Category Archives: Philosophy

Endgame

Posted on October 9, 2013 by John Swinburn

The endgame for those who have engineered the shutdown of our government is horribly, horribly clear. I urge everyone to watch and listen to this piece, share it, and then to make their views known to their Congressmen and Senators. … Continue reading →

Posted in Government, Philosophy, Politics | Leave a comment

The Channel

Posted on October 4, 2013 by John Swinburn

Everyone who lives long enough begins to decay.  The body and the mind wither, shedding the volume and weight and substance no longer sustainable in the age of decline. Before the physical withering takes place, or maybe concurrently with that … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Philosophy | Leave a comment

You Are What You Settle For

Posted on September 30, 2013 by John Swinburn

If you don’t know, or don’t follow, Brain Pickings, you’re missing out on some truly interesting, thought-provoking, heart-rending pieces of communication.  Founded by Maria Popova, Brain Pickings describes itself as “a human-powered discovery engine for interestingness, a subjective lens on what … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Philosophy | 3 Comments

I could not bear to know what I knew about me, so I became someone else.

Posted on September 22, 2013 by John Swinburn

“I could not bear to know what I knew about me, so I became someone else.” That’s a line from a short story I once wrote…well, a short story I began to write. Initially, I was particularly satisfied with the … Continue reading →

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Unintended Consequences of Abstraction

Posted on July 21, 2013 by John Swinburn

When I was a student of sociology in the early 1970s, one of the sociologists I studied was Robert Merton.  Merton’s contributions to sociology were many, including the concepts of the self-fulfilling prophesy, role models, and reference groups.  I’ve long … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy | 2 Comments

Justice

Posted on July 14, 2013 by John Swinburn

I consider myself a Liberal with a capital “L.”  I lean left.  Far, far left.  In my view, society has an absolute obligation to provide an adequate level of support and care for those who cannot provide it for themselves. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal Rights, Philosophy | 16 Comments

Unexpected Attachments

Posted on July 7, 2013 by John Swinburn

A person can get tied to a place during the course of lifetime.  For some, the attachment can happen gradually, like the slow-growing roots of an oak tree gripping the soil and rocks beneath so tightly nothing can uproot it. … Continue reading →

Posted in Love, Memories, Philosophy, Sense of place, Where to Live | 2 Comments

National Pride

Posted on July 4, 2013 by John Swinburn

Today, the Fourth of July, I contemplate this country in which we live.  I have not been, nor am I now, a blind patriot.  I will never believe “my country, right or wrong.”  Blind patriotism is as dangerous as treason … Continue reading →

Posted in Independence Day, Philosophy | Leave a comment

Discipline: Doing Without

Posted on July 3, 2013 by John Swinburn

I subscribe to, but infrequently read, the periodic musings of a guy named Leo Babauta who writes Zen Habits. For some reason, the emailed post I received on July 1 caught my attention.  Entitled, “A Year of Living Without,” it detailed … Continue reading →

Posted in Doing Without, Happiness, Philosophy, Self-discipline | 1 Comment

Cloudy Clarity

Posted on June 19, 2013 by John Swinburn

The moments of absolute clarity, those instances in which the veil of confusion lifts and the realities of the world reveal themselves, are precious.  Precious is synonymous with rare, isn’t it?  Well, yes it is.  And those moments of pristine … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Shades of Gray

Posted on June 6, 2013 by John Swinburn

I lied.  There, I said it.  I prevaricate.  I fabricated a tale and spoke it as if it were truth.  But it was an unintentional lie.  I had planned for it to be true.  Really.  I didn’t mean to lie. … Continue reading →

Posted in Lies/disinformation, Painting, Philosophy | Leave a comment

Don’t Wait for God

Posted on May 3, 2013 by John Swinburn

We all learn and appreciate and applaud important messages we read and hear.  But do they change our lives?  Do we change our behaviors because a message really hits home with us?  For some, yes.  For others, no.  Something I … Continue reading →

Posted in Love, Philosophy, Religion | 2 Comments

Memoir

Posted on May 2, 2013 by John Swinburn

It went something like this…but this is almost certainly not precisely what I read…”You are never too young, nor too old, to begin to write your memoir. But you will never be old enough to finish the last one.” I … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, Philosophy | Leave a comment

Old Bones and Buddha and Searching for Home

Posted on May 1, 2013 by John Swinburn

One of my brothers lives in the country.  Not “in the country” on a manicured estate, not on a horse farm with beautifully painted barns and well-maintained pipe fences outlining lush fields of grass.  No, he lives in the country … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, Philosophy, Serenity, Wisdom | 2 Comments

Searching, Searching

Posted on April 28, 2013 by John Swinburn

“Kathy, I’m lost, I’m empty and aching and I don’t know why.”  Paul Simon wrote the anthem of young idealists exploring their world, looking for meaning, for fulfillment, for …something.  Many others have written of the awkward search by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Wisdom | 4 Comments

Hidden

Posted on April 26, 2013 by John Swinburn

You cannot think through my  mind, nor can I think through yours.  This is a terrible dilemma.  Not so much the fact that I can’t think through your mind, but that you can’t think through mine. If only you could, … Continue reading →

Posted in Dreams, Philosophy, Wisdom | 1 Comment

Changing Places

Posted on April 25, 2013 by John Swinburn

I wonder how much truth there is in Emerson’s words: “Traveling is a fool’s paradise. Our first journeys discover to us the indifference of places. At home I dream that at Naples, at Rome, I can be intoxicated with beauty, … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Travel, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Confusion, Perhaps

Posted on April 20, 2013 by John Swinburn

It begins as a whisper, faint and indistinct.  But it grows incrementally, almost imperceptibly, louder with the passage of time.  The amount of time varies with each whisper and every ear.  Eventually, though, the whisper becomes a voice and the … Continue reading →

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What “Drives” A Person to Live Out of a Vehicle?

Posted on April 14, 2013 by John Swinburn

As I started exploring what “life on the road” might be like, I came across a fascinating blog, http://cheaprvlivingblog.com/.  The blog and its associated forums, as well as other blogs linked to them, are loaded with tips for living on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Travel | Leave a comment

Cognitive Development Conspiracy Theory

Posted on April 13, 2013 by John Swinburn

I have vague memories, from my college years, of reading about and discussing the role of language in cognitive development, and vice versa.  Somewhere, deep in the recesses of my mind, I harbor memories of Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive … Continue reading →

Posted in Language, Lies/disinformation, Philosophy | Leave a comment

Serious Questions that “Sound” Stupid

Posted on April 11, 2013 by John Swinburn

I’d call it being blind-sided. Something happens, some idea enters your head, some “data” is presented to you…something that brings about confusion and doubt. Serious doubt. Something that causes you to question almost everything you’ve ever learned. Has it ever … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Philosophy, Television, Wisdom | 2 Comments

Night on the Town

Posted on April 10, 2013 by John Swinburn

Angry clouds, grey chalk and dried blood, churn mercilessly against the setting sun, inciting gentle souls toward a felonious night. Even the street lights are afraid, shuddering and blinking with each shrieking gust of wind and every snarling howl of … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Poetry, Religion | Leave a comment

A Place…A Real Place

Posted on March 29, 2013 by John Swinburn

Lest you get the wrong idea…The Third Place is not my original idea.  It was first proffered by Ray Oldenburg around 1989. But even then the concept was old.  Oldenburg was simply the first one to successfully identify and promote … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Third Place | 2 Comments

The Third Place

Posted on March 26, 2013 by John Swinburn

There is a place in the world that is welcoming.  There is a place in the world that calls out to you in a way that no place else can. There is love and solace in your home.  There are … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Third Place | 1 Comment

An Antonymic View of The World

Posted on March 25, 2013 by John Swinburn

The world is a reflection of itself, an inverse expression of who or what it is. Land versus water. Matter versus void.  Certainty versus doubt.  Truth versus deception. Love versus hate. My view of the world says these opposites are … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy | Leave a comment