Acedia - Reflux

[Michael Bailey]

> If such a monk is found - God forbid - he should be reproved a fist and
> second time, If he does not amend, he must be subjected to the punishment of
> the rule so that the others may have fear.

wow, so the negative reinforcement principle of sweatshops was
developed by the church
- they probably didn't invent it, though...

>
> A  refusal to read at the prescribed time - whether because of distraction,
> boredom, or despair - would be visited first by public criticism and then,
> if the refusal continued, by blows. The symptoms of psychic pain would be
> driven out by physical pain, And, suitably chastened the distressed monk
> would return - in principle at least - to his "prayerful reading".
>

this is actually something that would have served me well in college!

> The Swerve - Stephen Greenblatt
>

that's one of the 2011 NBA winners in non-fiction.  It looks good.  a
finalist that I might also pick, maybe, is the one about Marx and his
wife.  http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2011_nf_gabriel.html#.T1djV8AgdDs