That I’m my own worst enemy is long established truth, but I’m also a pretty good ally when I put my mind to it. I’ve been in a low-level funk for a few months now, and it’s high time I earn my way out of it – and the traditional sentiments of the holiday season hold some good lessons for making that happen. (more…)
Blog
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Journal: Meditation on the Season
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Halloween: Disturbing Movies
Good God how I love Halloween. Beyond wonderful childhood memories of costumes and candy, it heralds the Fall and in a small way acknowledges the darkness that lies inside us all. Sure, for most it’s just an excuse to debauch and dress like a slutty nurse, but at a deeper level it reminds us that locks on doors are good things. (more…) -
Out of the Past: My Evening with Ed
My evening with Ed is a true story, the mists of time have obscured some details, but the core is seared into memory. There are certain touchstones from my youth, usually involving the curtain being pulled back on the darker corners of human nature, that served as the cautionary tales I used to shape who I wanted to be. And my evening with Ed was one of the most powerful. (more…) -
Noodling: Turn Your Inner Frenemy
Urban Dictionary says a “frenemy” is “A “toxic” person who poses as a friend but subconsciously or consciously wishes you harm.” I’m not the first to say this, but WE are our own worst frenemies (at least I am, maybe I’m projecting). We “say” we want to help us out, but constantly stab ourselves in the back. (more…) -
Re-post: Murdertown, USA
I wrote this back in July, the recent murders at Umpqua Community College in Oregon prompt me to repost it. The frequency of these events just emphasize the need to go beyond the guns/no guns arguments, this article in Forbes does a better job of it than I do, but here are my thoughts… (more…) -
Memento Mori
Remember that you must die (memento mori). Not the cheeriest of thoughts, but possibly the most important if we’re to have a shot at a happy life.It’s October in VA, the trees are still mostly full green – just some hints of the rich colors that accompany their annual decay. It also reminds me that I’ve been living like I’ll never die, or to put it more bluntly, I’ve been wasting time. (more…)
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Journal – 09/28/15: Whiteness, Hippie-hair and Hollywood
For whatever reason, I’ve not been cleaving to my higher angels during this sabbatical (just beginning week 5) – behaving more like a man on vacation, than a man on a mission. I’m willing to chalk it up to a passive aggressive response to having worked two years without a vacation, but the proof will be in the pudding. (more…) -
Quiet Desperation (Black Mass)
There’s no fool like an old fool. I’m starting to think about the U.S. this way, like we’ve passed through adulthood, and are sliding into senility characterized by regression to childish behavior – still in the early stages though. How much of this feeling is based on the broader insights the internet gives us into previously dark corners of the country is tough to say, but we don’t seem to be cleaving to our higher angels. (more…) -
Journal – 09/19/15: Traps, Self-Help and Stars
When hearing advice, do you ever reflexively think “I know that”, then immediately dismiss it? I do, it’s one of the many dumb things I tend to do. The past couple of weeks have been a perfect example of “physician heal thyself” for me, and it’s time to put the kibosh on it! (more…) -
Noodling: Inevitable Hate
I’m biased toward critical thinking, I enjoy listening to others use it, and use it myself when I’m not being stupid. Its opposite number, dogma, posits that certainty is preferable to thinking. The former elevates the individual, the latter co-opts the individual. If you value yourself as an individual, it’s harder to devalue others as a group – but if you value yourself BECAUSE you’re in a group, it’s a hell of a lot easier to devalue another group. All of which got me thinking about whether hate is inevitable, or something we (humans) can grow out of. (more…)