Philosophy
The Invisible Poetry of Life: a poem
The Invisible Poetry of Life The rousing amidst initial whisper of sunrise; And in the smell that stirs an inward journey; In that first eye contact with a future beloved; And among shared fits of tear-laden laughter. Within the reluctance of a final goodbye, and in the release of that familiar hand, one last time. […]
Knowledge vs Wisdom
Knowledge is something you know or understand cerebrally, something you have a mental understanding of. Knowledge is something that exists within the mind – and thereby, it’s something separate from your “Capital S” Self, aka your true self, your soul, your character – take your pick of nomenclature. (Because, as I explored in my last […]
You Are Not Your Mind
I spent the vast majority of my life believing that I was my mind – that my identity was contained in the organic storehouse between my two ears. This also meant that I was deeply attached to (even one with) that endless stream of thoughts, feelings, and emotions that my mind produces. But the simple […]
Growing vs Deepening
I think (and talk) a lot about personal growth. But recently I’ve tilted my thinking and aspirations more towards deepening. While we can debate over details (which I’ll touch on toward the end here), the way I consider “growing” is moving beyond the constraints that hold us back. Whether it’s challenges like resentment or jealousy […]
Words Fail; New Project
WORDS FAIL “God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3). With words, creation began; and with words, separation began. Expulsion from divinity and wholeness was put into motion. The power of the word isn’t just Jewish, or even Judeo-Christian. In brief: In Judaism, the above line, and later: “By the word […]
Purim, Carnival, Anti-Structure
The Jewish holiday of Purim was last week – a fun story about a woman who hides the fact she’s Jewish when she marries the Persian King, but is convinced to come out of hiding just in time to save the Jews from annihilation. But… I want to dive into the obligation on Purim to […]
Three Butterflies
“Only a fool waits until death for reincarnation” – the Lubavitcher Rebbe. A few years ago, I bought a butterfly “kit” to do with my daughters. Basically it was a net container and a jar of caterpillars. After a week or two of crawling around aimlessly and eating, the caterpillars each formed a chrysalis hanging […]
Dishwashers and Love
I enjoy interpreting people’s dreams. Armed with no training other than a deep interest in people, a love of Carl Jung, access to internet, and a strong affinity for analogies, I like to leverage what I do have into interesting narratives that sometimes strike a chord (even if only with me!). This was one such […]
Pale Green Pants
I want to discuss the real meaning in one of my favorite kids’ stories: Dr. Seuss’ “What Was I Scared Of?”. On the surface, it is a simple story of an unnamed yellow wisp of a protagonist being plagued by a terrifying pair of pale green pants with nobody inside them. To wit: Though […]
Embracing Heresy
[From the Archive note: This was originally three posts, but herein made it one] POST ONE I’ve been increasingly using the term “Jewish Heresy” to refer to my current path/framing, and I’m struck by the discomfort is seems to cause to almost everyone who hears it. Let me be clear: I view Heresy as the […]