I admit I know virtually nothing about the trial of Casey Anthony, who is accused of killing her almost three-year-old toddler, Caylee. I find the media and the public’s obsessive preoccupation with this murder trial to be morbid, just as it was with the 1996 Jon Benet Ramsey murder case. But, most of all, I…
Category
Thoughts
We Invariably Prefer the Universal Synthesis
“We invariably prefer the universal synthesis, the answer that settles all the dust and resolves every question – even when it is not entirely true – over the mercy and grace of God.” The above quote comes from the always sagacious Richard Rohr via his new book Falling Upward. In this quote he is discussing…
Henry Darger and The Fine Line Between Insanity and Brilliance
Last Wednesday night our movie group watched the documentary film In The Realm of The Unreal, directed by Jessica Yu. In brief, the film documents the incredible story of Henry Darger (1892-1973), a visionary artist, janitor, and novelist. Darger’s story takes place in the Chicago area and tracks his life beginning with his turbulent childhood….
Authority, power, domination & intimidation is what dictators, kings & emperors have used to subjugate & oppress their people for centuries. So why do parents do the same thing?
Authoritarian leadership–whether at home or in the classroom–means that the control is in the hands of the adult leader. It has been researched and proven for decades how ineffective maintaining control through power is. Authoritarianism often creates fearful and subservient children and/or rebellion. … I have come to the conclusion that parents over the years…
To Think Is To Forget: Joshua Foer’s Moonwalking with Einstein
Perhaps, as Borges concludes in his story, “It is forgetting, not remembering, that is the essence of what makes us human. To make sense of the world we must filter it. To think,” Borgese writes, “is to forget.” I am currently enjoying Joshua Foer’s book Moonwalking with Einstein. It is a book about memory, specifically…
Of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews.
“If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” –Paul, Phillipians 3:4b-6…
A Fetish of Intimidation
Fear-as-fuel causes a kind of social global warming, filling our social atmosphere with invisible toxins that subtly, silently, relentlessly change everything and make our society less humane and less habitable. Those who live by the sword, Jesus said, will die by it, and I imagine the same could be said for fear, because the sword…
A Joyful Celebration (of Killing?)
Joyfully celebrating the killing of a killer who joyfully celebrated killing carries an irony that I hope will not be lost on us. Are we learning anything, or simply spinning harder in the cycle of violence? The quote above comes from Brian McLaren’s initial reaction to the news of Osama Bin Laden’s death. I don’t…
Right handed men don’t hold it with their left.
Vincent: What’s this? Dr. Lamar: New Policy, what’s the matter? Flight got you nervous. Vincent: Nope, there’s a problem Lamar… Dr. Lamar: …I still haven’t told you about my son have I. He’s a big fan of yours… Vincent: Just remember. I was as good as any, and better than most… Dr. Lamar: …He wants…
The Cult of Achievement: Why EQ is Better Than IQ
“Another problem with the cult of achievement is that it places so much emphasis on developing a child’s IQ that an equally crucial aspect is totally eclipsed–what psychologist Daniel Goleman, cofounder of the Collaborative for Social and Emotional Learning at the Yale University Child study Center, calls “EQ” in his groundbreaking book, Emotional Intelligence: Why…