Eating with a spoon
For years, when I was presented with my bowl of veggies and handed a spoon, I would quietly trade the spoon for a fork. I mean, I’m an adult: I eat with a fork! Ah, the power of subliminal programming!
Tag Archives: philosophy
Afterlife
Whether from living in the horror-show of 2020 or because of the recent death of my father, my thoughts have been tending recently toward deeper topics than usual. Lately I’ve been thinking abut the nature of consciousness.
Everything happens for a reason: NOT
Like many people, I truly believe that everything happens for a reason. And that reason is … so you can use the experience to spark creative ideas. … so you can deepen your capacity for compassion. … so you can add to your catalog of experiences. … so you can appreciate the things you have.
The high cost of the work-to-live treadmill
My mind broke a little bit today. Unable to sleep in the wee hours this morning, I [foolishly] picked up my phone and was browsing through a few social media outlets when I came upon a post that put into words something that I have very worriedly obsessed over for years. This worry has seemed so big, so… Read More »
The lasting effect of kindness
Recently I came across a document that is meaningful to me in several ways: the divorce document from January 1987 that finally ended my first marriage. As I held the papers in my hands, I smiled as it brought to mind something that, at first glance, seems unrelated.
Creativity
Many people have the ember of a creative spark in them. This ember rarely is given a chance to catch and grow into a flame…
Why I Blog
On a spring day about a year ago, after urging another particularly eloquent friend to not give up on his blog, I realized that I hadn’t really answered for myself that question of why I keep a blog. Why do I write, and in particular why this blog? I’ve been mulling over this for over a year now, and here’s my answer: This blog is my legacy.
Noticing the Wonder
About five years after we moved to our home in Beaverton, Oregon, and then for maybe 5 years after that, the tree just across the street was a starling tree. Hundreds and hundreds of the local starlings would congregate in this tree every afternoon in the spring and fall…
Potential
Walking around in almost every one of us is a wellspring of untapped potential. Some call it inspiration, some call it god — whatever you call it, there exists in us a deep beauty, a spark, that few of us acknowledge, let alone show or attempt to express. The thing about potential is that it is nearly useless… Read More »
Philosophy Matters
I think it is important that people carve out head space in their mental lives to ponder questions of existence and meaning beyond the mechanics of how it is discussed. It’s what gives us depth and puts us in touch with a reserve of somethingness/nothingness that can be very powerful. Some people use religion to tap into that… Read More »
Supernaturalism in Art
Especially if you do not hold a religious view of the world, art that depends on magic, religion, and spirituality can sometimes lead to eye rolling. Even as an atheist living in a culture steeped in Christianity, I like to keep myself open to the value of introspection and awe. This applies to the beauty of nature, and also… Read More »