On Recommendation Letters

"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door."

This week I wrote a recommendation letter for a student. I really enjoy doing this, and this one struck me as worth sharing with all of you. Names and places have been changed to protect the privacy of the individual involved.

May it edify you, dear reader.

Happy Sunday.

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My name is [You Know Who]. I teach social studies at [Transcendence] High School in [A Swamp]. As [TacNuke’s] homeroom teacher these past couple years I’ve had the satisfaction of knowing him. I write to you now in hopes of not just revealing his character, but mustering your unwavering and unconditional support.

In short, Mr. [TacNuke] and I are kindred spirits. Restlessly happy, he anticipates his graduation into maturity seeking fortune among the great expanses of our American continent. In order to further elucidate the nature of this, I’ll defer to one of my favorite authors. In his book, Eumeswil, German philosopher Ernst Jünger expands upon his concept of the anarch. While the monarch seeks to rule all, the anarch seeks to rule only himself. Within Mr. [TacNuke’s] spirit, I see the same essence expressed here:

“Distinctions must be drawn here: love is anarchic, marriage is not. The warrior is anarchic, the soldier is not. Manslaughter is anarchic, murder is not. Christ is anarchic, Saint. Paul is not. Since, of course, the anarchic is normal, it is also present in Saint Paul, and sometimes it erupts mightily from him. Those are not antitheses but degrees. The history of the world is moved by anarchy. In sum: the free human being is anarchic, the anarchist is not.”

Further along in life, I know the process Mr. [TacNuke] is undergoing. Jünger continues:

“That sounds complicated, but is simple, for everyone is anarchic; this is precisely what is normal about us. Of course, the anarchic is hemmed in from the very first day by father and mother, by state and society. Those are prunings, tappings of the primordial strength, and nobody escapes them. One has to resign oneself. But the anarchic remains, at the very bottom, as a mystery, usually unknown even to its bearer. It can erupt from him as lava, can destroy him, liberate him.”

The [Angry Insects] have not just the privilege but the duty of facilitating the deepening of Mr. [TacNuke’s] life. I envy you. It will be a great adventure. To that end, without reservation I encourage you do all you can for Mr. [TacNuke]. Whatever form his accomplishments take, your contribution will prove worth it.

Godspeed and good luck.