Ever heard of the expression: “Jack of all trades, master of none”? It is an expression that hits a pretty resonant chord in a world moving at an ever increasing speed. Wanting to read everything, to attend everything, to fight every injustice, to back up every cause, we end up doing nothing, for the simple… Read More Jack of All Trades, No Master of Community-Building
One of the aspects of spiritual development is that of excellence, which is a challenging goal to aspire to. It is of course much easier to strive for spiritual excellence when one is part of an institution that promotes it. Let’s go for an extreme example: being chaste is a lot easier in a nunnery… Read More Striving For Excellence Without Guilt Tripping in a Morally Lax World
Regularly throughout the television season, fans are pushed to the side to fulfill the needs of sports geeks. This left Fringe fans hanging last week, but while many were not happy to be given a week off from the show, I was quite happy to have an extra week (and a couple of rewatches) to… Read More TV Review: Fringe, Season 5, Episode 3: The Recordist
Rigidity and narrow mindedness are not good, but moral laxity isn’t, either. While religious fanaticism is wrong, it doesn’t mean that religion in itself deserves to be demonized. The current demonization of religion is often an excuse people use to allow themselves, in the name of freedom, to do things that run completely counter to… Read More How Religion Does Not Restrict Freedom, or How Nasty Would it be to Drive without Traffic Lights in Manhattan?
So-called nice people are usually considered a pleasure to work with, because they will rarely, if ever, say something that makes others uncomfortable. They will often do everything they can to not intentionally insult anyone or bring up sensitive topics that might upset others. But this niceness can be superficial, and create festering passive aggressiveness,… Read More Am I Actually Being Mean? Not Judging Our Actions Solely by Other People’s Reactions
The thrilling ride that is going to be Season 5, as humanity continues to fight the rule of the Observers (and, hopefully, win), continues in this, only the second episode of the season. I say “only” because so much has happened in the span of a mere three episodes – “Letters of Transit” from Season… Read More TV Review: Fringe, Season 5, Episode 2: In Absentia
Back in the days – and I mean, way back in prehistoric days – humans used to live in small packs. Everyone knew everyone, and we were all struggling for survival. It is highly probable that while everyone knew what everyone else was doing, there was no time to do much more than, well, survive.… Read More Beauty and the Beast: The Role of the Village
Welcome to the future. And I agree with Walter: it doesn’t look all that good. The fifth and unfortunately final season of Fringe opens in 2036, a future caught in the ruling fist of the Observers, who have turned out to be anything but passive. I have to be honest; while Season 4’s episode “Letters… Read More TV Review: Fringe, Season 5, Episode 1: Transilience Thought Unifier Model-11
A delectable show about the sometimes ambiguous battle between good and evil, Once Upon a Time is a retelling of classic fairy tales woven into one beautiful tapestry. At the centre of this retelling is the concept of true love explored in a slightly more layered way one would expect of the genre, as love… Read More TV Review: Once Upon a Time, Season 1
Sometimes, we say things that take us completely by surprise. While recently driving on a brand new highway in an area known for its tight winding roads filled with cars parked where they shouldn’t be, I sighed a blissful sigh and said: “Ah, civilization.” I immediately realized just how insulting my comment was, and it… Read More The Multiples Meanings of a Single Word, and the Importance of Eloquence in Community Building
