Like many worldwide, I watched this week in horror as video and pictures of the Hamas attack and Israeli retaliations streamed on my devices. I don’t understand violence. No conflict can be fully understood from a distance. Beyond geopolitics, beyond rights and transgressions, beyond tactical details, I saw bleeding little children. What if that bleeding … Continue reading “The Predicament of Our Shared Humanity”

I have a confession to make. I have spidey sense. For those not hip to the Marvel franchise, spidey sense is one of Spiderman’s superpowers. It starts as a tingling in the back of his head, giving him the power to sense and react to danger before it happens. After numerous coincidental occurrences, I realized … Continue reading “Be Stronger Than You Need To Be”

We’ve lived in the same house for 37 years. Absent the forced discipline of frequent moves, one accumulates a lot of stuff in that period of time. Every once in a while, I go around the house with the intention of getting rid of stuff. Generally, I’m not very successful. The problem is it’s all … Continue reading “Making Space”

There’s been a lot of books written on finding one’s life purpose. The Amazon bookstore lists thirty-thousand. I can’t say I have a definitive life purpose beyond enjoying a meaningful life. That may seem shallow, but there’s more to it than it sounds. Over the years, I developed a discipline to move in that direction. … Continue reading “Enjoying A Meaningful Life”

It’s been a long time since I rock and rolled It’s been a long time since I did the stroll Ooh let me get it back, let me get it back Let me get it back, baby, where I come from -It’ Been A Long Time, Led Zepplin, 1971 Yes, it has! My 50th-year high … Continue reading “It’s Been A Long Time”

There are two halves in life; the Franciscan priest Richard Rohr sums them up: “The task of the first half of life is to create a proper container for one’s life. It answers such questions as “Who am I?” “What makes me significant?”The task of the second half of life is to find the actual … Continue reading “Gratitude and Acceptance”

Last week, I wrote about belief in God. Sticking with taboo subjects, I turn this week to politics. Both areas provide an opportunity to listen. ————————————— Politics More than a century ago, humorist Mark Twain reminded us there are three types of liars; “liars, damned liars, and politicians.” Some things never change! Political views in … Continue reading “Politics”

Developing mind, body, and Spirit are essential to a life well-lived. A friend, a Deacon in the Catholic church, asked what I mean by Spirit and whether or not I believe in God. We decided to meet for breakfast to discuss it. Over the course of a two-and-a-half-hour conversation, we found plenty to agree on, … Continue reading “Spirit and Belief”

Taking an extended vacation from weekly posts provided a welcome break. Recharged with a list of new ideas, and a draft outline for my next book, I’m ready to resume writing. I hope you enjoy the new stuff! —————————————————— Taped To A Mirror I started my first big-boy job in July, forty-five years ago. I … Continue reading “Taped To A Mirror”

It was another busy week as we get the cabin ready for summer guests. The longer days invite outdoor activities, leaving little time for reflection and writing. I’m pretty sure July 4th comes sooner every year, especially Up-North, where two months ago, the lake was still frozen. As we approach our country’s celebration of freedom, … Continue reading “Freedom”

Dad and me, 1955 Today we honor fathers’ contributions to our lives. My Dad has been gone for twelve years. He had an outsized impact on my life. I always had the greatest respect for Dad. When I was a youngster, I thought he should be President of the United States. Recently I came … Continue reading “Dad”

It’s been a crazy busy week, so I thought I would simply offer a poem. I wrote Beautiful Dawn sometime during the mid-twenty aughts, about the time I began mindfulness practice. Beautiful Dawn I open my eyes to the morning smiling in my hand. Satisfied with the mystery of awareness and eternity. Why name what … Continue reading “Beautiful Dawn”

Before diving into this week’s post, I’d like to ask a favor. Would you consider helping me promote the blog by sending this post (or another favorite) along with a recommendation to a couple friends? If they like it, they can sign up to receive new posts by email at the bottom of this page. … Continue reading “Life Defining Circumstances”

It’s popular today to assume we’re swirling the drain. Climate change, mass extinctions, political divisiveness, inequality, debt, and mass shootings support that assumption. Todays’s news feeds remind me of Pvt. Moriarty in the 1970 WW2 comedy film Kelly’s Heroes. Donald Sutherland played a long-haired Zen-minded Sgt. Oddball. Pvt. Moriarty is “Debbie Downer,” always pointing … Continue reading “Negative Waves”

Over the past few months, one could hardly miss the hoopla generated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT4. Developers claim the technology will have an impact similar to the discovery of fire. Others claim it could destroy the human species. Those are pretty strong shouts! You probably read that over a thousand industry experts recently signed an open … Continue reading “The Perils of Public Education”

Special note: Happy Mother’s Day, and thanks to everyone who purchased a copy of my book. Sales have exceeded expectations! If you’ve read it, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. You can do that from your Amazon order history page. If you haven’t bought a copy yet, you really should! It makes a great … Continue reading “Mom”

Recently, I decided to renew my mindfulness practice. Along with physical exercise it’s the best way I’ve found to restore personal balance. I first began mindfulness practice about twenty years ago. I’ve never adhered to a rigid schedule, instead prefering to practice in stretches with intermissions. Strangely, an inner voice always tells me when to … Continue reading “The Voice”

The secret of happiness is this: let your interests be as wide as possible… -Bertrand Russell Bertrand Russell was a British philosopher and mathematician. Most of the things he’s famous for are over my head. However, I like the above quote. It pairs nicely with one from French writer and philosopher Simone de Beauvoir, “In … Continue reading ““Put the Lime In the Coconut””

Plato believed in universal forms. These “transcendentals” were thought by Plato to be fundamental properties of being. Beauty, Goodness, and Truth are examples. Here are some definitions: Beauty is the universal aesthetic represented in art. Goodness is the universal form represented in justice, moral codes, and laws. Truth is universal objective reality, which … Continue reading “Beauty, Goodness, and Truth”

Did you see the following? According to a recent Wall Street Journal Survey conducted with NORC, an independent, non-partisan research affiliate of the University of Chicago, higher purpose in the United States is in steep decline: According to the survey: “tolerance for others, deemed very important by 80% of Americans as recently as four years … Continue reading “What the Heck Is Going On?”