Yes, most of the posts have been rather dark. There’s the second law of thermodynamics, the fall toward entropy, which is unpleasant and irresistible to contemplate. Things come apart, the center does not hold. That is only part of the story as many of us know. A year represents a sliver of time, a…
The 20th century was a century of the straight line, of yang rationality, of modernism and abstraction, The 21st century will be the century of the curve, of yin, of harmony and building with Nature. …if we cannot recover our innate empathy, find balance, and come up with a new tone, a new mood,…
Thanksgiving at last! Thanksgiving day is the least commercialized of all our national celebrations. The day of “feasting” goes back to the mythic founding of the nation. The Pilgrims arrived and founded Plymouth colony in Massachusetts. A deal was made with the Wampanoag tribe of indigenous people. Indians indigenous to America had lived here…
We discussed ideas from an essay which treated the sensation that comes when one is aware of an object in Nature, experienced as overwhelming, awe inspiring. German theologian and philosopher Rudolf Otto in his influential 1917 German book The Idea of the Holy, coined the term Mysterium Tremendum. We are fascinated, attracted and paradoxically…
What to write this morning? There was a dusting of snow last night. In the predawn darkness the spruce trees are painted white. That comforts me. The season of Fall is transitioning to Winter. If the seasons should fail to transition, that indeed, would be terror. Much worse than a deluded President, believing he…
A friend recommended Yellowstone, a Kevin Costner series playing on Amazon Prime. It is about a 5th generation rancher, John Dutton. The Montana rancher is engaged in conflict involving the land and desires of developers, and environmentalists, and native Americans and his own family. The episodes of season one involve the violence which is…
The sky is gray, overcast as if a bowl of depressive disorder had been placed over us by the gods. It seems very quiet outside with little traffic along Western Avenue. Sunday morning is not typically this silent. But these are the days of pandemic, of worsening spread of the coronavirus. I cannot say…
I met with a friend yesterday afternoon. To meet with someone across a table is an extraordinary privilege in these days of the spread of covid-19. Typically exchanges of any kind that are conducted indoors take place on video screens. Extreme caution is justified as the virus often is debilitating and there is always…
There are times when “reality” is just too much. Yesterday I felt as if I had reached such a time. I must turn away from thinking about “the mad king” who tightens his grasp upon power. He wants nothing more than to negate the outcome of the election of several weeks ago. All the…
I read the email received from an old friend this morning, expressing sadness over having to cancel plans to visit family in Alaska. The pandemics spread accelerates around us, now we receive word of acquaintances who are hospitalized. The email had news of a mutual friend who was admitted to the ER last night…
