A man told his grandson: “A terrible fight is going on inside me — a fight between two wolves. One is evil, and represents hate, anger, arrogance, intolerance, and superiority. The other is good, and represents joy, peace, love, tolerance, understanding, humility, kindness, empathy, generosity, and compassion. This same fight is going on inside you, inside every other person too.”
The grandson asked: “Which wolf will win?”
The old man replied simply: “The one you feed.”
— Anonymous
(with thanks to dws)
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Where in the world?
I’m sorry, dear reader. I haven’t abandoned you. Pinkie swear.
I’ve spent the past few weeks inside my own head, trying to make heads or tails out of it, and trying to figure some things out. Sadly, I just can’t seem to empty any of it onto the keyboard. So the blog sits silent.
Please don‘t give up. Come back in a few days. Hopefully by then, I'll have something to say.
In the meantime, riddle me this: What’s next for you, dear reader? And how’d you figure it out?
Peace.
I’ve spent the past few weeks inside my own head, trying to make heads or tails out of it, and trying to figure some things out. Sadly, I just can’t seem to empty any of it onto the keyboard. So the blog sits silent.
Please don‘t give up. Come back in a few days. Hopefully by then, I'll have something to say.
In the meantime, riddle me this: What’s next for you, dear reader? And how’d you figure it out?
Peace.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
A book report
I’m reading “Columbine,” a complete telling of the story before, during and after the school shootings. It is, at once, horrifying and riveting.
Dave Cullen, one of the best journalists working today, masterfully strung together the pieces of the story over 10 years, interviewing everyone involved except the killers, their parents and those who were murdered that day. In that time, he's incurred the wrath of some pretty sympathetic folks by debunking some of the myths that took hold in the early days after the massacre, before anyone really knew what was going on.
After a decade of research and reporting, Cullen has woven together the stories of Eric Harris, a sociopath who wanted to kill; Dylan Klebold, a depressive who wanted to die; and all of the unfortunate souls who got in their way.
It hurts to read this book. And yet, I believe it's important that we learn from these things. We need to know how the massacre came to be, what actually happened that day, the myths that have perpetuated stereotypes and falsehoods, and how we might keep it from happening again. Because the one thing we always learn in the aftermath of this kind of tragedy is that there were signs to alert us to impending doom. Only by studying the signs might we learn to recognize and react to them.
By the way, if you are a journalist or a fan of good journalism, I urge you to buy a copy of this book. If you don't want to read it, donate it to your local library. Here's the thing: If we want meaningful, unflinching journalism to remain part of our democracy, we must support it. And this, dear reader, absolutely fits the bill.
Peace to you.
Dave Cullen, one of the best journalists working today, masterfully strung together the pieces of the story over 10 years, interviewing everyone involved except the killers, their parents and those who were murdered that day. In that time, he's incurred the wrath of some pretty sympathetic folks by debunking some of the myths that took hold in the early days after the massacre, before anyone really knew what was going on.
After a decade of research and reporting, Cullen has woven together the stories of Eric Harris, a sociopath who wanted to kill; Dylan Klebold, a depressive who wanted to die; and all of the unfortunate souls who got in their way.
It hurts to read this book. And yet, I believe it's important that we learn from these things. We need to know how the massacre came to be, what actually happened that day, the myths that have perpetuated stereotypes and falsehoods, and how we might keep it from happening again. Because the one thing we always learn in the aftermath of this kind of tragedy is that there were signs to alert us to impending doom. Only by studying the signs might we learn to recognize and react to them.
By the way, if you are a journalist or a fan of good journalism, I urge you to buy a copy of this book. If you don't want to read it, donate it to your local library. Here's the thing: If we want meaningful, unflinching journalism to remain part of our democracy, we must support it. And this, dear reader, absolutely fits the bill.
Peace to you.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Q&A
OK, dear reader, it’s your turn. Copy the questions below, paste them into a comment block and answer them. Do it anonymously, if you must. But please do it.
Thanks a million.
***********
1. What one question would you like me to answer?
2. What one subject do you wish I would blog about?
3. If I needed a good book to read, which one would you recommend I pick up?
4. If I needed a peaceful, melodic CD to listen to, which one would you recommend?
5. Which blog do you visit regularly that you think I’d like, too?
6. Which web site do you visit regularly that you think I'd like, too?
5. If my husband and I were looking for a romantic vacation getaway inside the continental United States (besides San Francisco and Northern California, where we went on our honeymoon), where would you recommend we go?
Thanks a million.
***********
1. What one question would you like me to answer?
2. What one subject do you wish I would blog about?
3. If I needed a good book to read, which one would you recommend I pick up?
4. If I needed a peaceful, melodic CD to listen to, which one would you recommend?
5. Which blog do you visit regularly that you think I’d like, too?
6. Which web site do you visit regularly that you think I'd like, too?
5. If my husband and I were looking for a romantic vacation getaway inside the continental United States (besides San Francisco and Northern California, where we went on our honeymoon), where would you recommend we go?
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