We require just a little order to protect us from chaos. Nothing is more distressing than a thought that escapes itself, than ideas that fly off, that disappear hardly formed, already eroded by forgetfulness or precipitated into others that we no longer master. These are infinite variabilities, the appearing of which coincide. They are…
I left the house this morning in gray light. In the course of the short drive to Starbucks my attention was attracted to a fragment of fire in my rear view mirror. The sun. The star at the center of our solar system is a marker of day and night, and of the seasons,…
rising economic inequality breakdown of the nation-state militarization of borders totalizing global surveillance curtailment of individual freedoms triumph of transnational corporations the rise of neurocognitive capitalism the rise of nativist ideologies the degradation of the natural environment ….all of these are the product of a general inability to perceive the wider, networked effects of…
Sunday morning. Sunday’s a day of reflection, when one dials back one’s engagement, to let the world “just be” to consider where one has come and what it means. Do we not need one day of respite? I think so. Life in ordinary time, the work week, never slows down. The press of events,…
Perhaps art begins with the animal, at least with the animal that carves out a territory and constructs a house (both are correlative, or even one and the same, in what is called a habitat). The territory-house system transforms a number of organic functions— sexuality, procreation, aggression, feeding. But this transformation does not explain…
I enjoy Adbusters Magazine. It is a Canadian publication, edgy, transgressive, full of social criticism. I find the writing stimulating, even when I do not happen to agree with the writers point of view. I also enjoy the graphic elements within the publication. I willingly pay $14.95 for a copy. Here is an excerpt…
I’ve never had a natural interest in politics. Politics has always seemed like back-office stuff. You know the run-of-the-mill chores that have to be done to keep society functioning. A means must be found for making judgements, the adjustments necessary to keep commerce flowing, roads paved, teachers teaching, etc. I never found politics appealing…
This past Sunday we decided to spend the afternoon reading by the lake that is the center of our subdivision. The lakefront park is a well maintained shady expanse of lawn. The view of the lake in the afternoon sun was splendid. Water sparkled with light, a few children played in the shallow water,…
We attended the Walworth County Fair in Elkhorn Wisconsin yesterday. The first fair to be held on the grounds was in 1851. This is an old fashion farming community fair that continues to be supported by the entire community. I particularly enjoy the sense of history whenever we visit this place. The fair grounds…
We live in a dark time. Anything that can be said is relative to context. I write in a first world country, in relative safety. My circumstances are enviable. So far no drought, no floods, and abundance of food. Today I am gainfully employed. Many others who live elsewhere would happily trade places with…
