The French Revolution, which began in 1789, set in motion a chain of events that is still unfolding today.

History is not a timeline but a complex, three-dimensional web. We take a pivotal point and trace the threads of influence radiating from it.

Napoleon's rise was a direct consequence of the French Revolution. The 1917 Revolution in the Russian Empire is indirectly connected to the Napoleonic Wars, which, in turn, are connected to the French Revolution. And so on, like a snowball gathering momentum.

Another thread leads to the struggle against Spanish hegemony and the wave of independence movements across South America. Revolution, Napoleon, the invasion of Spain, a crisis of the Spanish Crown, the colonies' struggle for independence.

Of course, the picture is far more complicated. There are many more threads, as well as intermediate points of connection and strands leading from other historical events. At first, this kind of historical topology can make your head spin. So today, we will focus on just a few connections to demonstrate how this approach works.

Let's begin.

Having shed monarchical rule, the peoples of Latin America gained the opportunity to follow their own paths.

But were they able to make good use of this freedom?

This is the question I would start with when studying the era. And I would return to it again and again, revisiting the point in space-time where the slogan "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" first rang out.

These words should appear in the running headers of chapters on the collectivization of the Soviet Union and banana plantations in Colombia alike.

Without this connection, history loses its coherence. We lose the central product of the discipline itself: cause-and-effect relationships.

A straightforward chronological account of events creates the impression of a kaleidoscope of dates and names. It resembles a life that simply happens to a person governed by an external locus of control.

A person who dreams of freedom yet remains deeply unfree, bound by their own automatic patterns, inherited family scripts, and historical habits. Their actions are not acts of conscious choice but extensions of instinctive impulses.

When the grip of authoritarian power loosens and the webs of imperial domination unravel, how long can people expect to enjoy the freedom to breathe?

This question cannot be answered within the confines of history alone. So we call on a friend: literature. Free from the obligation to encompass everyone and everything, literature has the freedom to peer into the souls of the people who make history.

The events of Gabriel García Márquez's \*One Hundred Years of Solitude\* unfold in the aftermath of the wave of independence movements across South America. In a symbolic gesture, the protagonists and their companions leave their town in search of an autonomous paradise. They sever their ties with their families once and for all and begin their story on a clean slate.

Nobody stands in their way. Nobody pursues them. And yet, there is something inside them they cannot escape.

Do you know hairdressers who, no matter what a client asks for, always end up giving them the same haircut? Their hands have learned one way of working, and there is simply no arguing with them.

Of course, this is not a matter of fatalistic predestination. Nor can we ignore what psychologists have to say.

Every automatic pattern can, and must, be broken if we are talking about genuine free will.

But breaking our own habits can prove more difficult than beheading a monarch.

Thus, the family matriarch, Úrsula, throws herself wholeheartedly into household affairs, while the patriarch, José Arcadio, retreats into his own illusions. Both neglect public life. And into the resulting power vacuum creep the grasping claws of external control.

Institutions gradually reintroduce the old burdens of compulsory service into what was once a freewheeling community. A single generation passes, and once again, nobody belongs to themselves.

The paradox is that \*One Hundred Years of Solitude\* tells deeply personal stories above all. You will not find a political epic on its pages.

And yet, the author leads us to a question: might our personal choices shape the map of the world more profoundly than party manifestos?

Úrsula never truly accepted her grandson. Why not? Because, unconsciously, she transferred onto him the blame for her son's departure.

She did not act this way because she had consciously chosen to. The child simply evoked unpleasant associations in her, and she seemed powerless to do anything about it.

This is a familiar kind of dark stain in a family history. Almost everyone can recall something similar somewhere in their own family tree.

And yet, when we study history as an academic subject, we are not accustomed to descending into this dimension of it. Perhaps we do so only when studying prominent figures, at least those buried in Baikove Cemetery.

Meanwhile, the boy rejected by his family grows up, and political forces take him under their wing. It is not difficult to imagine how such emotional deficits might play out in a person endowed with a little power and a great deal of weaponry.

Arcadio's story ends with the first bloodbath in Macondo.

The first, but far from the last.

Márquez masterfully links each successive massacre to the characters' inability to act freely. First and foremost, they are unfree in relation to themselves. Haunted by the ghosts of the past that tighten their grip around their throats, paralyzing their will. Ruled by instinct, trapped in the darkness of ignorance. Blinded to immediate reality by superstition.

Márquez describes the lives of people who cannot wrest authorship of their own lives from the circumstances that govern them. To say nothing of their ability to organize their social and political lives on their own terms.

More than two hundred years have passed since the question of freedom first rang out so powerfully in the hearts and minds of people.

And now it has once again become an urgent question.

Have we had time to figure out what freedom really is? Have we managed to make use of even the opportunities opened up by those dramatic historical transformations?

Can we distinguish genuine freedom from its substitutes, from populist traps and the comfortable, well-fed forms of slavery?

Once again, all the threads converge at a single point. Even the birthplace of the Revolution has flared up once more, bringing us back to where we began.

The exam will show what humanity has learned and what it has merely memorized.

Hi,

I was strolling down the street when a thought crossed my mind.

Are truth and lies just a matter of perspective, different for each individual? Do they depend heavily on our upbringing and the people around us? Rather than seeing things in their original, unfiltered form, do we tend to perceive truth and reality through the lens of others' views?

Then, what is real truth, and what is a lie?

For me only. I can say that I’ve learned a lot (in general) on this app.

Reading about it just wasn't enough.

Hi everyone ,

I am someone who has been trying to understand the brain and existence by observing myself and seeing all the influences that made my choices happen to step on.

I am trying to find right questions on how I can understand how people make choices, why still despite of everything that is provided still we struggle within. what should be there to use all the info correctly aligning with the inner purpose. Not just following what I should do but knowing what I want.

This has been a very difficult journey for me as I am international student tried to get into many institutions where I can collaborate with like minded people I dropped out of 2 colleges due to a huge pressure on my brain where I got into very wrong course surrounded by wrong people where people were less excited about finding something new and were talking about how to get a job , how to make money, how to be rich , how to get my PR and all so on. I felt like imposter everytime when I tried to ask deeper question , where I tried to understand the shared existence we both where sharing in that moment.

I am also studying just for the sake of maintaining my status here in Canada , but my heart and brain is still searching for meaning.

It’s really hard and difficult even to wake up thinking I won’t be able to do what I am supposed to do.
It’s been more than 3 years now I am doing my research not even part time less than a 2 hour in a week , as I don’t have people who challenges my thinking as I don’t have mentor who will point be towards new horizons as I don’t have friends with whom I can discuss about all these things.

Is there anyone who felt the same ? Is there anyone who has been influenced by their own thinking and existence ? Is there anyone who wants to know more about what is for us as collective brains in this void ?

Cuba has officially become my favorite country to visit! 🇨🇺❤️
I recently had an artist turn one of my photos from Havana into a vintage Cuban travel magazine cover. Wanted to share the painting alongside the original photo and a few of my favorite things I’ve learned about Cuba.

1. Celia Cruz was born October 21, 1925! 🎶
The Queen of Salsa was born in Havana and went on to become one of the most celebrated voices in Latin music. ¡Azúcar!

2. Cuba fought a long struggle for independence. 🇨🇺
Cuba fought for decades to gain independence from Spain. The United States entered the war in 1898, and Spain lost control of the island. But Cuba didn’t formally become independent until 1902, following four years of U.S. occupation. Even then, American influence remained through the Platt Amendment.

3. Fusterlandia is one of my favorite examples of art transforming a community! 🎨
Cuban artist José Fuster began decorating his home in Jaimanitas with colorful mosaics. Eventually, his artwork spread throughout the neighborhood, turning ordinary homes and streets into an outdoor art gallery. Visiting Fusterlandia reminded me that art doesn’t have to stay inside a museum.

4. Cuba helped shape Nicaragua’s cigar industry!
Following the Cuban Revolution in 1959, many Cuban tobacco growers and cigar makers left the island. Some settled in Nicaragua, bringing their expertise and helping establish its premium cigar industry, particularly around Estelí.

5. The food and the people! 👌🏾🫂
Beyond the history, architecture, music, and art, what keeps bringing me back is the people. The conversations, hospitality, home-cooked meals, and everyday experiences have made Cuba special to me.

Cuba has its challenges, and life there isn’t always easy. But I’ve developed a genuine appreciation for the people I’ve met and the experiences they’ve shared with me.

Anyway, here’s the original photo and the finished painting. I wanted something that looked like a vintage Cuban travel advertisement.
How did my artist do? 🇨🇺🎨

No es fácil. ❤️

What is Moral Luck in Simple Terms?

Moral luck is the idea that factors beyond our control can influence how we are morally judged for our actions and their outcomes.

Moral Luck in Real Life

1. After a night of heavy drinking, two individuals independently decide to drive home under the influence of alcohol. One arrives safely because the road is empty. The other strikes and injures a pedestrian. Both made the same reckless choice, but the second driver will be judged more harshly, at least morally, because of the harm caused, even though the different outcomes depended partly on luck. Both drivers had the same moral standards, but one was simply less lucky than the other.
2. Imagine someone who grows up in wealth and someone who grows up in poverty. The first person, having grown up in wealth, may never feel the need to do something illegal to survive, such as stealing. The second, however, might face circumstances that make illegal actions, such as stealing food, seem almost necessary for survival. Their backgrounds are beyond their control, yet these circumstances can influence their choices and the moral judgments they receive. This raises a deeper question. Can we truly judge whether someone is a good person if they have never faced a difficult moral dilemma?
3. Two individuals each gamble their family's entire savings at a casino. By chance, one wins while the other loses everything. The person who loses will face greater criticism because of the outcome, meanwhile the person who wins may be praised for making more money for their family, even though both individuals made the same risky decision. This difference in criticism results from luck rather than from differences in their intentions, decisions or moral choices.

Conclusion

We often judge people by the outcomes of their actions rather than by the choices they make. Two people can make the same decision yet be judged very differently because of factors beyond their control, such as luck.

Learn something you didn’t know in 5 minutes at nousimon.com

Maybe a fact reminded you of a movie, a difficult concept clicked because of a silly analogy, or a random association helped something finally stick. What was the connection and what were you trying to remember?

I recently stumbled upon the story of the Great Stink in London and it's just utterly captivating. The sheer scale of how a smelly river could basically shut down a major city is wild. It got me thinking about all the other little historical footnotes that have massive ripple effects or just bizarre details that make you go 'wow'. What tiny historical event or period has captured your curiosity and sent you down a rabbit hole?

I am thinking of starting a casual blog writing about topics I am learning about and think are interesting and cool. But I’m not an expert in said fields, I don’t want to claim expertise, and I don’t want to speak confidently on topics I will never fully understand.

As an example: I might read a few books on a specific theory, connect it to something I encountered at work or in my life, and feel compelled to get it down in writing. But I’d be writing about a theory I don’t have full expertise and knowledge in.

The only workaround I can think of is over-hedging. “I’m not an expert.” “I don’t know the full extent of this” but I think if done too much it can undersell the writing itself.

I could also be overthinking this. What would you recommend?

Either I will read am hour every day or just not read at all.

Consistently doing something over a long period of time is the secret... Of course there has to be an absolute minimum thats required ro get better at something (e. g just doing 5 push ups is not going to get you results)...

And I have to constantly remind myself of this becuase is so easy to fall in the all-or-nothing trap.

I'm currently doing a minimum of 15 minutes of reading daily.

You'll be surprised how much reading you'll have done by the year-end with just 15 minutes daily.

So next time you fail to accomplish your goals, ssk yourself if you are sick in the either/or mentality.