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Author Archives: John Swinburn
Lonely War
I am sorry; you do not understand. When you rejected the night sky, you repudiated the stars. When you ostracized the priest, you attacked the parishioner. When you battled against tears and won, you denounced emotion as weakness. You mistook an … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry
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Seven
If words were crutches, would we need to break our legs to use them? If crutches were words, would we use them to beat people over the head?
Posted in Ruminations
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Moral Challenges
Morality is a curious concept. Arguments about its origins notwithstanding, conversations about morality present dilemmas that illustrate the complexities and fundamental dichotomies that exist within humanity. Assuming we believe it is immoral to benefit from the suffering of another human … Continue reading
Posted in Just Thinking, Philosophy
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Six
Opinions, unlike facts, are not subjects to standards of proof. Consequently, they can be used as swords or as salve. But, then, so can facts when misused to “prove” opinions.
Posted in Ruminations
1 Comment
Morbid Curiosity?
I stumbled across something intriguing this morning. It was of sufficient interest to warrant the further investigation which followed. My fascination with language and its role in the human condition prompted my search and what, ultimately, might be considered morbid … Continue reading
Posted in Language
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In the Beginning, There was the Word
The concept of human language is fascinating to me. How is it that the sounds constituting Japanese and English and Arabic are so remarkably different, for example? And, quite apart from the differences in spoken words, how and why did written … Continue reading
Posted in Language
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Five
Quiet is a state of mind. Without it, no thoughts can find their way to completion.
Posted in Ruminations
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1001 Posts and Then Some
Well, with this one, it’s 1002. But just a moment ago, as I was looking at this blog’s administration pages, I saw that I had just published the 1000th and 1001st posts. I’m posting this, the 1002nd post, in recognition of … Continue reading
Talking to Myself
Some mornings, as I sit at my computer composing a post, I don’t write what’s on my mind at the moment. Instead, I compose words that suit the mood I’d like to be in. Or I attempt to use words … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Writing
2 Comments
Four
When invited into a person’s heart, don’t make the mistake of checking your calendar for availability.
Posted in Ruminations
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Scrupulous Honesty in Pursuit of an Ever-Illusive Truth
An hour after I awoke this morning (thanks to a sinus-drip-induced fit of coughing), I found myself reading about Bertrand Russell. As I read about his contributions to philosophy and political discourse, I found myself admiring the man for his … Continue reading
Posted in Just Thinking, Philosophy
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Was All Really Lost?
I watched (and watched is the operative word in this case) a movie, All is Lost, the other night. Robert Redford played the only character and had the only speaking part, requiring him to memorize very, very few, lines. While I was … Continue reading
Posted in Film
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Three
Is love is the absence of hate, just as cold is the absence of heat? There is more to love than filling a void. It is a void turned inside-out, revealing the entire universe in what once was vacancy.
Posted in Ruminations
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We Can Borrow Them
木漏れ日 The symbols above constitute a Japanese phrase for “sunlight filtering through tree leaves.” The English spelling of the phrase is komorebi. I see no need to reinvent the wheel, or create a new word in a language that already has some … Continue reading
Posted in Language
3 Comments
Two
I’m sure studies have explored the reasons music so profoundly affects mood in some (perhaps most) people. But, to my knowledge, no universal agreement about the reasons exists. I suspect music touches something primal beneath our civilized exteriors. I’d like … Continue reading
Posted in Ruminations
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The Technology of Caring and Social Change
Sometimes, I question the value of Facebook, thinking with some degree of certainty that it is simply a narcissism-fueled vehicle, hurling its cargo toward self-inflicted ego implosion. But then, every once in a while, I see evidence that the technology and foundation … Continue reading
Posted in Compassion, Friendship, Love, Technology
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One
Make peace with the past. Make love with the present. Make plans with the future.
Posted in Ruminations
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Positive Adjustments
Thanksgiving Day is the “official” day of gratitude. That notwithstanding, and in accord with my tendency to go against the grain, I will proclaim my gratitude again, today, on this last day of the year. This year has been one of … Continue reading
Posted in Change, Happiness
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December 31: Thoughts for the Day
As the year began, with tradition, so it ends; with reflection and anticipation. A lot of good things happened in 2014, and a lot of bad things happened. I’ll not judge the year on the basis of either, because that … Continue reading
Posted in Thoughts For the Day
3 Comments
Another Lover, Same Story
So many definitions of love, such a vast array of wildly disparate viewpoints of an emotion; yet people seem to have stunningly similar, deeply intimate perspectives on the emotion that feeds on intimacy. I have fallen in love again, for perhaps the thousandth time, but … Continue reading
Posted in Language, Love
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December 30: Thoughts for the Day
Get past the container and straight to the milk. Listen to what your thoughts are telling you.
Posted in Thoughts For the Day
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Who Is That Guy?
I wrote, a month or two ago, about an exercise in which one attempts to describe himself from the perspective of someone he has just met. I will do that here, basing my description on a specific person to whom … Continue reading
Posted in Just Thinking
5 Comments
December 29: Thoughts for the Day
Exploring emotions is just as satisfying as exploring intellect, perhaps more so. Intellect can run rough-shod over emotions; but naked emotions are raw and unharnessed reality. It’s too bad we have to hide so many of our emotions, the ones … Continue reading
Posted in Thoughts For the Day
1 Comment
Behaving Decently: A Reminder
Words that bear consideration: “I am a humanist, which means, in part, that I have tried to behave decently without expectations of rewards or punishments after I am dead.” ~Kurt Vonnegut That point having been considered, something that should have … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Religion, Secular morality
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December 28: Thoughts for the Day
If honesty were not so damn dangerous, we would be more forthright in our dealings with everyone from the power company to the people we love, and even the people we loathe.
Posted in Thoughts For the Day
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