I was out at a city park today to play some racquetball. While taking a break, I noticed four guys playing handball nearby. They were playing a hard-fought game. But wait a minute! What is that tobacco-y smell? Why, it's tobacco! Two of the handball players were smoking cigarettes (the coffin nails were actually in…
One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a
Cheshire cat in a tree.
‘Which road do I take?’ she asked.
‘Where do you want to go?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Then,’ said the cat,’ it doesn’t matter.’
Lewis Carrol: Alice in Wonderland
One thing fundamentalists have that many of us lack is a well-practiced response to why they exist and what life is all about. Their response goes something like this: “I am here to serve Jesus Christ so that I can join Him in heaven. How do I serve him? I follow these Ten Commandments.”
Pretty slick, eh? The entire purpose of a human life boiled down to ten seconds.
What about the rest of us? What would we say if someone asked us for our “purpose”? Would we even claim to have “a purpose.” If forced to answer, many of us might say that we’re “trying to get by” or that we’re simply “doing the best we can” or that we try to follow the golden rule. But most of us don’t have anything resembling the simplistic formula of fundamentalists. At first glance, that fundamentalist formula makes fundamentalists look decisive, strong and admirable. This succinct certitude probably gains lots of converts among the many people who join up. In reality, though, such a simple statement of purpose serves only as a mere placeholder that raises (or should raise) hundreds of questions among honest and thoughtful people.
I haven’t worked out any succinct statement regarding …
We all know about war: male-dominated animal species -- from humans to bighorn sheep -- settle their disputes with combat. But bonobos -- a matriarchal primate species -- settle their disputes with sex. Of course, humans sometimes do this too -- it's called make-up sex -- but bonobos use it for…
Scientists studying honeybees have learned a lot about how a swarm decides where to locate its hive. The decision is critical, because a wrong decision can leave the hive exposed to deadly winter weather; therefore, bees need an effective voting system that reliably and efficiently yields their optimal hive location. …
In my day-to-day life, the people I encounter (friends, neighbors, co-workers, students) all generally seem to be good; they want the best for themselves and the world they live in, they do not wish to do harm, and they are concerned about global warming, the wars, and biological threats. They want to be happy, and they want the people around them to be happy. Many of them are actively engaged with projects and endeavors that benefit others; they are motivated by a sincere desire to change the world in which they live.
I started thinking about this the day after attending a performance by a troupe called “Bench Press Burlesque.” Four of the members of the group take yoga classes with me and I wanted to support them. I had seen them perform previously and was delighted with the wit, intelligence, and cutting-edge weirdness with which they deal with current issues and culture. Their most recent production, “Bad Jokes and Tight Ropes” did not fail to deliver, in my opinion. Perhaps I am a bit prejudiced (I know them and I love them!) but I was again tickled and pleased to see them as they took on President Bush, Technology, Corporate Environmental Rape, Bad Parenting, Gender Mis-identification, and the Catholic Church in their unique, campy, low-budget, sexy and freaky style. There was a decent performance of a West African dance that had the audience clapping and stomping, a puppet show on Sex Education and musical interludes by the house band …