“What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above.” – Renee Daumal EVERY HUMAN BEING should be fortunate enough to sleep at least one night on top of a mountain, under a starry blanket. John Muir exhorted his followers, “go to the mountains and get their good … [Read more…]
For the last few years of leading the Biodesign Class, I had a longing to participate on a trip, but not be the leader. I fancied that I would enjoy being the camp-cook and dish washer, as long as I could observe the young adults interacting with the wilderness. It never happened! However, 20 years … [Read more…]
“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.†– Pierre Teilhard de Chardin Many of the older Scots claim that they can communicate spiritually with deceased family members and friends by a process they call “kything.†If this is so, I am guessing that John Muir … [Read more…]
After Biodesign students explored Yosemite, Grand Canyon and the Mendocino coast, it was not uncommon for them to vow publicly (or privately) to return to one of the areas when they became adults. I have no record of how many achieved that goal, but I do know of one ex-student who has climbed Half Dome … [Read more…]
The Biodesign Class of 1978 was only the second class to reach the top of Yosemite’s world-famous Half Dome. They donned their backpacks and labored for 10 miles while gaining nearly 5,000 feet of elevation. The last ½ mile involved climbing a steep series of granite stairs and ascending 400 feet of twin cables up … [Read more…]
“Loren Eiseley is less concerned about man conquering nature than nature, in the form of God, conquering the human heart.†Time Magazine. AFTER nearly 75 years, I have concluded that life is mostly (if not totally) a journey into mystery. E.g. how could I have possibly guessed that a simple, innocent question from a student … [Read more…]
“To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.” – Henry David Thoreau In a bizarre synchronicity, after I wrote this blog I went to a local hospital to have some lab work done. A middle-aged couple was sitting next to me. … [Read more…]
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.†– Mark Twain This is a wonderfully interconnected triad that gifted naturalist Annie Dillard would regard as a “bright snarl.†Without a Creator there would be no “astronomy†or evolution. Without evolution the universe … [Read more…]
In his own words, “The Autobiography of Charles Darwin:†“When thus reflecting [‘on the universe, including man’] I feel compelled to look to a First Cause having an intelligent mind in some degree analogous to that of man’ and I deserve to be called a Theist.†Shame on Richard Dawkins, and other science atheists who … [Read more…]
Friday, 3-16 turned out to be a “red-letter-day.†Ex-student Jared Grummer was returning to Seattle from Argentina and wanted to share some of his adventures. He had just completed a 5-month field-study exploring the genomes of the lizards of Patagonia. This involves the last leg of his efforts to obtain a PhD degree in herpetology … [Read more…]