I recently published an essay Reconciling with Impermanence. Whilst rummaging through my archives recently I discovered another essay I had written almost twenty years ago that throws some light on this important subject. I have updated it somewhat and now share it with you. Let us begin by asking the question, “What is a man’s […]
In our normal day to day existence there are many things that we hang on to because they give us a sense of permanence. Our consciousness compels us to be aware of our own mortality. Advances in nutrition and health may have enabled us on average to exceed the biblical “three score years and ten”. […]
To die, to sleep –To sleep, perchance to dream, ay there’s the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause there’s the respect That makes calamity of so long life. Hamlet, William Shakespeare The above quote, which will be familiar […]
In a previous blog I mentioned the problem outlined by religious historian, Karen Armstrong, in interpreting religious writings. She maintained that there was always tension between Logos and Mythos. Much of the wisdom of the world has been transmitted by myth, fable, allegory or parable (Mythos). When we get into trouble is when we start […]
In our little book republished as The Myth of Nine to Five, the late Dr Phil Harker and I argued that despite the illusion we have of free will, in fact the only real choice human beings have is whether to choose to live with a worldview of fear or a worldview of love. (If […]
As I sit here in my office I can see the small tree in the front yard. It is a favourite place for the bull-finches to sit before they venture down to the bird bath. This might seem to be just the start of a casual conversation but it has already introduced many philosophical concepts. […]
The figures move about a bit with the continuing years of research, but on the evidence it is fair to say the universe is a little less than fifteen billion years old. The first vestiges of life on earth seemed to appear some one and a half billion years ago. Hominids have been around for […]
As many of you would know, after resigning as CEO of an electricity generator, I pursued a career as an executive coach which I found extremely rewarding. Whilst I mainly worked in organisations where I was encouraged to enhance the personal development of executives, I was sometimes also asked to coach executives that were deemed […]
Being now in my eighty-first year, I thought it might be appropriate (but more likely patronising) to give you young folk some ideas about what ageing is about. I can’t pretend I’ve got it all right, but I’ll give it a shot! There are many impacts of aging, but let’s start with some of […]
When I graduated from university with an engineering degree I felt decidedly incompetent compared to those who were my peers. I have tremendous admiration for engineers. They deal with and master technical complexities that leave me baffled. But, as Jordan Petersen has alluded, their competence is dealing with the Physical world and they often lack […]