Category Archives: Philosophy

You May be Getting Ripped Off; Someone Else is Dying

Posted on February 12, 2014 by John Swinburn

Rarely will I ask readers to forward one of my posts, but I’m making an exception with this one. Please, please read it and the stories linked to it, then forward this to as many people as you can…or post … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Philosophy, Secular morality | 2 Comments

Fifteen Years On

Posted on February 7, 2014 by John Swinburn

When I read a poignant rumination on what it’s like to be 45 years old, I found myself thinking back fifteen years to the time I was forty-five.  I tried to recall how I felt, what I thought I had … Continue reading →

Posted in Happiness, Philosophy, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Compassion…hmmm

Posted on February 3, 2014 by John Swinburn

Yesterday afternoon, I read many reactions to the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman.  They ranged from expressions of loss and grief to attacks on the character and intelligence of anyone who dies of a drug overdose. One comment said simply, … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Film, Philosophy | 12 Comments

Drive

Posted on January 17, 2014 by John Swinburn

Desire, want, hope…all emotions that seeks change for a perceived better.  “I have a desire to be better looking and have more money.”  “I have a deep-seated want to more gregarious.” “His hope is to achieve a medical breakthrough.” None … Continue reading →

Posted in Happiness, Philosophy, Self-discipline, Wisdom | 3 Comments

Scale

Posted on January 15, 2014 by John Swinburn

Yesterday I looked online at a light pollution map.  It’s really just photographs of the earth in darkness, stitched together to form a scalable image of the entire earth at night. Zoom out and you can see the entire earth; zoom … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy | Leave a comment

There, but for the grace of God, go I

Posted on January 4, 2014 by John Swinburn

“There, but for the grace of God, go I.” I’ve often wondered about the origin of that phrase. I finally looked it up. If the online presence of “Britannia: America’s Gateway to the British Isles Since 1996” is to be believed, … Continue reading →

Posted in Language, Philosophy, Religion | 2 Comments

Getting Fat on Expectations

Posted on December 29, 2013 by John Swinburn

I sneaked back onto Facebook and noticed something right away.  My absence wasn’t noticed.  Not even by me.  The lives of the Facebookies did not erupt in turmoil at my absence.  There were no huge, gaping holes where my contributions … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy | 11 Comments

You Die Twice

Posted on December 28, 2013 by John Swinburn

I watched a report, entitled Remembering with Dignity, on the PBS Newshour the other night. It was about efforts to remember and recognize people who had died while in a state mental institution in Minnesota years ago. When those people … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Philosophy | 9 Comments

Singular Solutions

Posted on December 27, 2013 by John Swinburn

I once had enormous faith in the ability of science and technology to solve the monstrous problems confronting humankind.  Lately, though, my confidence has ebbed as I’ve come to acknowledge that astonishing breakthroughs in science and technology frequently come with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Food, Government, Philosophy, Politics, Population, Poverty, Urban planning, Water | 7 Comments

Superficial

Posted on December 26, 2013 by John Swinburn

I wrote a very short vignette a few days ago in which a character changed his first name from Dan to Bravado.  It was a silly, completely transparent piece suggesting the idiocy and dangers of superficiality. When I wrote it, … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Selfishness | 2 Comments

Merry Christmas!

Posted on December 25, 2013 by John Swinburn

Whether Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Atheist, Agnostic, or Other, most people acknowledge this day as Christmas day.  We’re not all celebrating the same thing when we celebrate today, but I think we’re all acknowledging the capacity of humanity to have good … Continue reading →

Posted in Peace, Philosophy | 6 Comments

Vignette: The Importance of Names

Posted on December 22, 2013 by John Swinburn

Dan and Melanie Churchpepper married 31 years earlier.  Like every married couple, they’d had their ups and downs, but generally their time together had been pleasant, if not overwhelmingly exciting.  Their lives were predictable, if somewhat dull. After 31 years in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Philosophy | Leave a comment

Le jeu n’en vaut pas la chandelle

Posted on December 21, 2013 by John Swinburn

“The game is not worth the candle.” It’s a favorite phrase of mine; it says so much, so economically. The last time I used it was well over a year ago.  The phrase is said to have originated with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Politics | Leave a comment

Photographic Evidence of Hyperdistance and Uberspace

Posted on December 16, 2013 by John Swinburn

If you stare intently enough into the highfalutin shot glass from which you’re sipping rye, you can see the other side of the universe.   This photo simply doesn’t do it justice. I recall, when I took this photo a … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Whispers

Posted on December 13, 2013 by John Swinburn

Whispers. That’s what we hear when we watch television news or listen to ourselves reading from the New York Times or Chicago Tribune or skim messages from Facebook or Twitter.  These are not proclamations of truth or emphatic pronouncements of fact. They’re … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy | 6 Comments

Roots of Religion

Posted on December 1, 2013 by John Swinburn

A few months ago, I watched The Buddha on PBS for the third or fourth time.  Almost every time I see that it’s on, I watch it.  That’s not my usual practice with television; generally, I don’t watch it much … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Religion, Secular morality | 6 Comments

Looking for a New Neighborhood

Posted on November 25, 2013 by John Swinburn

It’s rare, but it happens: the advice offered in a “free e-newsletter” turns out to be valuable, thought-provoking advice. In the instance to which I am referring, it was nothing earth-shattering, but decent, well-conceived advice. I will give credit where … Continue reading →

Posted in Housiing, Philosophy, Population, Third Place | 6 Comments

The Darkest Storm

Posted on November 23, 2013 by John Swinburn

A monstrous storm is approaching.  It is too big to avoid; no matter where or how fast you go, you cannot hope to escape.  Your home cannot possibly survive the coming storm, nor can public shelters hope to do better. … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Philosophy | 4 Comments

A Part of the Main

Posted on November 22, 2013 by John Swinburn

There is no wider world.  We are it.  We are all we have. Our friends, our families, our communities, the people we see each day. We pretend to pledge allegiance to states or countries, even causes, but the reality is … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy | Leave a comment

Ownership Apostasy

Posted on November 12, 2013 by John Swinburn

A friend’s comment in an email message to me this morning started the wheels turning. He suggested the possibility that posts on one’s blogs or on Facebook might be like property. I tried to wrap my mind around it. That’s where … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy | 3 Comments

Coffee and Control

Posted on November 10, 2013 by John Swinburn

I was on my third cup of coffee this morning, two more than is typical for me these days, when it struck me. I have no issue with coffee.  But it was when I was drinking that third cup that … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy | 5 Comments

Rage is the only reasonable response

Posted on October 30, 2013 by John Swinburn

This piece makes me so angry I could scream. I don’t begrudge the wealthy for their wealth, up to a point. But when it becomes clear that it’s ALL about their own wealth and the system within which they operate … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Poverty | Leave a comment

Urban Justice

Posted on October 30, 2013 by John Swinburn

I awoke at 4:30 a.m. this morning from a frightening dream,  my heart pounding. In the dream, I was trying to catch up to my wife, who was running, far ahead of me, with a crowd of other people toward doors … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Government, Housiing, Philosophy, Politics, Urban planning | 2 Comments

Being Present

Posted on October 18, 2013 by John Swinburn

It’s early, cool, and overcast.  I awoke considerably earlier this morning than I have in some time.  Until just a few weeks (or has it been months?) ago, it was common for me to be awake and out of bed … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Wisdom | 1 Comment

What Is This Teaching Me?

Posted on October 11, 2013 by John Swinburn

So, here I am in the midst of another month of doing without.  My plan calls for doing without, for one month at a time, something I enjoy; this month, I’m depriving myself of a category of food I enjoy: meat. … Continue reading →

Posted in Doing Without, Food, Philosophy, Self-discipline | 4 Comments