantage point.

CNN’s analyst then shared this penetrating bit of commentary:

“When we’re talking about 42% of Democrats under the age of 35 identifying as democratic socialists and a third of all Democrats, my goodness gracious.”

Yes, my goodness gracious, indeed. Your abysmal reporting is why so many Americans have no idea how politics work in this country. I assume by “my goodness gracious,” he is voicing anxiety that the party is moving toward the center—where most Americans reside. So, CNN is worried that the so-called labor party might actually begin representing the interests of working Americans. My goodness gracious.

I guess I’ll just keep repeating myself: there is no left. It does not exist on Capitol Hill. There are zero members of Congress who are one millimeter to the left of the center. Zero. Yes, there are some small leftist parties, but they basically receive no votes and therefore have no representation in Washington. Past that, the left exists in books and in the minds of people who subscribe to leftist thought—like the author of this blog, though you wouldn’t know it.

The center is the liberal center. To be a liberal is to be a centrist. Bernie can call himself a socialist all he wants. He is not. He is a 1940s liberal Democrat. That is it. Same for AOC and Mamdani and just about everyone in the Progressive Caucus. And many of these people, one could argue, are a skosh right of center.

I am quite glad the Democrats are moving toward the center. This is welcome news. And while the Democrats are moving toward the center, the Republicans are moving to the right under the banner of “conservatism.”

How trafficking in racism, anti-LGBTQ sentiment, shafting the working class, handing free money to the rich, and blowing holes in the deficit is “conservative” is a mystery. How working-class Americans with bills to pay vote for this is also a mystery.

It turns out that liberal Millennials seem to have a grip on where this country should be headed if we want to live in a more civilized, equitable place. My goodness gracious.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/democrats-too-liberal-poll-cnn-b2919693.html

Infinite Jest

So, it’s happening again. This book gets celebrated at every major anniversary. And there’s a good reason.

Many years ago, a student recommended a graduation address on YouTube delivered by David Foster Wallace. I listened to it, liked it, and decided I would road-test it for some students. They enjoyed it, too. It’s basically a meditation on Stoic philosophy. I started playing it for many of my classes. Just one problem.

I had read nothing by Wallace. I felt like a fraud. This had to be fixed. I went to a friend who is something of an authority on contemporary literature. I asked him, “What do I need to read by Wallace?” He replied, “The major work is Infinite Jest, but there are shorter works if you just want to enter the shallow end.”

I began (of course) looking into Infinite Jest. I found a bunch of articles on it. Seemingly every major periodical was doing a twentieth-anniversary review of the book. Why is that?, I wondered. Cripes, they’re all doing it! I began reading them, and I noticed something. A number of the people who penned these reviews made comments like “In 1996, your boyfriend bought this book, placed it on his coffee table to look smart, and the bookmark remained stuck at page 70.” But the reviews were soaring.

I thought to myself, “Ah, so it’s that kind of book—the big one nobody reads. Well, Wallace, looks like it’s you and me, buddy.”

I bought a first-edition hardcover and settled in. I hated it at first. The first fifty pages were nothing but postmodern bullshit. I’m not committing to over a thousand pages of this nonsense. I’ll read Sartre’s Being and Nothingness instead. Screw you, Wallace.

I did more poking around online. There are online glossaries and guides dedicated to the novel. There are entire conferences held. [sigh] I’ll read the goddamn thing.

So, I did. I will not provide here a summary of the book. I will say that Wallace downloaded his entire intellect—which was considerable; I’ve seen a number of interviews—into this book. It’s a masterpiece of modern fiction. When you finish reading it, you are now ready to read it properly. (I’ve only read it the one time.) It has over 200 pages of endnotes; some of the endnotes have footnotes. It’s a serious commitment.

There is a however: Wallace was cancelled for being a violent misogynist. Another great artist turns out to be a vile human being.

I know well what to do in these instances. I like Picasso, Heidegger, and even J. K. Rowling. Say what you want about David Foster Wallace—or Picasso or Rowling—but Heidegger was a Nazi. Card carrying. Should we still read Heidegger? Sure. Just remember you’re reading the work of a disgusting human being. It’s not hard.

Now, some people argue that we shouldn’t buy Harry Potter books. They want to hurt J. K. Rowling. They are not going to; she’s a billionaire. Furthermore, should that be the motive? Pitchforks and torches? I think discussing these issues would be far more constructive. Read the books and discuss their racial failings. Put them to use.

And who knows, you might get Rowling to realize what she has been saying about trans folk is hurtful and stupid. Wouldn’t that be better than her making a million fewer dollars this year?

If you’re looking for a major work of contemporary fiction, something to really sink your teeth into, I would recommend Infinite Jest. It’s brilliant. The structure alone is a wonder. And much of it is laugh-out-loud funny. And you can take solace that you’ll be embarrassing all those dopey erstwhile bohemian boyfriends.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/feb/07/never-mind-the-lit-bros-infinite-jest-is-a-true-classic-at-30

Ten Points about Islam (revised, repost)

The points below are basically as they appeared in my 2014 post. I have, however, updated a few figures as well as slightly expanded/edited some of the points for greater clarity. (Also, beneath the points, I include a short list of useful sources on Islam and the Prophet Muhammad.)

A few details to keep in mind before proceeding:

A Muslim is someone who adheres to the faith of Islam. An Arab is essentially someone who speaks Arabic and grew up in and/or identifies with Arab culture—and who may or may not be a Muslim. Most of the Middle East is Arab, including much of North Africa, called the Maghreb. Though not regionally Middle Eastern, the Maghreb is considered culturally Arab.

An Arab (noun) is a person. People, places, and things can be Arab (adjective), such as populations and cuisines. Arabic is a language. THERE ARE NO ARABIC PEOPLE. And Arabian, a mostly outmoded term, can refer to the Saudi Arabian nation-state, or the Arabian peninsula (on which Saudi Arabia is located), or a breed of horse.


Ten Points about Islam

1. There are almost 2 billion Muslims in the world, almost one in four people worldwide. Of the 2 billion, 20 percent are Arab (though 95 percent of Arabs are Muslim).

2. Most Muslims live in South and Southeast Asia. The countries with the most Muslims are, in order: Indonesia, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

3. There are 49 countries with Muslim majorities. The Arab League has 22 member states.

4. Muslims worship the same God as Jews and Christians. Allah is Arabic for "God."

5. Jews and Christians are esteemed in Islam as "People of the Book." (Jesus is considered a prophet in Islam and appears throughout Islam's holy book, the Quran, as does Mary.)

6. The concept of jihad refers to one's "struggle" as a Muslim, namely, to be a better Muslim. Reducing jihad to "holy war" is a distortion. Moreover, a common Western misunderstanding is that "holy war" is a general Islamic mandate to kill nonbelievers, which does not exist. “There is no compulsion in religion,” says the Quran (2:256).

7. Sharia, or Islamic law, is a broad category that addresses and governs many, if not all, aspects of Muslim life, including food, dress, marriage and divorce, contracts, and so on. Sharia includes punishment for crimes, but the specifics vary and are open to interpretation.

8. The two major Islamic denominations are Sunni Islam and Shiite (Shia) Islam. Though there are certain theological differences between the two, they have not been in perpetual confrontation. Intermarriage between Sunnis and Shiites is not uncommon in the Middle East. While sectarian conflict does exist, much of the Sunni-Shiite tensions one sees in the news are the product of regional politics and foreign intervention.

9. Women's rights is a serious issue in many Middle Eastern countries. However, this is a cultural and political phenomenon, not a religious one. (Oh, by the way, the first Muslim was a woman—Khadija.)

10. The Prophet Muhammad (570-632 AD) founded Islam. While considered by Muslims to be the Seal of the Prophets (that is, the last of them), he is not viewed as divine. Muhammad was a reformer and endeavored to promote better treatment of women, orphans, and the poor.


SOURCES

Two short biographies on the Prophet Muhammad I recommend:

• W. Montgomery Watt, Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman (Oxford, 1974). Watt also coauthored the "Muhammad" entry of the online Encyclopedia Britannica.

• Karen Armstrong, Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time (HarperOne, 2007). Armstrong's work in general is dependable, carefully researched, and humane.

Two documentaries on Islam and Muhammad I recommend:

• Islam: Empire of Faith (2000), produced by PBS and narrated by actor Ben Kingsley

• The Life of Muhammad (2011), a three-part miniseries by the BBC

Episode 19

Quite excited to be working on Episode 19, which will be on Islam. Have been going through old photos of my adventures in the Arab world (where I wish I was), and it's been weird.

 
I'm not very good at looking back; I find it unsettling. Not sure why. But I am so fond of Arab culture, and it breaks my heart to see the images—recent and my old photos—from Gaza, in particular. Such a beautiful people, such a special place—one of my favorite, now reduced to agony and rubble. Biden and Trump should die in prison, together.

At any rate, I have put Adam Smith to the side for a short while, and will try to make the Islam episode a good one.

Just wanted you to know that the Inquiry is alive and well.

My Friend Leah—update 8

[Read time: 3:00]

This update is a bit different. It’s mostly a note to Leah.

While in the hospital again, Leah and I were chatting on the phone. The staff there must get tired of fielding calls from “Gregory,” because I call about five times a day.

Actually, the staff were warned this time, and Leah told them, “Just be advised, my friend Gregory is going to be calling [she had just been admitted], and he is very persistent.”

Like I said, we were chatting, and we do this thing where I have to hang up the phone. So, I say 1, 2, I love you [first name plus middle name—withheld], you’re beautiful, and I am proud of you, 3.” I then said, “I don’t think you understand how much I love you.”

She replied, “Put it in a note and tell me.”

I then said, “[sigh] I’ve done that already.”

“Do it again!”

“That was a brilliant piece of writing! You wouldn’t say to John Lennon, “Hey, that ‘Strawberry Fields’ song wasn’t half bad. Write another one!”

She begins laughing.

I say I will write another one.

She was quite satisfied with this, and we hung up.

This is what I wrote:

The universe rarely does me any favors. But when I met you it certainly did. I can say my life changed. At first, admittedly, my guard was up. I assumed anyone who has a list of mental-health issues, getting close too fast can be destabilizing. Things can get weird; but things never did.

We have been friends for not terribly long. However, we have packed about ten years into that short span. If people talk to a friend once a month, that’s twelve times a year. Double that, it’s 24. Once a week: that’s 52. Twice a week: that’s just over a hundred. If you and I continue on our present course, you and I will average 2,232 times a year.

We agreed that Michael is my best friend. And so I have decided that you are my “super-duper, stupendous friend.” You’re not crazy about this—I believe you asked if I was in fourth grade—but I suspect it will grow on you. Like when I started calling you “Cuckoo Bird.” You recently asked me, “Why did you stop calling me that??” I really thought you didn’t like it. I predict it will go back into rotation.

I recently have had a hard time with your suffering. When you bottom out, are weepy, whimper, begin blaming yourself, talk of being done with the fight, I’m a wreck. The thought of waking up in a world without you in it is an unbearable one.

You have changed my life. You are kind. Your moral compass is precise. You are one of the smartest people I have ever met. When it comes to the particulars of your daily demands [which I cannot go into here] you are dedicated and great at them. I am just happier when I am talking to you, bickering, goofing around. These things make me happy. You make me happy. I know it sounds trite and banal, but life before you is something of a blur.

We have so much to do, but I am so proud of your progress and what you’ve achieved in such a short time: you’re stronger, you’re more confident, you’re more developed, you’re more refined, you’re beginning to intellectually blossom. I laugh and adore that you have all these really serious books, just everywhere: Plato, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Dostoevsky, Adam Smith. Who has those books, period?? You not only have them, but are always reading them, and just have them lying about everywhere! I’ve never seen anything like it.

As mentioned, we have a lot to do. First stop: the Art Institute. You’ve been warned: I am annoying when I’m in there. (“You’re annoying everywhere,” I can hear you saying.) Despite my tendencies, it’s going to be grand.

The years ahead of us are also going to be grand, because I will have you in them.

I love you. You’re beautiful. I’m proud of you. And I believe in you.

Photo: Leah has an unbelievable collection of various retiles, fish, a python for a time; it’s crazy. This is Onyx. She’s a bearded dragon. She’s in a basket. Not sure why.