To transform our lives we require a new understanding of time. Time as a Straight Line We think of time as a linear progression of moments. We have inherited our sense of time from science. In all scientific pursuits, time is the independent variable. Time is the dimension over which we have no control. Time is a straight line marching forward, with or without us. Scientific time measures changes in space, but it fails to capture movement itself. Think of an old-fashioned reel of film. Each image is a moment in time. But each image in scientific time fails to capture the movement in between. No matter how thinly you slice up scientific time, actual movement is never captured. But our lives are all about movement, change. We measure our lives in terms of change. Our memories and plans hinge on significant moments when change occurs. We run after the clock daily, but … [Read more...]
Can Judges Be Impartial in a Polarized Society
Revisiting the Powell Memo: has the judicial system become irredeemably marred by ideological bias? The Rittenhouse murder trial and the Charlottesville civil case have brought the question of judicial impartiality back into full relief, the question being whether the courts will be an effective means for addressing ultra-right violence. Many suspect not. On September 12, 2021, Amy Coney Barrett delivered a speech at the University of Louisville’s McConnell Center in which she expressed concern at the rising impression of the Supreme Court as partisan. Barrett asserted that judges must be “hyper vigilant to make sure they’re not letting personal biases creep into their decisions, since judges are people, too.” Given the circumstances of Barrett’s confirmation, led by Mitch McConnell, many might have found her comments on the importance of impartiality in that particular setting … [Read more...]
The Dawn of Everything and Fascism in Society
Graeber, Wengrow and the radical freedom to change. Inequality is not the inevitable outcome of civilization. In a nutshell, this is the thesis presented by David Graeber and David Wengrow in their new book, The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity. The central theme of the book is that the accepted story of the rise of mankind and civilization, a linear story of man’s progress from primitivism to modern society, is not accurate and is just that, a grand narrative, perhaps the grandest of all. The strength of the evidence presented will be hotly debated for years to come, as technology progresses, and further light is shed on the early evolution of our social interactions and political formations. But the importance of their thesis is undeniable: for it highlights the dangers of elevating a narrative to objective truth, and opens wide the possibility that we can … [Read more...]
To Live Fulfillment We Must Embrace Creativity and Release Judgement
What judge of art could ever create art? What judge of life could ever create life? Life as Art Despite the limitations society might press on us, life is limitless, creative, and our deepest urge is to express ourselves in our own way and be heard. Our deepest desire is to think of, conceive of, and act out, our lives as a work of art. This natural desire is central to the question of leading a fulfilling life, and central to our satisfaction in life. And it is so very fragile, that if we lose sight of our sense of life as creativity, our own invention and expression of what is important, then we are prone to losing all sense of the value of life itself. We become zombie-like, or worse, resentful of all others who are busy on their own personal arc to creating themselves. We become dominated by fear and seek comfort in conformity, secretly wishing all others to be just … [Read more...]