The place you need to go and work backwards from is death and suffering; not general death and suffering, but that of your own, ever-approaching death and ever-experiencing of suffering. These are facts of life, and they are ever-threatening to rob you of your happiness. Babies are born and immediately begin experiencing distress, and are … Continue reading On the Pursuit of Happiness
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Some Thoughts on Race
Race is an exhausting topic, which up to now has led me to avoid blogging about it head on. But now we have the George Floyd protests and the election and Father's Day coming up, and I'm feeling a lot of pressure to get more articulate about race. I've only written two sentences and already … Continue reading Some Thoughts on Race
In defense of face-to-face lectures
A lot of questions are being raised during the current virus situation about the value of a college education. Education feels like an optional activity, one that can be delayed and postponed until it is safer for such non-essential activities. Amid this squishiness of sentiment toward education, particularly college eduction, we have a mass exodus … Continue reading In defense of face-to-face lectures
Pursuing Immortality Without a Net
The two basic ways to achieve some measure of immortality is first, to literally survive death, and second, to establish an enduring legacy. They both have problems. There is no way to be certain that either can be achieved. You can't be certain that there will be an afterlife, and you can't be certain that … Continue reading Pursuing Immortality Without a Net
Lasting Passion Serves Ambition, and Happiness Requires Greatness
Is there passion without ambition? Let us think of passion, at the most extreme sense, as the condition of being fully immersed in a single idea, and fully directed in one's powers and capacities toward serving that idea, likely at the expense of many things that also seem good or even necessary. Such passion can … Continue reading Lasting Passion Serves Ambition, and Happiness Requires Greatness
On Brave New World (just a few words)
Well I've just gotten through my second book of the summer, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I actually don't think it is very good. It fills a need for a dystopian novel involving total government control over births, and a forced culture of drugs and promiscuous sex, helping us feel the discomfort of such … Continue reading On Brave New World (just a few words)
On Moby Dick
I just finished reading Moby Dick, and have to make some sense of my thoughts. So here goes. Although Ahab is not really the focus of the novel, with many pages passing without any sign of him, the ending of the book features him front and center. The beginning of the book is very much … Continue reading On Moby Dick
Glory-seeking, the American Dream, and the Desire for Immortality
We live in a civilization that tells us that one of our most sacred rights is the right to pursue happiness as we see fit. It doesn't tell us where to look for happiness, or how to go about finding it, but it does make some strong suggestions. For example, America is famous for its … Continue reading Glory-seeking, the American Dream, and the Desire for Immortality
San Angelo School Board Election, 2019
We just got through a big election for school board here in San Angelo, Texas, and the winner was the long-time incumbent. The challenger went down pretty hard, losing by something like 50+ points in an election that saw just a few thousand votes cast. By all of the campaign signs around town, you would … Continue reading San Angelo School Board Election, 2019
Socialism in the American Military
Around the time of the 2008 presidential election between John McCain and Barrack Obama I was ordered by the Department of Defense to report to Fort Benning Georgia as part of my in-processing back into the military. I had been on the "inactive ready reserve," or "IRR," a rather unpleasant status which meant that I … Continue reading Socialism in the American Military
