Before I die I’d like
to understand this world.
(I grow ambitious as I read my words.)
While mind remains I want
to trace the moral circuit
that lights the star-laced universe,
that golden thread
with a core of steel
drawn taut through time
to the far frontier of mortal reach,
seeking the infinite
of our finite thought,
the polar star that some
call God.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
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