Category Archives: Wisdom

Another Try: Wisdom

Posted on November 24, 2019 by John Swinburn

Wisdom involves knowledge, but knowledge alone does not constitute wisdom. Wisdom is the abstract application of knowledge with discernment. That is, wisdom is not just knowledge, it’s knowing what to do with knowledge. As I am wont to do when … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry, Wisdom, Writing | Leave a comment

On Wisdom and Travel and Self-Reflection

Posted on September 24, 2019 by John Swinburn

I do not know the originator of the following concept, but I applaud his or her wisdom in expressing it: If you can’t intelligently argue for both sides of an issue, you don’t understand the issue well enough to argue … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Anchor

Posted on August 28, 2019 by John Swinburn

In Macbeth, Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth is ambitious and heartless. She believes her husband is too full of kindness and compassion (the milk of human kindness) to take the most expedient path (the nearest way) toward the Scottish crown. That is, … Continue reading →

Posted in Emotion, Wisdom, Writing | 1 Comment

Vicarious Escape

Posted on June 15, 2018 by John Swinburn

A eighty-year-old friend whose husband died recently called me from her road trip this afternoon. She was waiting in her grandson’s driveway in Prescott, Arizona for his arrival. She had just gotten to his house when she received my text, … Continue reading →

Posted in Wisdom, Writing | Leave a comment

Renaissance

Posted on March 24, 2017 by John Swinburn

The opportunity exists, in the midst of a Trump-incited plunge toward base vulgarity, for a renaissance of decency and decorum. The opportunity exists for a return to standards of behavior that value humanity and compassion. Key to seizing that opportunity is … Continue reading →

Posted in Compassion, Hope, Philosophy, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Sudden Changes

Posted on February 15, 2017 by John Swinburn

Sudden shifts in my plans are nothing, not when those shifts are launched in response to massive dislocations in others’ lives. My wife and I had spent a very restive night at the Best Western Premier in Bryan, Texas, thanks … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Reflecting on What’s to Come

Posted on January 22, 2017 by John Swinburn

Let me preface my comments with these words: I absolutely despise Donald Trump; I believe he is a despicable human being whose rise to the Presidency cannot be explained entirely with logic. How a madman with the capacity to undermine … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Compassion, Education, Empathy, Philosophy, Politics, Wisdom | 2 Comments

Thoughts and Questions on Searching

Posted on May 11, 2016 by John Swinburn

The risk of seeking illumination through introspection is that a flood of tears can douse the candle, plunging the searcher into irrevocable darkness. Thinking that searching for answers is a logical endeavor suggests that the question is clear; sometimes, only after finding answers do the questions … Continue reading →

Posted in Just Thinking, Wisdom | 2 Comments

A Recurring Theme

Posted on March 26, 2016 by John Swinburn

The most recent ember, I think, was the Crystal Bridges museum exhibition, The Open Road: Photography and the American Road Trip. The exhibit features more than 100 photos taken by 19 photographers as they traveled across the USA from the 1950s through … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Travel, Wisdom | Leave a comment

New Wisdom

Posted on February 29, 2016 by John Swinburn

Yesterday, between trips to Kroger’s and Lowe’s for groceries and household hardware, respectively, we made a quick stop at the Garland County Library, where my wife dropped off a couple of books and picked up a few more. While she was … Continue reading →

Posted in Wisdom | 1 Comment

Writers’ Retreat

Posted on November 3, 2015 by John Swinburn

It won’t be long before I depart Hot Springs Village with three friends and colleagues for a three-day experiment in productivity. We’re driving to Eureka Springs to spend three days and nights at The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow in … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Wisdom, Writing | 4 Comments

Conundrum: Yet, Still, We Must Understand

Posted on August 1, 2015 by John Swinburn

Today, or maybe it was yesterday, I came to the realization that the only way to understand myself is to understand others. It seems so utterly contradictory, yet as I sit here typing this, I believe it to be factual … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Allowing In All Recollections

Posted on June 8, 2015 by John Swinburn

The conversation stirred recollections. Maybe. But were they real? I spoke of old memories, memories I don’t trust. Did I really visit several strip clubs while I was in high school and in the first years of college, or were … Continue reading →

Posted in Memories, Philosophy, Wisdom | 1 Comment

Shreds

Posted on April 28, 2015 by John Swinburn

His eyes reflect his posturing, that ugly affect meant to intimidate those who would oppose him. Looking deeply into those eyes, though, one sees the abject terror within, the fright that bubbles up from the core. His only weapon—the hatred that rips even … Continue reading →

Posted in Depression, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Dreaming without the Sleep Part

Posted on December 14, 2014 by John Swinburn

I just spent the better part of two hours in my little “shop,” listening to music and musing about life. Getting lost in music and musing is easy to do. It tends to take me into introspective moods, which can be … Continue reading →

Posted in Serenity, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Respite from Expectations

Posted on November 17, 2014 by John Swinburn

The simple act of living in a world of expectations is hard.  It requires mental energy in every waking moment.  Even as we attempt to recover through sleep, there they are, those expectations stalking our dreams just as they slink … Continue reading →

Posted in Happiness, Health, Just Thinking, Philosophy, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Your Eyes

Posted on November 8, 2014 by John Swinburn

Your eyes betray you.  They say more than your words, more than your gestures, more than the way you shrug your shoulders.  They speak a language that eludes you.  They are fluent in divulging secrets you hoped to obscure. Those … Continue reading →

Posted in Wisdom, Writing | 2 Comments

I used to be smart…

Posted on September 21, 2014 by John Swinburn

Today’s Thoughts for the Day got me thinking about things I wrote while wearing the robes of business owner and association executive.  Naturally, after reading the post that was the genesis of my Thoughts for the Day, I spent some … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Wisdom | 1 Comment

A Patina of Experience

Posted on August 29, 2014 by John Swinburn

Last night, I was in “a mood.”   It caused me to write an email to a friend, something I too rarely do.  The message was mostly silliness memorialized in language, but as I read my message this morning, I saw … Continue reading →

Posted in Dreams, Philosophy, Serenity, Wisdom | 5 Comments

Slow

Posted on April 29, 2014 by John Swinburn

At first, the attitude was aggressive.  Nonstop, fast-paced, hard-driving, get it done.  But it slowed after the third day.  The urgency receded, replaced by the recognition that it can’t all be done at once.  Some things take time.  Rushing can only lead … Continue reading →

Posted in Moving, Philosophy, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Self-Imposed Privilege

Posted on April 27, 2014 by John Swinburn

Even those who call themselves champions of every man may set themselves apart as members of an elite group to which only the select few may belong.  That  is why I can be a skeptic.  But not always.  And not today. Doctors … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Good Fortune

Posted on April 9, 2014 by John Swinburn

Some days, I have to kick myself for failing to adequately appreciate how incredibly fortunate I am. Today is not one of those days. Today, for reasons too convoluted to go into in a short blog post, the breadth and … Continue reading →

Posted in Love, Philosophy, Thanksgiving, Wisdom | 2 Comments

The Questions Remain

Posted on April 7, 2014 by John Swinburn

A scene can play out before your eyes in very different ways. You wait impatiently in your car for an old woman to cross the street as she slowly pulls a grocery cart, cursing under your breath at the fact that … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Wisdom | 1 Comment

Feathers

Posted on March 21, 2014 by John Swinburn

We’re all connected, like the components of a feather.  Have you ever wondered about the parts of a feather?  If so, you’re an inquisitive person.  I’ve wondered.  But it took me sixty years to ask the question, at the right … Continue reading →

Posted in Wisdom | Leave a comment

10 Painfully Obvious Truths Everyone Forgets Too Soon

Posted on March 3, 2014 by John Swinburn

The title of this post is not mine; it’s the title of someone else’s post I find especially insightful.  So, I won’t attempt to say in my own words what they’ve already said.  I’ll just incorporate their words directly here.

Posted in Philosophy, Wisdom | Leave a comment