The gentle art of sanity amidst civilization
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Few books have been recommended to me so frequently and gushingly as Dubner and Levitt’s Freakonomics. After tracking down a used copy in a musty Brisbane book exchange, I devoured it before lunch the next day. It really is a compelling book. Its premise is that conventional wisdom is often wrong, because society’s experts use [...]
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Today I saw something on the sidewalk that made me stop. Somebody had etched a small swastika in the concrete. I wouldn’t say it exactly upset me, but it got me genuinely curious… who did that? Presumably, some kid stumbled across a rare chance to immortalize himself in unguarded wet concrete, and this was his [...]
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There is a quote, much celebrated by activists, cynics, and political science students the world over, that I think could use a second look: “It is no measure of good health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” ~Jiddu Krishnamurti I like Krishnamurti, and I think he’s being misunderstood here, but I’ll get to [...]
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You have the right to remain silent. You may give up that right, and anything you say can be used against you. If you choose to waive your right to remain silent, you are solely responsible for the consequences, be they burdens or benefits. The right to remain silent is also the right to not [...]
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There is a pile of filthy pots and pans in the corner of the kitchen, and it’s tearing us apart. For six weeks I have been living in a hostel in Te Puke, New Zealand, the kiwifruit capital of the world. Te Puke is not a tourist attraction, so travelers generally only come here to [...]
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Despite the earnest efforts of sixty years of Miss USA contestants, world peace has not arrived on our doorstep. The UN has not managed it, nor did John Lennon or Oprah or The Secret. Religion sure made a mess of the effort altogether, and I don’t hold high hopes for China to pull it off, [...]
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I’ve interrupted my regular posting schedule to bring you this important message. On Sunday, well-known and well-liked blogger Leo Babauta of ZenHabits received an email from the lawyers of author Susan Jeffers, claiming that he had infringed on her trademark in one of his posts by using the phrase “feel the fear and do it [...]
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This is part 1 of a 2-part post. The second half is here. Disclaimer: Controversy rating: 8/10. This post contains unconventional views. Some readers may be upset. Some may unsubscribe. Que sera sera. There is a famous quotation that most people seem to love, which I dislike. In fact, I find it quite worrisome, because [...]
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