Sun_joy

so long, Drew Struzan.

Alfred Nobel established the prize that bears his name in 1895. He was, in part, driven by guilt — after all, he was the inventor of dynamite, which, beyond its industrial use, also amplified the horrors of war, against his intentions. Whether his creation of the prize compensated for that burden is uncertain, but there’s no doubt that a distinction turning the world’s attention toward science was an extraordinary act.

The Nobel Prize in Literature might seem somewhat out of place among the other categories, yet honoring literary achievement is a profoundly noble gesture. But is the awarding of such a prize always just? To what extent is it influenced by politics? This could be debated endlessly — perhaps the simplest solution would be to establish multiple prizes, with different criteria for recognizing scientists and artists. In fact, that already exists in various forms.

Among the laureates we find names such as García Márquez, Hemingway, Thomas Mann, and Sholokhov — all brilliant writers. I’ve read and enjoyed works from several of them. The spotlight does more than celebrate culture itself, if only for a moment — it also amplifies the writer’s message. Indeed, that in itself can be a political act. And if a given regime takes such a message as criticism, or even as an insult, then the writer has achieved the most noble of all artistic goals.

Krasznahorkai has accomplished exactly that. A writer is not a rebel — a writer observes, analyzes, and mirrors reality back to us in a form that demands reflection. And through this, we reach the understanding that literature does not merely entertain; it educates. Let us not take offense at that word — “educate.” It’s not condescending, not a lecture, but rather a shared training of the collective mind. This collective thought is what helps us comprehend the changing world and the relationship of power to the individual.

Those who have never lived under dictatorship cannot truly grasp what it means to be unable to express your thoughts because you will be silenced. Or can they? The Eastern Bloc once looked to the West as the “free world,” though without truly knowing it. Today, we are learning to recognize modern forms of oppression — not the same as those of communist regimes, but those who remember them may feel a déjà vu.

It is literature that teaches us to think critically about those who rule over us — whether they are political powers, tech corporations, or artificial intelligences. Through writers like Krasznahorkai, we are reminded that art can still help us see more clearly.

If the first avatar saved the world from a cosmic flood, the second one had to literally save the Earth itself from sinking into the primordial waters. Get ready for the mighty Kurma, the Divine Tortoise!

The Unsinkable Foundation: Kurma, The Anchor of the Cosmos 🐢

After saving the sacred knowledge (the Vedas) in his Matsya form, Lord Vishnu had an even bigger problem: the entire universe was out of balance! This is where the Kurma (or "Tortoise") avatar steps in, providing the stability needed for the most famous churning event in Hindu mythology.

❓ What's the Story? The Churning of the Ocean

The Kurma avatar appears during the Samudra Manthan (the churning of the cosmic ocean of milk). This wasn't just any regular churning; it was an event where the gods (Devas) and the demons (Asuras) had to team up for a common goal: obtaining the Amrita (the Nectar of Immortality).

The Quest for Immortality: Both the Devas and Asuras had lost their power and vitality. They realized the only way to restore balance was to churn the vast, cosmic ocean, believing it held the Amrita and other treasures.

The Cosmic Tools: They needed a churning rod and a rope.

The Rod: They used Mount Mandara, the largest mountain in the universe.

The Rope: They used Vasuki, the serpent-king (who was used as the rope in the Matsya tale as well!).

The Problem: As they began to churn, the massive Mount Mandara, the mountain-rod, was too heavy and unstable. It began to sink into the ocean, threatening to crush both sides and halt the cosmic operation.

The Divine Support: Seeing the universal effort fail, Lord Vishnu took the form of the giant Kurma (Tortoise). He swam to the bottom of the ocean and positioned himself directly beneath the sinking mountain.

The Pivot Point: Kurma's incredibly strong shell became the stable pivot point, the foundational base upon which the entire universe's fate rested. The gods and demons could then continue to wrap Vasuki around the mountain and successfully churn the ocean, eventually yielding the Amrita.

✨ The Symbolism: Why a Tortoise?

The Kurma avatar is a powerful lesson in stability and the foundation of effort:

The Cosmic Base: The tortoise is a universal symbol of holding up the Earth. Lord Vishnu as Kurma literally provides the immovable, unshakeable support needed for any great endeavor to succeed.

Inner Stability (Yogic Connection): The tortoise's ability to pull all its limbs inside its shell is often used in yoga and philosophy. It represents Pratyahara, the withdrawal of the senses. This teaches us that to achieve something divine (like Amrita), you first need strong, stable, and focused inner control.

🔑 Key Takeaway for the Day:

The Kurma story reminds us that true strength often lies in patient, stable support. Before you can win the prize (the Amrita), you must first ensure you have a solid foundation to keep you from sinking!

Bloating, gas, irregular bowel movements, food sensitivities that seem to appear out of nowhere-digestive issues are incredibly common and absolutely miserable. The conventional advice is usually "eat more fiber" or "take probiotics," but these one-size-fits-all recommendations often miss the mark entirely.

Your gut is way more complex than most people realize. It contains trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi collectively called your microbiome. These microorganisms influence everything from digestion and immune function to mood and brain health. When your microbiome is out of balance, things go downhill fast.

The biggest destroyer of gut health? Antibiotics. Don't get me wrong-they save lives and are absolutely necessary for serious bacterial infections. But they're massively overprescribed, and they don't discriminate between good and bad bacteria. A single course of broad-spectrum antibiotics can devastate your gut microbiome, and it can take months or even years to fully recover.

If you must take antibiotics, take a high-quality probiotic at least two hours away from the antibiotic dose, and continue for at least a month after finishing the antibiotic course. Eat fermented foods daily. Load up on prebiotic fiber to feed the good bacteria that survived. This can minimize the damage significantly.

Chronic stress is another massive factor that gets overlooked. Your gut and brain are in constant communication via the vagus nerve-it's called the gut-brain axis. When you're stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed, it directly affects your digestive function. Stress reduces blood flow to your digestive system, alters gut motility, and changes the composition of your microbiome.

This is why you might get diarrhea before a big presentation or feel nauseous during stressful periods. Your gut is literally responding to your mental state. All the probiotics in the world won't fix digestive issues if you're chronically stressed and not addressing it.

Food sensitivities are often about gut health, not the foods themselves. When your gut lining becomes damaged

-through poor diet, chronic stress, medications, or infections-it can become "leaky." This allows partially digested food particles to enter your bloodstream, triggering immune reactions. Suddenly you're reacting to foods you've eaten your whole life.

The solution isn't necessarily eliminating foods forever. It's healing your gut lining so you can tolerate foods properly again. Bone broth, collagen, omega-3 fatty acids, and L-glutamine can help repair intestinal permeability. But you also need to remove the things damaging your gut in the first place.

 Processed foods are particularly problematic. Emulsifiers, artificial sweeteners, and preservatives directly damage your gut lining and alter your microbiome composition. Studies show that artificial sweeteners like sucralose and saccharin significantly reduce beneficial gut bacteria. Ultra-processed foods also tend to be low in fiber, which is what your good bacteria need to survive.

Focus on whole foods-vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and quality proteins. These provide the prebiotic fiber that feeds beneficial bacteria and keeps your microbiome diverse and healthy.

Diversity is key. The health of your microbiome isn't just about having good bacteria-it's about having a wide variety of different species. The best way to increase microbial diversity is to eat a wide variety of plant foods. Aim for 30 different plant foods per week. This sounds like a lot, but it includes all vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices.

Fermented foods are genuinely helpful. Yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, and miso contain live beneficial bacteria that can colonize your gut. Even small amounts daily make a difference. Start slowly though: If your gut is really out of balance, too much fermented food at once can cause bloating and discomfort as things adjust.

Digestive enzymes can be helpful temporarily, especially if you're dealing with bloating after meals. They help break down food more efficiently while your gut heals. But they're not a long-term solution-the goal is to restore your body's natural digestive capacity.

Chew your food properly. I know this sounds ridiculously basic, but most people inhale their meals without adequate chewing. Digestion begins in your mouth with mechanical breakdown and salivary enzymes. If you're swallowing large chunks of poorly chewed food, you're making your stomach and intestines work much harder than they should.

If you have persistent digestive issues, consider working with a functional medicine practitioner who can do comprehensive stool testing. Sometimes there are underlying infections, imbalances, or issues that need specific targeted treatment. But for most people, the fundamentals-reducing stress, eating whole foods, avoiding antibiotics when possible, and supporting microbial diversity-will dramatically improve gut health over time.

Written by,

Sheldon Titus.