My daughter, Shannon, encouraged me to write haiku. Here are my attempts. Rising petrichorDark speckles on the sidewalkGentle summer rain Drifting down riverPaddles resting on gunwaleEyes closed to the sun Dragonfly flickersDancing with tall cattail stalksWater smells like frogs Cloud of starlings wheelActing in bright unisonSomehow they all know
My Spiritual Journey: Community as a Benefit of Religion
About a year and a half ago, I stopped attending the LDS Church, and began attending the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ogden1. Recently, I was asked to speak about my spiritual journey. I have posted the text of that talk here, or you can go to YouTube to see me actually saying this stuff. Good … Continue reading My Spiritual Journey: Community as a Benefit of Religion
Poetry Drop: The Second Coming
The Second Coming Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate … Continue reading Poetry Drop: The Second Coming
Śūnyatā
The universe is a swarm of an almost infinite number of just a few types of elementary particles. Here and there, these particles come together to form more complex structures, Such as suns, planets, and, rarely, Sentient beings. When conditions are right, these structures arise. When the conditions change, these structures Change or dissipate. I … Continue reading Śūnyatā
Quote from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
I recently ran across this quote from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, from his book "The Gulag Archipelago." He said what I believe, but in a much more poetic way than I could have. If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us … Continue reading Quote from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Poetry Drop: Sometimes
Sometimes Sometimes things don't go, after all, from bad to worse. Some years, muscadel faces down frost, green thrives, the crops don't fail, sometimes a man aims high, and all goes well. A people sometimes will step back from war, elect an honest man, decide they care enough, that they can't leave some stranger poor. … Continue reading Poetry Drop: Sometimes
Wise Words from Walt Whitman
"This is what you shall do; Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to … Continue reading Wise Words from Walt Whitman
The Golden Rule
The Golden Rule shows up in many different religions and ethical systems. Christianity states it this way: "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." -Luke 6:31 Confucianism, Buddhism, and Hinduism state it in the negative; basically, don't do things to others that you yourself would find … Continue reading The Golden Rule
How to apologize, according to Hank Green
I ran across an excellent and entertaining video, done by Hank Green of the vlogbrothers channel on YouTube. It discusses the right (and wrong) way to apologize for something. If I recall the statistics correctly, zero percent of people are perfect. So we all will get the opportunity -- some of us more than others -- to … Continue reading How to apologize, according to Hank Green
Oh, *That’s* What Friends Are For!
An article in the January 2014 issue of Monitor on Psychology, a journal from the American Psychological Association, has some surprising conclusions about the benefits of having friends. The article is called "Friends wanted." One of the most interesting lines in the article is from a study done by Brigham Young University. They "...found that participants … Continue reading Oh, *That’s* What Friends Are For!
Brain Cloud 