occasional reflections on culture & politics
Is the Pandemic Over?Let’s see. Is the virus gone? No. Is its reach no longer global? No, it is still global. Are case numbers going down? Possibly, but we have stopped testing and measuring. Since Johns Hopkins took their dashboard down, getting good numbers has been difficult. Are the number of Covid deaths going down?… Continue reading #211: Is the Pandemic Over?
We are living in a world with many dangers, threats and uncertainties. And yet, panic, fear or depression would be the wrong answer. The only thing that really helps anyone is cautious optimism. You may ask, how can you be optimistic? It is a legitimate question. On the surface, I seem to be worried about… Continue reading #202: Fear Not: Why We Need to be Optimistic About the Future
In these depressing times, we seem to always be on the brink of the end of the world, the end of democracy, the end of a livable climate, the end of free speech, sanity, respect, fairness, justice, nuance, context, humanity, whatever – you name it. There is either too much or too little of wokeness… Continue reading #197: We Have Good Reasons for Hope
I NEED TO BELIEVE Corvallis, October 9th, 2022 – P#786 I need to believethat beneath all this sorrowbeneath all this painand all this senseless senselessnessis waiting a future timemuch better than the current onewaitingto be bornout ofallthis I need to believebecause without this beliefthere would be nothingkeeping mefrom seeking madnessrather than sanityand desperationrather than resilienceand… Continue reading #196: Poem: I Need to Believe
I get it. Covid sucks, and we all – including myself – would like to return to normality. After all, don’t we have vaccines and treatments? Doesn’t psychological damage count too? How about the economy, about our democracy? Can’t we just say, this is it? Reality is what it is no matter what you wish… Continue reading #194: No, the Pandemic is Not Yet Over
WE ALL Corvallis, April 28th, 2021 - P#773 we allhave hopeswe allhave dreamswe allseek solace of the soul for as we walkin this valley of darknessfar too oftenwe're all alonewe're all, deep down,a single being,reaching outfor all our lives:for all our sakes:and though we trythe only certainty in birthis death;and all that happens in betweencan… Continue reading #161: Poem: We All
The basis of religion is a deep sense of trust in the universe. It is not just hope, but a sense of confidence that things will eventually work out. Whatever bad things may happen, we are not alone, we are not merely random souls that do not matter in the larger scheme of things. If… Continue reading #116: Religion Is Trust in the Universe
How easy would it be to despair now! The world seems in shambles, whatever we have gained seems lost, and the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban appears like a symbol for our times. Covid is resurgent, the world is burning, and what future will we ever be able to enjoy? None, if we don't… Continue reading #109: We Cannot Lose Hope
(Before starting this, I would like to remind you, dear reader, of my other writings on religion - specifically, my longer poems "Faith No More" and "Pietà", which contain some criticism of religion. My relationship with religion is complicated, and my understanding of it maybe a bit unorthodox.) The core of every respectable religion is… Continue reading #63: Doubt and Faith in Religion
In Wagner's Parsifal, king Amfortas, who guards the grail, has a wound that does not heal. It has been inflicted by the (evil) sorcerer Klingsor who has used the king's own spear against him. The grail may help, but there are difficulties. Is this maybe a good metaphor for the Coronavirus? The virus has appeared… Continue reading #37: Coronavirus, the Amfortas Wound?
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