Hell I must say I loved the book Jonathan Livingston Seagull as a kid. My standard 4 teacher (grade 6), Miss Fair-Weather, would read it to us every day just before the end of school. I was no fan of school but I looked forward to this story time with an enthusiasm that is the sole dominion of childhood. There was something special about Jonathan Livingston Seagull which I felt then and I still feel now, and that was the image...
I heard some disturbing news yesterday. A member of my family, a cousin, was the victim of unprovoked violence and through this assault he was seriously hurt. Coincidently (as if there is such a thing) I also attended the funeral service of a woman yesterday, who died at a young age after suffering terribly from cancer for the last few years. A few months ago I wrote the following email to my cousin who was the victim of the recent assault. I...
The Objective vs. Subjective ParadoxWe are looking specifically at the Objective vs. Subjective paradox with respect to discovering the meaning of our lives. Let's start off by clearly defining the question: The philosophical debate Objective- independently verifiable, reproducible, collectively true Subjective-concerned with me only, as seen through my unique filters 1. Is there such a thing as objective reality? Meaning, does a reality exist independently of our perception of it? In philosophy this kind of objectivity is referred to as Objective Realism or Mind...
The more I read and the more I see the more I am persuaded as to the inescapability of Albert Camus' metaphor for human existence of Sisyphus's inexorable fate. As a teenager I read Desmond Morris's Naked Ape and was amused by the zoologist's study of man as an animal species. It was only much later as an adult that the grim truth of this analogy became apparent to me. I was once struck by the thought of...
Synchronicity is really difficult to illustrate. Much like a dream, the images that have real meaning and are evocative for the dreamer, frequently fail to have a similar impact on anyone else who gets to hear the dream. G. Jung coined the term synchronicity to describe events which are meaningfully, but not causally, related. Certain synchronicities occur, which are so bizarre, that even those less so inclined, sit up and take notice. These ones become part of popular folklore. There are numerous...
This is a guest post by Ryan Parker. So, I took your advice and bought my very own copy of Rian Malans Resident Alien, which it seems is the culmination of a week of only in Joburg moments, which Ive had the delight of witnessing directly or hearing about from other not yawning but yawing souls, including but not limited to your I come not to bury ET blog. First there was fast talking, little said, Paul. Hailing as he does...
I recently had the privilege of joining a study group, led by Cyril Coetzee, reading Theosophy. The book, by the founder of Anthroposophy, Rudolf Steiner, is described as, An introduction to the supersensible knowledge of the world and the destination of man. To open the bottle by breaking its neck, let me state the heart of the matter and amplify it from there. In his exegesis of the text Mr. Coetzee made the following point on the issue of the subjective vs....
A question a friend of mine asked me today, about whether I enjoyed 'gourmet food ' and my answer that I really enjoyed good food , whether it was gourmet or not, got me thinking. It got me thinking about what the greatest pleasures in life are. I know it's a tenuous link to the question about gourmet food, but hey there you have it . So always on the lookout for good blog material, this post...
Step 1 Be Buff We are physical as well as spiritual beings. To break it down further, I think the classification into physical, psychic and spiritual beings has merit; and to each of these we need to pay our dues. As an advocate of the soul of man I am naturally partial to any system which addresses man on the psychic level. Nevertheless I am struck by the inherent limitation of any system, that seeks to promote personal growth and wellbeing, which...
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