Over a year ago, I found myself amidst a crowd strolling through the streets of Brussels mid-winter, only to stop suddenly in a square. A man was playing the violin, and a large group of people had gathered to listen. As I stood there observing, many in the crowd were gently cooing and discussing the pleasures of hearing classical music, but they became perturbed by my ironic chuckle. Remonstrating with me about my attitude towards the fine arts and the finer things in life generally, a few people asked me what I thought was funny. I could only reply, laughing further, that the violinist was playing the tune from Guns n’ Roses’ song “Sweet Child O’Mine,” not exactly the high-brow experience the crowd thought they were having.

As strange as it may sound, this experience was part of my inspiration for the Weekly Sage. I honestly think that most people don’t understand many of the influences, ideas, and themes underlying their daily lives and socio-cultural orders. If this is true, then it would understandably create a good deal of confusion, with disagreements, conflict, and emotional disturbance resulting. If, on the other hand, a broader shared understanding can be developed, then life in community will be easier, simpler, and more rewarding. Not perfect or straightforward, by any means, but better.

Of course, there are a few difficulties with this project. First, why not simply allow everyone to think that the violinist is playing something by Hadyn or Mozart? More broadly, why not allow people to get by on what they currently assume and remember about history and principles rather than risking the disagreements that may result by discussing big ideas and important thinkers?

Well, some people may be willing to accept this approach, but it just isn’t quite my way. I’ve experienced too much growth and learning myself from exposure to different institutions, books, and cultures to accept the status quo. My time as a Fulbright scholar here in Australia has been an example, as was my brief time studying in Oxford a few summers ago.

The amount and types of resources – cultural, literary, etc. – that are spread around the world are extensive. Most people focused on building lives for themselves and their children are pinned down to a few places during their lifetimes. The incomplete perspectives that result are natural, but their efforts to create a culture from the ground up can be supported and rewarded by having the great thinkers and ideas they may never normally encounter brought before them. I can hope to mitigate some of the potential difficulties by maintaining a gentle and objective style and tone as much as possible.

A second major difficulty consists of the problem that most people have fairly firmly established opinions and perspectives. A weekly column is not likely to change someone’s idea of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, or Barack Obama. Most Americans likely think that they have a good enough understanding of the Crusades, the Enlightenment, the New Deal, and the Cold War that a few hundred words will either re-affirm what they already think or believe. However, the way to skirt this difficulty is to focus on figures and moments that had a major impact on society, but have been left behind for one reason or another in the public’s perception.

Certainly, I’ve only been able to guess at and grope towards these goals of presenting a gentle, objective look at thinkers that have been exiled to the fringe of the public perception. It’s difficult to guess how well-known or well-understood certain thinkers are. And only you, the readers, can know how successful the Weekly Sage has been. How often, when thinking over a new issue, has an idea promoted by one of the profiled thinkers come into your mind? How many books, from Sages that caught your interest, did you pick up and push through on your own?

Fortunately, the impact of the Weekly Sage is not time-limited. Even though the profiles will not be appearing regularly from now on, past iterations can still be easily found on Bereans at the Gate through the search bar if they remain of interest. And the Weekly Sage may return, or the Weekly Statesman, or a similar project. But for now, this is farewell. I don’t think I can keep up the level of reading required for the Weekly Sage while in graduate school, and the 26-week length marks a half-year, which seems a fitting time for a reprieve. Hopefully this piece has made the goals and purposes behind the past 6 months’ journey a bit clearer. I appreciate all those who have engaged with the Weekly Sage through reading and comments, whether I’ve been able to thank you on the blog or not. Thanks as well to Dr. Smith and all the Bereans, both for making Bereans at the Gate a place where the Weekly Sage could fit, and for allowing it in.

P.S. – #27 Wendell Berry, #28 Walker Percy, #29 Hilaire Belloc…