Even if we were mad enough to consider all our opinions as truth, we should nevertheless not wish them alone to exist. I cannot see why we should ask for an autocracy and omnipotence of truth: it is sufficient for me to know that it is a great power. Truth, however, must meet with…
Gray and raining outside. Starbucks is momentarily, unnaturally quiet, only the two of us minding our screens and our thoughts. Why so silent? Is this the edge? I mean the edge (never with a safety rail) of the abyss? Perhaps it’s extraordinary to know when one is proximate to the edge, a “hazard zone”…
The fundamental male fantasyof the womanis not her seductive appearance,but the idea,that the dazzling appearanceconcealssome imponderablemystery. -Jacques Lacan There is something tragic, simultaneously sad and delicious with respect to Lacan’s quote. How could this possibly be denied? The male – female dynamic-attraction is as old as Helen of Troy. Perhaps you remember Helen, according…
The goal is to avoid harassment. But no harassment means no joy either. [Harassment] can mean nothing more than the excessive proximity of the other with his/her desires and fears and pleasures. The other is Ok as long as he does not intrude as long as he/she is not really other. The central human…
The journey to better understand Jacques Lacan’s system of thought continues. In a few days we will turn the page on 2024. 2025 brings the inauguration of Donald Trump on January 20th. The first quotation featured in today’s post reminded me of the President elect. Our institutions proved hollow, without power to incarcerate him…
Another gray day in the Fox River Valley. My day began around 6:30 AM at Starbucks in downtown Geneva. Baristas there are old acquaintances, and it was good to see everyone again. Then several friends came in. The better part of the morning was dedicated to pleasant conversation. Is there a more congenial, satisfying…
A hangover is what this feels like. Perhaps you recall your last hangover? It is Thursday morning after Christmas day. You know, that day anticipated by everyone with the highest of expectation. For my adult self, reason/experience insists “that longing is fantasy, a shape shifting, media driven, ginned up illusion” so snap out of…
Christmas Eve and I begin the day at Starbucks… Why wouldn’t I? Beginning a day, any day with some reading, some contemplation, and pleasant conversation is agreeable to me. That is what I want. For the most part, on many occasions I have no idea about what I want. If you were to ask,…
As intended, I made a fire at nightfall on the winter solstice. The family left the warmth of the house to see the fire that by itself cut the frost of the night. I made the fire as a memorial of sorts for those who might have been with us, my parents, the grandmother…
Today, the 21st of December is Winter Solstice. Darkness will be at maximum duration. In the Northern Hemisphere the earth’s pole is tilted at greatest distance from the sun. But that is not all… Spring is coming! I wish that I knew a metaphor of greater exuberance, of unalloyed childlike anticipation to celebrate the…
