Since time in memorial heroes have been thought by most to be those who do not retreat, who put themselves in danger of their lives. In the annals of heroism fighting to the death is but one, and then maybe not the finest one, of which human beings are capable. There is a story of…
Month: February 2011
Cynical Me
Cynicism is deeply bound up with human ideas of practicality and in many ways feeds off our insular view of our ‘living conditions, in the widest possible meaning of that phrase. So when someone says all politicians are corrupt they are referencing not only the history of political careers and how corrupt so very may…
The Art Of Walking
When I was nine the nearest post box to our house was one mile away on the crossroads with the main road to the nearest large town, ten miles away. It made a suitable country walk with the dog whenever we had to post a letter. I was reminded of this today when I went…
What Matters
Sometimes we look at the past and forgetting the way in which things were manufactured, or how rare certain materials might have been or even expensive, we raise a smile at what people thought important enough to give as presents. Some of the traditions (the father buying the house for the newly wedded couple) have…
Connections
I used to wonder as the Earth was whizzing through space what happens when we hit the odd dust cloud, or radiation hikes, to our brains and to our bodies. I was interested because the whole idea that we are free individuals makes little sense as you look at the universe as a whole as…
Petdom
I was talking today with someone who argued that having pets – mostly dogs and cats but it applies across the board – is just another form of bling. The cost of feeding the animals that eat meat, in lives of other animals, and planetary degradation is huge – billions of animals, millions of acres,…
True Democracy
I was always surprised as a teenager and beginning to think about politics in the West, how people voted for things that were of particular moment to them. It seemed to me strange to vote for a leader of a country based narrowly of the benefits that would accrue to oneself from any particular candidate….
Friendships
I read a story many years ago about two writers, one of whom had something like a log cabin the woods. A getaway. He invited another writer for the weekend and the two men apparently spent three days together without saying a word to each other. The whole weekend may never have been recorded for…
Where Antagonism Stops
There is an old Indian fable of a maharajah and his chief adviser sitting playing chess. The maharajah asks his advisor about the deployment of the army to defeat the neighbouring maharajah. Instead of replying directly as to tactics the advisor asks him what he will do if he wins in a battle. The maharajah…
The Greatest Challenge
The fear of everyone on this planet is facing a situation in which one is impotent, with no answer, no solution to the problem one faces. It is this need to overcome obstacles that has propelled the growth of our brains and guided our reason – even if most of the problems had to do…