Saturday is the beginning of the long weekend, culminating in Memorial Day on Monday. Memorial Day is set aside to remember our war dead. The last war to defend the country from attack was World War II. The others since have been “botique wars” conducted by politicians to assert our interests; Korea, Vietnam, Iraq,…
Awakened this morning from a nightmare. The dream had to do with life as we know it today, of encounter with the myriad bureaucratic obstructions imposed upon the individual by “the system.” There is no escape. Costs pile up. Red light cameras, late penalties of all kinds, and if you live in Cook County,…
This morning I was delighted to locate on my shelf a text book from my college days. I was introduced to the words of the Tao te Ching from A Source Book In Chinese Philosophy by Wing-Tsit Chan. I’ve not opened the book in many years. Finding it was like receiving a phone call…
What a session last night at Starbucks. At least fifteen of us were seated around a table of a size to accommodate ten people. The room was echoing with voices, with the cacophony of the cappuccino machine used by the baristas. Nevertheless the group intently listened to chosen readings from the Tao te Ching. …
I watched again on video the wedding between Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. I wish the couple well. There are few things more fraught with risk than marriage. There are many inevitable unknowns, like the under water volume of the iceberg that looks so beautiful and benign on the surface. Good luck to…
The Tao doesn’t take sides; it gives birth to both good and evil. The Master doesn’t take sides; she welcomes both saints and sinners. The Tao is like a bellows; it is empty yet infinitely capable. The more you use it, the more it produces; the more you talk of it, the less you…
I considered writing about the Texas High School shooting. A lot has been written already in the NY Times, the Washington Post and other sources. Another breakout of violence will roil the Texas community for years. Surely the families who lost kids will be shattered for as long as they live. My expression of…
I was asked to read some poems last night. A gathering was sponsored by the Mundelein Arts Council at Taste of Paris. Musicians from the area and several writers were given opportunity to perform in public. I found my imagination going back to the late bronze age. Certainly members of the aristocracy and their…
A few days ago my daughter asked me to write about the connection between the white headed robin and the muscle cars which were featured in the post on BEAUTY I am satisfied that there are many ties of relationship between the rare bird and the hand built single purpose hot rods. It is…
One of many useful gifts that I received from grad school is the habit of taking notes in a pocket-sized moleskin notebook. I record memorable statements, questions, and especially outrageous exclamations that I happen upon in my reading. As a result of much reading I have filled seven or eight of these notebooks with…
