One of the basic life lessons every child should learn is this: "Do not assume malevolence where ignorance is sufficient." That's a mouthful, but let's break it down. "Do not assume..." Assumption is at the root of most human conflict. Assumption—to suppose something, without proof—is a form of prejudice. Voltaire once observed that: "Prejudice is …
Some of my work colleagues were hanging out a "Would you rather..." scenario the other day. Without getting into the sordid details, the basic question under consideration was "Would you rather do something morally repugnant and no one knows about it or not do that morally repugnant thing and yet everyone thinks you do, for …
“Now in myth and ritual the great instinctive forces of civilized life have their origin: law and order, commerce and profit, craft and art, poetry, wisdom and science. All are rooted in the primeval soil of play.” ― Johan Huizinga, Dutch historian My mother specialized in early childhood development, which I count as one of …
We live in a fallen, compromised world and what is considered normal is not necessarily natural. Navigating this world as children or adults is complicated, not only because so much of the world is not as it should be, but also because the remarkable instrument that we possess as a species—the conscious mind of man—has …
We live in an era that might best be described as an epoch of terror. Such times—for this is certainly not the first—are fueled by mistrust, resentment, greed, and a race for power…all of which give rise to a dark, desperate universe. In such a world, the promise of a bright, new day rising out …
"The final wisdom of life requires not the annulment of incongruity but the achievement of serenity within and above it." ~ Reinhold Niebuhr How do you achieve serenity while living in a world of incongruity and limitations? Everywhere you look in the world today there is evidence of turmoil, conflict and unrest, a state that …
A person filled with gumption doesn't sit around dissipating and stewing about things. He's at the front of the train of his own awareness, watching to see what's up the track and meeting it when it comes. That's gumption. -Robert Pirsig, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" Like in any industry, airline pilots are …
I’ve been reading “Essays in Wildness” and came across this thought-provoking meditation (Kenko, #188): A man decided to make his son a monk. “Study the laws of karmic cause and effect,” he told him, “and make your living by preaching.” The lad did as instructed. First, in order to be a successful preacher, he learned …
The two primary forces at work in American politics can be boiled down to: 1) a desire to maintain tradition and 2) an openness to progressive evolution. The former tend to hearken back to former, “better” times, while the latter lean into the prospect of novel, more enlightened times. While both aim for the betterment …
It’s a sunny morning in Juneau, Alaska, and my motorcycle is parked just outside of my favorite coffee shop in town, The Rookery Cafe. Excited voices of my contemporaries fill the air around me, but I am lost in a heartening reverie. I am reconnecting with an old friend, Yoshida Kenko, a soulmate of sorts. …
Gregory Hake 