From the category archives:

Brain Food

Inner Emptiness and the Decline of Democracy

September 10, 2009

A really good summation from Parker Palmer of how and why our political system is the way it is, from a soul-based perspective:

I’m currently reading Palmer’s A Hidden Wholeness right now, which could be described as a manual for dealing with this type of soul emptiness. Very interesting so far, especially for the essential Quaker-ness of his approach, which lures the soul out of hiding by creating a safe place for it to emerge both within the individual and within a trusted community. Thought-provoking stuff in a world where so many people are already undergoing wrenching transitions due to political upheavals, environmental issues, health problems, loss or change of jobs, etc.

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Mad farmers

September 17, 2008

OK, one more for today. Found a wonderful Wendell Berry poem, “The Mad Farmer Liberation Front” courtesy of Slacktivist. In light of current circumstances, the last stanza particularly resonates:

Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn’t go. Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.

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Cognitive Surplus and the Culture of Participation

May 1, 2008

Or, why it’s easy to find the time for creation when you don’t watch TV.
That’s a bit flip, but this talk by Clay Shirky does point out the amazing resources we have at our disposal (on an individual and cultural level) when we make conscious choices about how to spend time.

Money quote: “Media that is [...]

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Friday Zen Moment

April 4, 2008

Found on MetaFilter this morning: Eclectic 2.0 [requires QuickTime]. I have a thing for time-lapse photography and reverse video (see also Sensei Studios, their “Balancing Point” video is amazing), and this piece really took my breath away.

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Myth and Modern Life

March 24, 2008

Disclaimer: Not the official entry for this week (official entries will all be found under the ‘School’ category, for those who are playing along at home).

Now, then. (And what an odd turn of phrase that is, by the way…suggesting a conflation of past & present that feels very familiar.) Since I have a dreadfully long [...]

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Everyday Matters: The Religion

May 10, 2006

Danny Gregory is one of my current favorite authors. He’s one of several (including Dan Price) who have written deeply on the joy of drawing and journalling, with a special eye toward those like me who think they don’t know how to draw. He posted the following list of creative commandments the other day, and [...]

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Dance, Monkeys, Dance

April 23, 2006

Human nature, summed up in a filmstrip.

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Gladwell strikes again

August 19, 2002

For fans of The Tipping Point (and if you aren’t yet, you should read it), another great article from Malcolm Gladwell: “The Naked Face“. If you’ve ever wanted to know how some people can read intent on a person’s face, it’s a great summary of the current psychological and physiological research.

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Filmed Out

August 10, 2002

Big movie weekend the past couple of days, from the silly to the self-absorbed to the seriously odd (Goldmember, The Kid Stays in the Picture, and Full Frontal, respectively). I almost went for a triple-feature today with Notorious C.H.O., but decided I didn’t need to spent another 9 bucks on something I’d already seen live [...]

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