Reducing suffering is a noble aim and it should be encouraged. But to do this effectively, teachers of mindfulness need to acknowledge that personal stress also has societal causes. By failing to address collective suffering, and systemic change that might remove it, they rob mindfulness of its real revolutionary potential, reducing it to something banal …
A first essay on a first essay
On the table beside me lies an essay. Age spots on the smooth ivory surface, the faded red ink of a date stamp, and the tell-tale black marks impressed on paper by the typebars of an old manual typewriter indicate originality. In the upper left corner, staples stitch the leaves, and every second surface bears …
J.R.R. Tolkien on anarchism
Strangely, this quote is my blog’s most popular post: J.R.R. Tolkien on anarchism
The journey changes you
There are some qualities of Anthony Bourdain’s life and lifestyle you may not like. He was a great chef, a television “personality,” a crusader, a mentor. He was also a keen student of what it is to be human. He took his own life one year ago, on 8 June 2018. This quote, shared by …
Origin of the phrase, ‘In necessariis unitas’
Like me, you've probably heard some variation of the phrase, "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity." It's a translation of the Latin phrase, "In necessariis unitas, in dubitas libertas, in omnibus caritas." Nineteenth-century church historian Philip Schaff calls it "the watchword of Christian peacemakers."(1) The phrase is often attributed to the theologian …
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