Author Archives: John Swinburn

The year is in its death throes. Only today and tomorrow remain. The rest of 2025—barely recognizable as it collapses into its ultimate decay—is a mound of shattered and splintered days—nothing more than smoldering embers and ashes. Gasping for a … Continue reading →

One day, I will write it. Until then, I will keep looking for words to describe it. When I find them, if indeed I do, I will write it. In the meantime, I will continue to leave myself clues. Sorting … Continue reading →

An old-style calculator sits on my desk, almost hidden beneath the computer monitor.  “Old-style,” meaning a stand-alone desktop device dedicated to arithmetic functions.  Mine is a latter-day old-style calculator, a small dual-powered (battery and solar) device.  I justified keeping the … Continue reading →

Last night, while listening to an Amazon Music station’s selection of soft, soothing piano music, my mind conjured an idea for a huge graphic that would illustrate the enormity of the scope of words that relate to Time. In the … Continue reading →

On this day after Christmas, I feel an urge to write about war. I am grateful for having never been asked to fight in a war. I wonder whether I would have had the courage of my convictions and refused … Continue reading →

Today is Patty’s birthday. AND it’s Christmas Day, as well. Coincidence? Or a diabolical plan hatched by Krampus?  No matter. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday, and other celebratory situations. +++ Regardless of how early I go to … Continue reading →

Roger Whittaker release the single, “Durham Town (The Leavin’)” in 1969, when I was sixteen years old. The tune spent sixteen weeks on the UK Singles Chart, reaching the peak of its popularity when it was number 12 of the … Continue reading →

Back in the early days, when I was young and energetic and more than a little naive, I wore a suit and tie to work every day. My favorite ensemble from my collection of business attire comprised a dignified, light-grey … Continue reading →

I do not know who created this image, but whoever did it is, in my mind, a brilliant artist and thinker. 🙂 Blue Lights, the BBC police procedural set in Northern Ireland, is annoying in the infrequency of available new … Continue reading →

We know it’s fiction, of course. Though we play along with the idea—to an extent—we’re under no delusions. There is no question about it. Clearly, it’s fantasy. But somewhere in the deepest recesses of our minds, we secretly consider the … Continue reading →

Both my attention span and my memory are short. Together, they have the capacity to create an insurmountable obstacle to developing expertise in any subject.  When coupled with a lack of discipline—and levels of curiosity and interest that ebb and … Continue reading →

Five years ago today. It was both yesterday and a thousand lifetimes ago. I suppose I was fortunate to have known my wife’s death was at hand, but I was not prepared for it when it came. How does one … Continue reading →

Townes Van Zandt once was asked why all his songs were so sad. His response, I think, summarized his life experience: I have a few that aren’t sad, they’re hopeless. About a totally hopeless situation. And the rest aren’t sad; … Continue reading →

History is within arm’s reach. That is to say, it’s much closer than we think. This morning, I was reminded of just how near we are to “the past” when I glanced online at an Associated Press (AP) regular feature … Continue reading →

I woke earlier today than I have been waking in recent months. The extra time of darkness and solitude could have given me an infusion of serenity if I had approached it properly. But I did not. I skimmed the … Continue reading →

  Half an hour past noon today, half of the month of December will have slid past us, with the remaining half trying to decide whether the rest of the trip is worth the effort. If Time were a sentient … Continue reading →

Hope and hopelessness do not belong in the same universe, do they? One is illumination, the other is darkness. One is a pathway to survival, the other a collapsing bridge over a bottomless abyss. Both, though, exist at opposite points … Continue reading →

A quote attributed to Albert Einstein is phrased slightly differently, depending on the presenter of the attribution: The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing. (from GoodReads.com) … Continue reading →

The hypocrisy of so-called Christians whose support of an utterly immoral regime that celebrates its thirst for cruelty and demonstrates its rejection of Christian values seems to confound the pundits. How is it, they wonder, that people who claim to … Continue reading →

The world as we know it today—a fragile, dangerous place that could erupt into an explosive, apocalyptic inferno at any moment—is very different from the world that could have been if humanity had prevailed over hatred. But we will never … Continue reading →

Time rushes to replace moments that should have been preserved. When fond experiences exist only in memories, we cling to lies we’ve been told: that now is better than then; that new is better than old. But familiarity fits like … Continue reading →

Pessimism, when countered by optimistic fantasy, can decay into hopeless avoidance. Realism, on the other hand, has the potential of sending ocean-going passenger vessels to the bottom of the sea. Optimism paints lifelike portraits that are a little too perfect; … Continue reading →

Just short of two weeks from now, the Northern Hemisphere will experience the Winter Solstice. The shortest day, the longest night, the beginning of winter. Drinking mulled wine, making gingerbread, lighting a Yule log, feasting, and several other rituals coincide … Continue reading →

The closest we come to truly experiencing the entire human life cycle requires conscious observation of—or participation in—several crucial moments. The very first involves the moment of conception. A little later, watching the fetus become a visible lump in a … Continue reading →

Today—December 6, 2025—is the 108th anniversary of Finland’s independence. The celebration will include a review of troops and a ceremonial march. Many of the day’s events will be broadcast live on TV1, Radio Suomi, Yle.fi and Yle Areena. The president, … Continue reading →