A space for observation, discovery, and growth
We May Overlook the Gifts of Our Senses. Today, We Recognize Them
A Change of Pace for Agents of Reason
More times than not, this blog talks about our lack of sense – as in Common Sense. National and international news has been so intense of late (and will get more so over the next 6 months), I thought we could use a little change in focus for today. About those other senses, not about common sense.
I have mentioned from time to time how important our senses are, but only in passing.
The Last Few Days Have Been Long on the Sublime and the Ridiculous
Starting with the Easy Stuff
The Academy Awards
I have long found it increasingly harder to care at all about the Academy Awards. It seems a party of self-congratulation among people whose lives have zero relevance or connection to the rest of the world. But, hey, I have my favorite movies, too and and sometimes the outcomes are interesting. The Big News this time, of course was Will Smith slapping Chris Rock. Four VERY short observations:
Join the discussion at: Short Observations on a Busy, Weird Week
We Sometimes Forget What a Powerful Thing Language Can Be
What Do We Mean by Language?
For a long time, when we thought of language we thought of word-based communications between human beings. One of those things that separated us from the rest of the animal kingdom. Now, of course, we are learning that this was our ignorance showing itself. It seems almost daily that we learn of communication between critters of all kinds that go beyond just particular sounds.
The basic definition holds – a system of communication that may be verbal,
Reflections on Music in Our Lives
Music as Culture, Art, Meditation, and Communication
This blog focused on music somewhat in a posting some months ago, but as America begins to emerge from COVID isolation, this seems a good time for some additional, different reflections. The quote about the charms of music in the title of today’s blog is certainly true – and it has a long history. The wording varies a bit in its historical variations.
Many think Shakespeare is the author. Au, Contraire! It is largely agreed by historians that the author of the version we have heard over the years was 17thCentury poet William Congreve,
Join the discussion at: Music Has Charms to Soothe the Savage Beast- or to Rock On
I Have Been Reading Some Great Stuff. Allow Me to Share.
The State of Writing in America
I am pleased to report that, at least from my perspective, there is some really fine writing going on in this country. I have a short list of recent work that I have been thoroughly enjoying.
Note I said enjoying, present tense. I find that I tend to slow up when I find exemplary writing. I like to kind of roll around in the luxury of stories well told or facts well analyzed.
Is That Me, You?
The idea of a doppelganger is an ancient concept that literature loves to this day. The term originated in German folklore. It meant a ghostly or paranormal phenomenon, usually as a harbinger of bad luck. Today it is more broadly defined to include a non-biologically related look-alike or double of a living person.
It is a concept fiction writers have loved since its earliest days. I am not much of a fiction reader (unless you count anything Trump says). But I do feast often on science fiction and here, too, the doppelganger often finds a home.
Join the discussion at: The Doppelgänger Effect – You, Meet You
Listen Up. I Have Good Sounds to Share
Magic in the Music
I consider the guitar about the most flexible and wide-ranging instrument in modern music. Now, take anything I say about music with a grain of salt. I play no instrument, save for a brief time with the Kazoo (funny story, there. Later.) I cannot read music. This is an inexcusable personal failure owing to lack of initiative. Who knows, if we are all quarantined for another month, I may solve that. I don’t even have very good hearing. But music moves me.
Not So Fast, There. Allow Me to Blur the Lines for You.
Drawing Boxes and Coloring Inside the Lines. Maybe Not.
Human beings have a tendency to divide things up into black and white. Real life often does not operate in that manner. Making hard divisions where they do not really exist deprives us of one of the joys of having a brain. To see how ideas and capacities cross over is one of life’s great joys. Let’s look at a few examples and celebrate the mélange.
Science, Anyone?
For much of my life,
Join the discussion at: Think You Know the Difference Between Art and Science?
Almost Everything, As A Matter Of Fact
An Unlikely Pairing
On a recent Summer night, as I was enjoying a home game of our local minor league baseball team, I had an epiphany at the bottom of the fifth inning.
I had run into a friend at the game and she said, “I love baseball, but sometimes it seems so slow.” Others have said the same, of course, but I always felt that was not correct. Why did I not feel as they do? As I pondered that question, fortified by my cracker jacks,
Join the discussion at: What Do Baseball and Japanese Tea Ceremonies Have in Common?
Four Recent Documentaries Remind Us There is Reason for Hope and Celebration
Lights at the End of the Tunnel
More days than not, we see and read a lot that leaves us discouraged. Our fellow human beings leave a lot to be desired, it would seem (present company excluded, of course…). But that is only part of the story. It is a good and healthy thing to be reminded that there are near angels among us.
Four documentaries have come out recently that do a splendid job of reminding us of that fact.
Join the discussion at: It’s Easy to Forget the Remarkable, Good People Among Us
