Whether Rodin’s sculpture of “The Thinker†was generic or not, it was a perfect complement to Rene Descartes’ life, legacy and accomplishments. There is an old joke that pokes fun at Paris’ “Left-Bank†existentialists like Jean Paul Sartre. Sartre was enjoying a cup of espresso at a sidewalk café when the waiter asked him if … [Read more…]
Excerpt: Biodesign Out For A Walk, chap. 26, “Soul Medicine.†“Many of the most sacred moments in Biodesign occurred through laughter. Their laughter was of the highest order, showing no sign of being grubby, pornographic, cruel, or mean-spirited. They laughed easily and often, especially at the many intimately embarrassing moments incurred while studying, traveling, and … [Read more…]
The two quintessential decisions that led to the birth of the Biodesign Class at St. Helena High School were adopting John Muir as our primary mentor and planning a six-day trip to Yosemite N.P. to explore what he was writing about. In preparation for each trip we pondered The Wilderness World Of John Muir (edited … [Read more…]
60 years ago, I was walking down the hallway of my SFSU college dorm and met a dorm mate. He looked at me and said, “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity sayeth the preacher.†I was a nominal Christian and had no idea of what he meant. 60 years later, I just came across the same … [Read more…]
In an increasingly secular society, it is intriguing to wonder how people respond to Pierre Chardin’s observation: “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.†Do they agree or disagree? Are they shocked, offended or inspired? Dr. Albert Schweitzer must have agreed by suggesting that many … [Read more…]
Thank you Patti Coyle and Craig Bond and all the Fantastic Fiddlers. A legendary cowboy moseyed up to the edge of Grand Canyon, peered into the one-mile-deep chasm and said: “Something happened here.† The same can be said about The Fiddler On The Roof performance last Saturday night at The St. Helena Performing Arts … [Read more…]
Excerpt: Biodesign Out For A Walk, chap 28, “Amazing Faith.†“His ship survived the storm, and years later he became a priest. He had not forgotten his brush with death and was inspired to write a prayer of thanksgiving, describing his perilous journey. The prayer was actually a poem, which he used as a basis … [Read more…]
Zora Hurston (“There Eyes Were Watching Godâ€) is credited with coining the phrase, “You got to go there to know there.†While I have found her axiom to be generally true, it is paradoxically true and untrue regarding Grand Canyon. Although, in order to experience “The Canyon,†one must “go there,†it is humanly impossible … [Read more…]
It was not my intention to enter the current political quagmire by sharing the disturbingly frank video narrated by Talif Starks. He piqued my interest by suggesting that a major contributing factor exacerbating racism is our collective failure to understand the importance of biodiversity. My interest is biological and not political and deals with the … [Read more…]