Anza-Borrego State Park, California, February 2005
Philosophical Errors
Many of the problems of what we call Civilization are based on philosophical errors. Philosophy in my usage includes religion, science, and personal beliefs. Why should we care about such a seeming theoretical concept? Because inward to each individual is a set of beliefs or convictions that compose a personal philosophy, whether or not he…
My Ecstatic Visions
The Ecstatic Vision is a real phenomenon, known through history mostly in a religious context, that challenges reason. I have experienced these visions three times in my life, and another unusual but related experience, without ever taking psychedelic substances. There is a famous passage in Emerson’s book Nature in its first chapter: “Standing on the…
Elements of Fascism in the United States
The following is not original. I have tried to make a synthesis of ideas from various commentators I have read, along with recent political events. Fascism is a particular form of dictatorship. For example, a military coup overthrowing a government, which happens a lot, results in a dictator whom most people will hate due to…
Inauguration Day
January 20, 2021 Biden and Jill standing in the pew just an ordinary couple listening to the priest’s homily along with others scattered through the church Trump at Andrews addressing the faithful, a skilled and dangerous orator, truth and lies in a seamless stream of words A cold day at the Capitol, heavy winter clothes,…
Modern Poetry
“Whitman, with his stylistic eccentricities and his expansive rhetoric, is not yet of this century [the 20th], though certainly he is its greatest poetic forerunner. Emily Dickinson is far more naturally a spokesman for the existential moment – that is, for the sense that the true matter of a poem is the feel and body…
A House in Tucson
The house in Tucson sits well north of and high above the city center, in a quiet neighborhood served by a cul-de-sac road. The house has a large, spacious living and dining area and a very spacious kitchen with breakfast table, both looking out on a patio and swimming pool with a spectacular view of…
Skiing at Mount Hood
In December 1964 I took a trip on the Canadian National Railway from Toronto to Vancouver. Then I proceeded by train to Portland and bus to San Francisco. The end-purpose of the journey was to visit U.C. Berkeley and Stanford for potential graduate study in Operations Research (I ended up going to Stanford after the…
A Pair of Two-Thousand-Year Civilizations
The following is a comparison between a pair of two-thousand-year civilizations within the history of so-called Western civilization. First, the Greek and Roman period, and immediately following that, the Christian, Enlightenment and Industrial period, if the latter lasts that long. A caveat: I am not a historian, and details of this short essay may be…
The Chinese Government and Tibet
Robert Thurman, in his book Inner Revolution, says that according to Tibetan Buddhism, “the purpose of human life is the evolutionary development of each human individual. Therefore the purpose of society is the education and empowerment of its individuals.”1 It’s interesting and surprising to me that Ralph Waldo Emerson said something similar, although I doubt he…
Telegraph Hill, San Francisco
I went to San Francisco yesterday [December 1965] for the first time in two months. After wandering around the city, as dusk was deepening, I climbed Telegraph Hill. Past the last houses, onto Filbert Street – the last quarter-turn of the street to the parking lot. I could feel the fresh wind and smell and…
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Coyote Vision 