Listening
A Blanket Of Silent Heat
The room was filled with a kind of stillness. Not simply an absence of noise, but an accumulation of layers of silence. ~Yōko Ogawa Living in a large city, two experiences are ubiquitous – ambient light from the millions of electric candles flickering in skyscraper windows and the everpresent hum of noise. At its most […]
I Learned That I Knew Nothing
Sometimes it’s a form of love just to talk to somebody that you have nothing in common with and still be fascinated by their presence. ~David Byrne In my youth, my incorrigibly self-centered youth, I was interested in talking only to those with whom I had common interests. You liked real football (soccer)? I bent […]
The Golden Rule is a Study in Self-Centeredness
Golden Rule: Treat others as you wish to be treated. Many of us have had the Golden Rule drilled into our heads from an early age. It has existed in one form or another since the ancient Egyptians proclaimed, “That which you hate to be done to you, do not do to another,“sometime around 2000 […]
Dance of the Insane
Those who danced were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music. ~Angela Monet I was seated in the coffee shop at the large window overlooking the quiet street across from my office. It was early morning in the lull before the streets filled with people scurrying to their office. It […]
The Greatest Agony
There is no greater agony than a story untold. ~Maya Angelou Who are you? Who am I? Who are any of us but a series of stories, stories with many chapters replete with plots and subplots and unexpected twists and interventions by the three Moirai, the three fates? Episodes during which we felt abandoned by God […]
Cleansed But Not Connected
Hallelujah, Grace like rain falls down on me Hallelujah, And all my sins are washed away ~Todd Agnew, Grace Like Rain There are times my soul hunger’s, a ravenous beast that can only be quelled by an encounter with God. I prefer these encounters to be in a house of worship. Intellectually, I know an […]
Make Me Feel Important
We should picture everyone we meet as wearing an invisible sign saying, “Make me feel important.” ~Dale Carnegie I once had my annual review with my manager who answered an ‘important’ phone call in the middle of our session. The review was already contentious so this interruption during an interaction that was supposed to focus on […]
