I saw a man with a bag of seed. He looked at the sky to discern the weather, and decided tomorrow would be a better day to plant. The next day, he invented instruments to test the humidity and to predict the wind, and decided that tomorrow would be a better day to plant. And tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow crept on its petty pace to the last syllable of time. This too is vapor and shepherding wind.
I saw a young man wondering what to do with his life. He looked to see if this was the time to apply to graduate school, and decided tomorrow was better. He looked to see if he should pursue a job, but circumstances were against it. He looked to see if he should love a woman, but it was not time. Then he was an old man. This too is vapor and shepherding wind.
I saw another man throw a loaf of bread in a river. He turned and walked away, and went to his house justified rather than the others.
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.
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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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