But tell me, my brethren, what the child can do, which even the lion could not do? Why hath the preying lion still to become a child? Innocence is the child, and forgetfulness, a new beginning, a game, a self-rolling wheel, a first movement, a holy Yea. Aye, for the game of creating, my…
But in the loneliest wilderness happeneth the second metamorphosis: here the spirit becometh a lion; freedom will it capture, and lordship in its own wilderness. Its last Lord it here seeketh: hostile will it be to him, and to its last God; for victory will it struggle with the great dragon. What is the…
Last night the Socrates Café convened once again. The topic of the evening was “self-actualization” a term introduced into public discourse by the psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908-1970). Maslow presented a 5 step process, a journey starting from the basic need of food, water, shelter, etc, followed by a safe environment, progressing to the final…
Yesterday we received the first of two vaccinations to immunize us from the coronavirus. We received email notice from the Kane County Health Department that an appointment was offered. I felt a reaction of relief, of thanksgiving. Upon receiving the Moderna vaccine, if I should become ill, I am unlikely to be hospitalized or…
Wednesday I picked up the latest issue of Adbusters Magazine at Barnes & Noble. It is a Canadian publication with a global range of contributors. The March/April issue is entitled, The New Left. The title succinctly describes the editorial point of view of the publication. The magazine uses graphic design to advantage, to clarify…
I dreamed last night. It was unusual in brevity, in technicolor and in dynamism. I was supervising the moving of a rather large, antique, turquoise finished wooden cabinet. The beautiful cabinet was suspended by a sling, and a stout steel cable. In my dream, something happened to the cable, the antique piece of furniture…
The most distant object that most folks can see with the unaided eye is also the closest major galaxy to our own Milky Way. Although the Andromeda Galaxy lies a mind-bending 2.5 million light-years from Earth, its trillion stars are enough to emit a strong glow across the vast reaches of space. Despite the wide gap, the…
Difficult to write this morning. The weather is forecast to warm in a day or so in Illinois. We have had a week of single digit temps, which is not unusual for winter in the Midwest. In Texas, they have been besieged with severely below normal temps, and ice storms with snow. Power failure…
The world, “reality” can be cruel and dangerous. One ought always to keep that in mind. The United States is a civilized society, relatively “safe” depending on where you happen to be, upon the cash and credit cards you have in your pocket. Nonetheless, this country is a legally and administratively violent society. Today,…
Tuesday evening a few of us “gathered” via virtual video and discussed the role of “awe” or put another way, “wonder” in the scientific enterprise. Science is understood is a method of testing the reliability of a theory, our notions of the way things are/work. This is difficult at best. Scientists, all those who…
