The so-called “curse” of living in interesting times turns out to be less of a hex than a nudge: perhaps the kind that forces art, invention, and a little unexpected grace
We sure live in interesting times.
That’s the old curse, right?
“May you live in interesting times.”
It seems like it’s saying, “Good luck,” but it really isn’t. That’s the whole point.
Like the Southern expression “Bless your heart,” it sounds like a good wish, but really means something else. Interesting times bring unrest, danger, and desperation, so hoping someone lives in interesting times isn’t wishing them peace and happiness. It’s precisely the opposite.
I had always heard it was an Irish curse, but more people seem to think it’s Chinese.
It’s neither.
The urban legend about it being from Ireland is simple and persuasive: it sounds so pithy that it must be ancient, wise, and foreign — therefore it must be Irish.
That’s a pretty big leap of logic. Because the phrase sounds like a wry, backhanded blessing — a kind of polite jinx — it feels like something that could come from Irish wit or Celtic irony.
The Irish are indeed colorful in their cursing, but devastatingly direct.
If someone tells you, “May the cat eat you, and may the devil eat the cat,” there’s no mistaking their meaning. Anyway, there’s no evidence that “May you live in interesting times” is Irish.
The idea that it’s Chinese comes from the same instinct.
People love to give a proverb an exotic or folk origin. Scholars have not found a traditional Chinese text that matches the phrase or anything like it in classical or modern Chinese sources.
There’s a 17th-century line from Feng Menglong that says it’s better to be a dog in peaceful times than a human in chaotic times.
That’s similar in spirit but not the same wording. It’s not even a curse.
Where did the curse actually come from?
Quote Investigator has a page devoted to its full history, but this excerpt from British diplomat John Francis Davis’ book The Chinese: A General Description of the Empire of China and Its Inhabitants jumped out at me. He referred to an adage which circulated in China.
The Chinese have lived so much in peace, that they have acquired by habit and education a more than common horror of political disorder. “Better be a dog in peace than a man in anarchy,” is a common maxim.
“It is a general rule,” they say, “that the worst of men are fondest of change and commotion, hoping that they may thereby benefit themselves; but by adherence to a steady, quiet system, affairs proceed without confusion, and bad men have nothing to gain.
That’s from 1836. Towards the end of that century, British diplomat Joseph Chamberlain said in several speeches that we “live in interesting times,” and described how the political, social, and economic climate was full of both opportunity and danger.
Chamberlain’s son Austen was also a diplomat and said in a 1936 speech that “live in interesting times” was a Chinese curse.
It’s unclear what his source for saying that was, so it’s likely that he heard his father use the phrase and somehow conflated it with Chinese diplomacy. Whatever his source, Quote Investigator says that “May you live in interesting times” comes from the British diplomatic circles around the Chamberlains.
We find ourselves in interesting times now.
Politics are louder and even more fractured than usual, new technologies are reshaping how we work and relate to each other, and big problems like climate change and economic strain go unchecked as the rich pilfer from everyone else.
That kind of pressure makes life more unpredictable and stressful. And sometimes it forces creativity:
New movements, new solutions, new art and new ways of looking at life and how we care for each other.
Crises and pressure break routines, and routines are the enemy of innovation. That sudden gap, when old rules no longer work, forces people to try things they wouldn’t risk in calm times.
Builders experiment
Artists try new forms
Small teams invent new tools because the usual solutions fail.
Constraints actually help creativity.
When resources, time, or materials are limited, we stop pursuing the obvious and start inventing around the limitations. Designers call this “creative constraint;” fewer choices can mean clearer thinking.
In my high school Creative Writing class, we had to write a 26 word poem with each word starting with the letters of the alphabet in order, beginning with A and ending with Z.
We ended up with a lot of poems about xylophones and zebras, but the constraint made our brains work in creative ways.
Constraints focus attention and create tiny design problems — and solving lots of small problems is one way innovation happens. Removing the safety net nudges people toward bold, unusual ideas.
As a musician, this gives me hope.
In 2020, at the height of the Covid lockdown, sales of guitars and other instruments skyrocketed.
With concerts cancelled and people stuck at home, a lot of folks decided to learn an instrument. Manufacturers and retailers reported a clear spike in demand as beginners bought starter kits and more experienced players upgraded gear.
This was especially true for guitars, which far outpaced other instruments in 2020. Retail-level reporting showed guitar demand up strongly versus 2019.
Big manufacturers felt that surge in concrete numbers. Fender said 2020 would be their largest sales-volume year in the company’s history, with CEO Andy Mooney reporting the firm finished 2020 with more than $700 million in sales, up 17% from 2019.
Fender also saw a huge jump in e-commerce and beginner-gear purchases as new players signed up.
Small and medium-sized brands reported even bigger percentage increases. Industry journals in 2020 quoted a range of manufacturers seeing double-digit growth:
Dean Guitars showed a 38% year-to-date increase and Luna a 33% increase, while some boutique brands reported jumps of 40–50%.
Even legacy brands like Gibson described “double-digit-growth” after a rough patch earlier in the decade.
Those gains weren’t uniform. Supply chains, factory capacity, and component shortages constrained what companies could ship. Demand clearly outpaced supply.
The boom went beyond guitars.
Online lessons, apps, and accessory sales rose, too. Learning platforms like Fender Play reported huge upticks in signups as people used lockdown time to learn.
That ecosystem effect (instruments → lessons → accessories) boosted revenue across the industry.
Retailers and music service companies also pivoted fast to e-commerce, online demos, and contactless fulfillment, which helped convert curiosity into purchases even though stores were closed.
The pandemic’s mix of extra free time, a desire for productive pastimes, and the limits on outside entertainment pushed millions toward making music.
The result was double-digit gains for many guitar makers and a clear bump in online demand for instruments and lessons — a vivid example of how a crisis can accelerate existing trends and create new customers almost overnight.
Now, many of those beginner musicians never really planned on doing any more than playing music for their own pleasure. Some have probably given up by now.
But a few have most certainly taken music-making seriously. They will become professional musicians.
And some of those will become true artists.
So we have two things happening here.
Artists who have been playing for only five years are honing their talent while living in interesting times. Their fresh approaches to their instruments are being incubated in a hothouse of financial pressure and political upheaval.
There will be protest songs:
And, with any luck, they’ll sound nothing like the old protest songs. They’ll be new, exciting, and potent. They’ll inspire people to think and act.
I don’t know how Trumpism will end. I hope it will be with a whimper as the MAGA faithful realize one-by-one that they are being screwed over again and again and again.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has at least partially realized it, speaking out against Republican efforts to end healthcare coverage for average people.
She only realized it because it will affect her adult children directly, but if that’s what it takes to open eyes, so be it.
That one-by-one process is slow so things will get worse before they get better, but they will get better. We’ll hit rock bottom but then, I promise you, things will get better.
When — not if — we rebuild our country, it won’t look like it did before.
In this incubator of interesting times, someone somewhere is coming up with:
A better design for the Department of Education
A more thoughtful way to fund high speed rail
And an improved healthcare system that serves everyone, not just those who can afford it.
As the current authoritarian governments here in the US and in various other countries around the world spark a creative flame, we may see our new Beatles or Bob Dylan soon. The kids with guitars will sound nothing like The Beatles or Dylan, they will be something new and important and earthshaking.
They may not register with old farts like me, but their generation will understand them and help to carry through the long slog toward making the world better.
That’s why I have hope.
Thank You For Your Vote!
Sorry You have Already Voted!
I’ve kinda made this joke before in the past year. Claiming that there’s so much unrest and oppression, shouldn’t we be getting some cool music out of this soon? It actually does give some hope, that out of bad some good always comes.
I like the positivity. I’ve seen it before that interesting times inspire creativity. I’m not sure its worth the pain but its something to cling onto. That and the fact that history also shows that at some point the tides will change. Hopefully that’ll be sooner rather than later.
A musician on the mothership explained to me what the Overton window is. What I hear from MTG is what people want to hear from the democratic leadership. She is talking about Argentina. The story actually broke on September 29. It was Substack(the reporter’s first post), then Mother Jones, in a twenty-four hour window. What I’ve noticed over the past decade is that the most important stories take the longest to crossover from online to cable/network/beltway websites.
I was not expecting MTG to be the most vocal critic in regard to Argentina. She is also talking about the Office of Management and Budget.
I believe she raises the most money in the house. She has cred. She is a brand. If other people in the GOP want to speak out, she created a safe space for them. It would be nice to have a center-left again. The center-right has nobody to talk to, but they keep on talking…to a void, I guess.
I gave this a lot of thought over the past forty-eight hours.
MTG is the most relevant politician at this very moment.
Since writing this piece, I saw a video that she’s moderating her positions because she wants to run for Governor or Senator, and what works in her small district won’t work state-wide. Whether that’s true or not, she has an ear for what her voters want to hear.
I just read a new story. I feel like retracting some comments. But it is important that people know the ramifications of the bill, because its full-effect doesn’t kick in until after the mid-terms. Her comments run contrary to the messaging from the WH.
I agree that the next generation gives me hope. That’s part of the reason I haven’t retired yet — not only do they help me keep an open heart toward the future, but I want to help them with a foundation that shows there are folks from prior generations who share their determination, energy and empathy. We’re all in this together.