The ultimate noblemindedness.- What makes a person “noble”? …the passion that attacks those who are noble is peculiar, and they fail to realize this. It involves the use of a rare and singular standard and almost a madness: the feeling of heat in things that feel cold to everybody else; the discovery of values…
Truthfulness— I favor any skepsis to which I may reply: “Let us try it!” But I no longer wish to hear anything of all those things and questions that do not permit any experiment. This is the limit of my “truthfulness”; for there courage has lost its right. –excerpt The Gay Science, Book 1,…
Knowledge of misery — The emergence of pessimistic philosophies is by no means a sign of great and terrible misery. No. these question marks about the value of all life are put up in ages in which the refinement and alleviation of existence make even the inevitable mosquito bites of the soul and the…
The end, it’s moving toward us. His future’s set in an unreadable script. — excerpt Lullaby by John James Saturday, early spring is overcast. I am excited. The photo shoot is “on” at the old Joliet prison. A collection of photo’s depicting the dissonance between our actions, our practices, ways-of-life all contributing to climate…
I have a fortunate life. You do as well, if you are reading this. To be homo sapiens is particularly difficult. Literature expresses our dilemma sometimes subtly and sometimes with a raw edge. The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus comes to mind. The rendition of this tune, and the video is an expression…
I have an old friend, an individual who expresses his disdain for “socialism.” He speaks of “force collectivism” with condescension. His point, policies to help the majority, those under-employed, individuals and families unable to “help themselves” are contemptible. I and others, react to his aversion to public funding of services targeted to persons, who…
A satisfying exchange of ideas last night, based upon an interview with Stephen Batchelor. Batchelor is a prolific author who treats the intellectual foundations and practice coming from the Buddhist tradition. I have been interested in Buddhist thought for a long while. I think the philosophy of life derived from Buddhism offers an alternative…
Another satisfying morning at Starbucks. Often do I fail to notice how good life can be, just how lucky (another way of putting it) to be seated here with a cup of coffee in hand, conversing with a friend? Friendship is inestimable, a practice of presence, the exchange of words which reciprocally enlighten… The…
Owing to three errors. — During the last centuries science has been promoted, partly because it was by means of science that one hoped to understand God’s goodness and wisdom best- this was the main motive of the great Englishmen (like Newton); partly because one believed in the absolute utility of knowledge, and especially…
Sunday. I awakened, my mind seeming to have skipped a day. It felt like Monday. The New York Times in the blue plastic wrapper lying at the end of the driveway was a clue. Today is Sunday. There’s a fine rain falling. At Starbucks I chose a table. Coffee in hand I considered the…
