Boris Johnson off to Saudi ArabiaAn excerpt from the BBC website:- The UK has exported £11bn worth of arms in 2019 according to the Department for International Trade (DIT)'s data. The sale was made despite June 2019 UK court ruling halting arms sales to Saudi Arabia due to its... See More »
Albert Camus"I conclude that all is well," says Oedipus, and that remark is sacred. It echoes in the wild and limited universe of man. It teaches that all is not, has not been, exhausted. It drives out of this world a god who had come into it with... See More »
Off to see the Tractor BoysOff to Portman Road today, Ipswich v Portsmouth. With my daughter and grandson. There will be memories of other days when my grandson's uncle took us. He sadly died of cancer a year or so ago. Far too young. A happy/sad sort of day.
Zelensky Rules OKWhatever will be will be. Yesterday in the UK House of Commoms, via video link, Mr Zelensky spoke. Not empty rhetoric, but the true voice of decency and defiance and as a citizen of the world - not of the "greatness" of this country or that country.... See More »
There's Something About the Way You Look TonightJust listening to an Elton John Collection while cooking sunday dinner and this one just leapt out. Almost like hearing it for the first time. Beautiful. (No,I didn't catch my reflection in the mirror...😀) Thanks Elton. (1)
"H'm" by R.S.ThomasR.S.Thomas was a welsh poet and Anglican priest. He plied his trade (if "trade" is the right word) among the hill farmers of Wales. Quite a bleak existence at times and one of his greatest poems is "The Hill Farmer Speaks" which speaks of "otherness"... See More »
Wherever you are Leonard, I hope Putin can hear.I can't run no more With that lawless crowd While the killers in high places Say their prayers out loud But they've summoned, they've summoned up A thundercloud They're going to hear from me (Lines from "Anthem", Leonard Cohen)
Favorite lyricsMaybe done before, but what are your favorite lyrics.... I love this from Dylan's "Thunder on the Mountain":- I got the porkchops, she got the pie She ain't no angel and neither am I
The path of absolute Other PowerFor my own devotional reading I often read two testimonies of Kiyozawa Manshi, a Pure Land Buddhist who suffered much in his life, but found Trust. From the opening of his "The Path of Absolute Other Power":- This my self is none other than that... See More »
O Felix CulpaIn other discussions with Christians here (discussions?.....😀 ) I have spoken of Christianity having a greater breadth, width and depth than their own Protestant Reform theologies appear to suggest. This met with the usual nonsense. Rather than... See More »
VulnerabilityVulnerability:- the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally. What do others think of vulnerability? Should we seek to remain vulnerable? Are there benefits in simply not... See More » (1)
A Buddhist Bible?I once retired somewhat from Discussion Forums. My days of crossing swords with various other worthies were over - or at least, I hoped and thought that they were. Nevertheless, the impulse to post bits and pieces always remains, for better or... See More »
Entering the forest"They thought that it would be a disgrace to go forth as a group. Each entered the forest at a point that they themselves had chosen, where it was darkest and there was no path. Where there’s a way or path, it is someone else’s path; each human... See More »
The KnifemanMaybe others are already aware of the Knifeman statue. It has recently been on a tour of UK cities. I saw it when it visited my own. It is made of knives handed in at various "knife amnesties". Many affected by knife crime have testified to its... See More » (2)
Jacob's LadderStart the day with The Boss. Bruce Springsteen and Jacob's Ladder. Yeah, we are climbing Jacob's ladder Yeah, we are climbing Jacob's ladder We are climbing Jacob's ladder We are brothers, and sisters, all True levelling up. Accept no substitutes!... See More » (1)
Vent of the year (at least for me)No, not Spurs losing at Burnley, more a general vent. Better to let it out than to hold it in (as the actress said to the Bishop) I'll have a rage than retire (un)gracefully to continue reading the wonderful book "Zen in English Literature and... See More »
Here we go againThose programmes are always the same; Those Current Affairs programmes are always the same. The editions that deal with some new war, Those programmes are always the same. First the historical background is given; How historically the conflict... See More » (1)
Men in black suitsHave you ever noticed that whenever there is bad news, newsreels of human suffering, that there are always men in black suits lolling about in the background? Perhaps we could declare a ban on men in black suits?
What do you think of myths?Myth today often has a bad name. A story that is untrue, belonging to the infancy of the human race; we have now outgrown such a stage in our development. So it goes. However, two great 20th century thinkers have thought deeply on the subject of... See More »
Tao te ChingThe Tao te Ching has been mentioned before. One of our world's most translated books. The first chapter is worth looking up in various translations, each can help illuminate. Here is one:- The Way that can be walked is not the eternal Way. The... See More »
