I recently heard “heathspan” (how many years one is healthy) contrasted with “lifespan” (how many years one is alive). It’s a generative distinction, helping us focus on the health and quality of the years we live. And what kind(s) of health are we talking about? Bodily, certainly. That is the assumed definition. But also spiritualContinue reading “Healthspan”
Monthly Archives: July 2025
The Confederacy of the Humbled
Count Rostov, the uniquely charming protagonist of A Gentleman in Moscow, experiences the loss of stature, influence, and the world he has known. (Not a spoiler! It happens on page 1.) By way of recovery from this loss, he casts a new narrative and describes his inclusion in the “Confederacy of the Humbled”:
“a close-knit brotherhood whose members travel with no outward markings, but who know each other at a glance. For having fallen suddenly from grace, those in the Confederacy share a certain perspective. Knowing beauty, influence, fame, and privilege to be borrowed rather than bestowed, they are not easily impressed. They are not quick to envy or take offense. They certainly do not scour the papers in search of their own names. They remain committed to living among their peers, but they greet adulation with caution, ambition with sympathy, and condescension with an inward smile.”
When live’s losses come for us, we have a choice. We can rehearse and resent them, living within their confines. Or we can pray for the grace to acknowledge and integrate them, reengaging life as wisely as the Count.
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