There are few issues more compelling than individual freedom. Around fifteen or so of us, responding to an essay on Einstein’s morality, debated the whether and to what extent we are individually free. Einstein thought that there was no exception to the uniformity of cause and effect within a closed system. Yet, he also…
GLOBALIZATION describes the opening decades of the 21st century. Countries and cultures are bound together by light speed communication disrupting old boundaries and ways of life. I think about this a lot. Can we conceive a way forward, a productive support for a humanly productive humanity,—avoiding the cul de sac of exploitation? Are we…
I love coffee shops. It was love at first sight. In 1970 I began my two year tenure in Tokyo. I was twenty one. That the social environment was alien to a kid from Durham North Carolina is an understatement. Then I discovered Fugetsudo coffee shop in Shinjuku. It no longer exists, as one…
Life can be considered a journey. From the first flicker of self awareness to the palpable confidence at the height of physical and intellectual powers; then to the inexorable decline of passing years, –the precarity of ones life is the enduring subtext. It’s the consistent back-beat of a bass drum anchoring the melody and…
The tomato vines are fading, the last of the fruit will soon be picked. The squirrels have taken a share over the past several weeks. Who knew they could be vegetarians? Life is nothing but adaptable. There was a time when we humans would pass on a tomato. But we learned. Now the tomato…
Kevin said it best. The theme of the event was gratitude. Time, effort were expended by everyone present, each according to his or her capacity. How do you find your kin? For our family, the annual “Pig Pickin” hosted by Kevin and Caryn in their backyard gets the job done. Kevin said that the…
My tomato harvest of the summer is unprecedented. I’ve cultivated squash, cucumbers, eggplant and tomato plants at the back of the yard for years. That patch gets the most sun. I learn a bit with each season of experience. Working with living things is trial and error. There are a few things which I…
A visit to the Wisconsin State Fair in West Allis, just outside of Milwaukee is immersion in a great festival. Seduction is the word. The sights and sounds are counterpoint to the mundane of one’s life. Milwaukee Wisconsin has a reputation for good beer. I ordered two cups of Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy. The waitress…
While the idea of paradise is on my mind, I’ll reference Lake Geneva Wisconsin. If you live in the Chicago or Milwaukee area you are familiar with the town, at the end of a gorgeous lake. The Persian word for paradise meant a walled garden. Lake Geneva is remarkable for it’s beautiful lake, and…
Old Heraclitus was right. “πάντα χωρεῖ καὶ οὐδὲν μένει” Every thing changes and nothing remains. I found a cicada exoskeleton attached under a leaf while examining my garden. Cicadas have been featured in literature since Homers Illiad. They are short lived. They sing loudly in chorus from the trees, a undulating cacophony, the song of…
