We Americans are the best informed people on earth as to the events of the last twenty-four hours; we are the not the best informed as the events of the last sixty centuries
— Will Durant
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Tyler, the Portly Politico on Chinese Spy Balloon: “My sentiments precisely. The balloon flew over my town, and my reaction was amusement, not fear. I figure the ChiComs…” Feb 6, 11:05
jonolan on Introducing The Daomaki: “😆 Yeah! And, I'm thinking a crosshatch drizzle of both Eel Sauce and either Spicy Mayo or Spicy Miso. Or…” Nov 11, 08:11
Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes has always been a source of rare and somewhat underrecognized wisdom. This quick cartoon is a perfect example of the subtle lessons Mr. Watterson taught. I would call it a lesson in Adulting Childhood or Childing Adulthood.
Perhaps we as a culture were and are too fond of and yet, at the same time, to ignorant of the meaning in 1 Corinthians 13:11. Perhaps we, to our harm, put away the childlike alongside the childish. We seem to listen to our minds while ignoring our hearts’ and souls’ exhortations to find and appreciate the wonders big and small that abound in Creation.
This entry was posted on Saturday, January 7th, 2023 at 5:30 am and is filed under Philosophy, Society.
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If you’re my age, near to it, or older than me – though I can’t vouch for the younger sorts – you’ve had some exposure to the tale of Icarus and his father, Daedalus. And, we’ve always had taught to us a cautionary tale against hubris or excessive ambition – essentially a fable of what dire consequences come from not knowing your place and acting above your station or means.
But what then if Icarus laughed as he burned and fell?
Yes, what if Icarus laughed through his pain as he burned and fell? That would change the tenor and the moral of this ancient fable.
There is a bitter triumph in crashing when you should be soaring
And isn’t there such a bitter triumph? To fly in the face of greater powers; to force them to recognize your existence; to feel their wrath upon your flesh, knowing that those powers can wrack and ruin your flesh, end your body’s life, but cannot quell your soul. That is triumph, albeit a bitter one. That is a death well-earned and rarely equaled.
There is a certain beauty in setting the world on fire and watching from the centre of the flames
And yes! I’m honest enough to admit – indeed, to proclaim – that there is a certain beauty in destruction and that the best and greatest view of it if from the epicenter of the flames.
Then Let Us Burn Together
So not what Ovid’s work was meant to teach, but truer to the spirit of Man. What greater and more terrible beauty can there be than scream out our spite till the flames melt our lungs and burn out our voices? What more awesome beauty is there for any of to see than world burning around us until it melts the eyes from our faces?
It is hard to deny the beauty and majesty of not just refusing to go quietly into the long night; not just raging raging against its coming – but laughing as we bring the light of our pyre into it.
This entry was posted on Friday, December 16th, 2022 at 11:00 am and is filed under Philosophy, Society.
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While it’s true that Jung isn’t the most favored or respected of philosophers and psychoanalysts in this age, but his works on the collective unconsciousness of Man and the embodiment of Archetypes in our individual and group worldviews is seminal. So, here’s to helping you all know the Noteworthy Archetypes you’ll likely encounter a bit better. 😉
This entry was posted on Sunday, November 27th, 2022 at 7:00 am and is filed under Humor, Philosophy.
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Philosophy is normally a subject of “study” restricted to the provided-for intellectual elites who will, sadly, never need to do anything useful to earn a living. But, in all truth, philosophy isn’t only for ivory towers. It’s also found in Walmart – especially existentialism and nihilism. 😆
This entry was posted on Sunday, September 18th, 2022 at 9:00 am and is filed under Humor, Philosophy.
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Either your beliefs matter or they don’t. Do your beliefs matter? Or are you one of many, many, many sorts who claim beliefs but stay silenced by the fears of opprobrium? If you’re the latter what does that say about you?
Or, maybe it says more about your beliefs – not the content thereof, but your actual understanding of them. Maybe you don’t really believe in what you think you do. Maybe, that belief or yours is just a convenient placeholder and placard for what you really believe.
This entry was posted on Thursday, September 1st, 2022 at 7:00 am and is filed under Ethics & Morality, Philosophy, Religion, Society.
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Tyler, the Portly Politico on Chinese Spy Balloon: “My sentiments precisely. The balloon flew over my town, and my reaction was amusement, not fear. I figure the ChiComs…” Feb 6, 11:05
