Robert Mesle describes what Bernard Loomer thinks about unilateral power: In a unilateral model, the burdens of inequality are borne most heavily by those who are weaker: “The natural and inevitable inequalities among individuals and groups become the means where by the estrangements in life become wider and deeper. The rich become richer, and the…
Diary
LOST Finale: A Few Thoughts
I didn’t watch the first two seasons of LOST. After not being able to stand the perpetual buzz any longer and finally succumbing to relentless coercion from a good friend, I watched the first two seasons in one weekend. My level of captivation since then has been close to fanatical. As I’m sure all of…
Imagination Callaborating with Memory
It is all very well to copy what one sees, but it is far better to draw what one now only sees in one’s memory. That is a transformation in which imagination collaborates with memory. Quote: Edgar Degas Photogram: Jason Lazarus, Study #10 (64y, 64m at F8 for 1 sec without ashes, ashes layed down,…
‘Consumed in Grace’ and Theopoetics
Last night I gave a [very] brief introduction to Theopoetics and led a discussion at Valley Mosaic. This was one of the poems I shared in hopes that it would help people gain a better understanding of how to think, write and communicate in a theopoetic manner. Consumed in Grace by Saint Catherine of Siena…
Design is Unexplainable
The challenge with design is that it’s not as primitive as logic, but we tend to silently measure it logically. Design is a craft that approaches the complexity of natural language with nuances, contradictions, and emotions. Much like good writing, good design is something that doesn’t just evolve, but is intelligently created by a craftsman….
Why Poetry Matters
Poets write in the line of prophecy, and their work teaches us how to live. The language of poetry, when properly absorbed, becomes part of our private vocabulary, our way of moving through the world. —Jay Parini, Why Poetry Matters Photo by Céline Clanet.
Reflections on GasLand Documentary
Last night I saw a “sneak peek” of the movie GassLand, a documentary film that explores the nature of Natural Gas Drilling. The director of the film, Josh Fox, stopped in Williamsport on his mini tour which is intended to promote the film and increase awareness of how Natural Gas drilling is done and how…
Exploring, Observing and Seeing
It is a matter of how you begin: if you begin with theory, then one way or another your research winds up geared to making the case for or against the truth of the theory. Begin with theory, you begin with the answer; begin with observation, you begin with questions. A theory always turns into…
Flash Crash, 401ks and Friendships
I woke up this morning and heard about the “flash crash” and more news on the ongoing financial troubles in Europe (specifically Greece), and couldn’t help but think of the Bible and Shane Claiborne’s commentary on one particular part of Revelation. …read about the fall of Babylon. “Oh, here’s Babylon, she’s fallen, and the merchants…
How Beauty Will Save the World
Dostoyevsky and Solzhenitsyn proclaimed that beauty will save the world and this essay explores how Blake’s prophetic writings (especially “Jerusalem”) reveal how beauty transforms individuals and societies. Beauty need not be a commodity, a thing to be craved. Beauty can be about perceiving the divine in every thing, and such spiritual materialism can engender social justice. …