The Power of Footnotes
1. My idea of the ideal text is still the Talmud. I love the idea of parallel texts, with long, discursive footnotes and marginal commentary, texts commenting on texts. –Noam Chomsky, Mother Jones interview, 1987…
Author: Mark J. Chmiel
Perennially Good Advice
“Do what you love. Know your own bone; gnaw at it, bury it, unearth it, and gnaw it still. Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life so. Aim above…
Three Incitements to Read a Book of Poems by Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore
1. Winter Haiku Winter’s on its way. Maple leaves all cross the street together. 2. Recognition The same God Who sent the prophets And inspired the Qur’an has me work at a job I hate…
A Phenomenologist of Impermanence
In this world of ours where everything withers, everything perishes, there is a thing that decays, that crumbles into dust even more completely, leaving behind still fewer traces of itself, than beauty: namely grief. –Marcel…
Today’s Gratitude
I received an envelope full of treasures like this from artist Cris Airaghi in Seattle.
“Help Win War–Beat Fascism”
Woody Guthrie, New Year’s Resolutions, 1943
To Serve Suffering Humanity
Shekhar Ganguly, A Satyagrahi, a Revolutionary, a Communist People’s Publishing House, New Delhi, 1995 I recently read Arundhati Roy’s moving essay, “Walking with the Comrades,” detailing her solidarity with the indigenous Maoists of India back…
Sayings by Maharajji
Said one devotee, “Maharajji was love incarnate. No religion, only love.” from Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba, compiled by Ram Dass See God in everyone. It is deception to teach by…
Share the Wealth with Ale Vazquez: Capturing the Power of Transformation
Healing from heartbreak—of various kinds—is a process that can involve creative practices. In this gathering, Ale will tell of how she has transformed suffering via watercolor, haiku, photography, dialogue, and community as a means to…
Cal Newport, Again
In addition, as demonstrated during the 2016 presidential election and its aftermath, online discussion seems to accelerate people’s shift toward emotionally charged and draining extremes. The techno‑philosopher Jaron Lanier convincingly argues that the primacy of…