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Authenticity, and other over-used words.
I heard recently, during the current impeachment hearings, someone accuse so-and-so of “lacking authenticity.” It caught my ear. Several years ago I was deeply hung-up in the pursuit of authenticity, or at least a workable explanation of what truly it is. Eventually I walked away, vowing never to use the word again. It seemed too Continue reading
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Happiness, Joy
A year or so ago while celebrating a milestone wedding anniversary one of our adult children asked if we could articulate the keys to a successful marriage. Carole went first. She spoke with intelligence and experience about the vital role communication must play when two human beings are committed to living together in support of Continue reading
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Life Studies
I study lives. My text book is the biography. The first grown-up book I read was a biography of Mark Twain. I was, I think, in 6th grade. The most recent book read, finished a couple days ago, is Robert D. Richardson Jr.’s biography of Emerson, subtitled The Mind on Fire. Before that, earlier this Continue reading
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Reaching for the Stars.
The last few nights in Colorado I got into the habit of stepping outside and looking up at the night sky. Head tilted back I released my attention and simply stared. The Milky Way was a dash overhead, like a pale splash of paint against black felt. I did not try to understand the sky, Continue reading
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Muster those habits, pilgrim.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” ~ Aristotle I looked up the etymology of the word “inspiration” recently. It goes back to the 13 century, is shared with Old English and Old French, and means to breathe into, to inspire, excite, inflame. Inspire, from which inspiration Continue reading
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In The Mountains, Again.
We’ve been in the mountains only two weeks. My lungs are trying to figure out what’s going on. The morning run-walk up the mountainside is a bit more run than walk recently, but the difference is hardly discernable. Lucy too is lagging, but occasionally gets a surge and charges ahead during our morning outing. A Continue reading
About doug
You might say that I’m philosopher in the classical sense, that is, “One who loves knowledge.” That sounds awfully pretentious, but I don’t know how else to put it. I’ve spent my life chasing questions, diving into wisdom traditions ancient and modern, including the philosophical schools of Existentialism, Pragmatism, and the ancient Greeks, as well as several of the Eastern traditions, principally Zen Buddhism and Taoism. Admittedly, I’m no expert on anything, just a curious pilgrim.
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Doug’s writings elsewhere:
...the house I live in... 