occasional reflections on culture & politics
I. My Personal Journey I have a complicated relationship with religion. As far as I can tell, so probably has everyone else. But I believe it may be helpful to explain my specific complications, given that among my work are some poems, musical pieces and other writings that may create an overall confusing picture. It… Continue reading #225: Religion, Transcendence & Nature
We all have probably heard people say things like the following: “I don’t know anyone who got sick / died from this.” “As far as I can tell, summers have always been warm.” “I can get anywhere with a bike, I don’t know why people need cars.” “I cannot imagine anyone voting for x.” “I… Continue reading #184: Anecdotal Thinking, Science, Religion, and Policy
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
President Putin portrays himself as a fighter against Nazis and Nationalists. At the same time, today, he just bombed the Babyn Yar memorial to the victims of National Socialist genocide of Jews in Kiev, while he is fighting a young democracy led by a Jewish Russian-Ukrainian president. Somehow, Putin has his definitions wrong. Fascism is… Continue reading #151: Putin Is a Fascist per Definition
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
There seems to be a narrative going around in some churches and religious communities that says, directly or indirectly, that we would not need to protect ourselves with masks and vaccines because God would save us. Any measure to protect yourself from the pandemic is thus construed as a sign of a lack of faith.… Continue reading #111: Faith, the Pandemic, and the Drowning Man
(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
This seems to be the age of conspiracy theories. What is a conspiracy theory? It is the belief that specific, if not all, major problems in the world are caused by a conspiracy of powerful people that secretly pull the strings behind your back. A select few have allegedly seen through this scheme, and are… Continue reading #24: Conspiracy Thinking is Not Critical Thinking
How do we each year get caught up in a frenzy over holidays? Whose holiday, what kind of holiday, how to fill the time, whether and what to give to whom - and in the end, all we want to do, is to rest - but then, it's back to work. The idea should be… Continue reading #1: Holidays
Erratic Attempts 