My Ancestors – immigrated from Britain to escape religious persecution, intending to found a city set-on-a-hill, or paradise, which is another way of putting it. In the haste to flee persecution, we overlooked our streak of self-righteousness which we inadvertently transported to the “new” world. Early in our settlement in Massachusetts we had a…
I woke and read that the President and his wife have tested positive for coronavirus. She says that she feels fine. Of course the NY Times Morning report mentioned well wishes received from many world leaders. I am not so sympathetic. Given the presidents attitude of disdain for social distancing, for wearing a mask,…
The Balrog reached the bridge. Gandalf stood in the middle of the span, leaning on the staff in his left hand, but in his other hand Glamdring gleamed, cold and white. His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings. It raised the whip, and the…
We discussed Buddhist principles last night. That is, we worked at re-training our minds to process a way of thinking. We’re habituated to think that life is basically problem solving, according to widely accepted principles of cause and effect logic. Major principle, minor principle then the conclusion follows: problem solved. If “the problem” presented…
A friend reached out to me, inquiring of my thoughts on treatment options he had been presented for a recurrence of cancer. I briefly awakened at 3AM thinking about what I would say. Cancer is a serious illness, terminal if not treated. The overture for a philosophical response could not have been more pragmatic…
Silly me. Why should I write about this song? Perhaps an ironic silliness is my hold upon sanity? Never mind. In our discussion session on Buddhist philosophy, we mused together about the few possessions owned by those most intent upon practicing the prescripts of the Buddha’s message. A monk owns a saffron robe or…
A friend sent me a link to an article by Ed Yong, staff writer at The Atlantic. The article by a science writer was an overview of America’s response to the pandemic; America Is Trapped in a Pandemic Spiral. The article was nine pages of emotionally difficult reading. I felt a sense of terror,…
To stay cheerful in the midst of a gloomy task, fraught with immeasurable responsibility, is no small feat; and yet what is needed more than cheerfulness? Nothing succeeds if high spirits has no part in it. Excess strength alone is the proof of strength. A revaluation of all values: this question mark, so black,…
Who doesn’t want to be loved? The desire/need to be loved and to love is universal for all humans. Maybe the principle holds for all living things. For a blade of grass, or a rose, — I cannot say. I have observed that mammals seek out love, affectionate response. A dog understands a kind…
We are on the edge of a storm according to a writer in The Atlantic and another in The Federalist. At the end of today’s edition of the NYT The Daily update of articles, I read a paragraph that stated that we are locked in a cold “civil war” as a nation. The journalist…
