You're writing your autobiography. What's your opening sentence? Cicero was a master of brevity. He once said vixerunt or “they lived” as an euphemism signalling the demise of the Catilinarian conspirators to the Roman Senate. To me, the unique appositeness of this word appealed for an altogether different reason. Life is meant to be enjoyed, … Continue reading Vixerunt
What experiences in life helped you grow the most? Pain is a natural fertilizer for personal growth. It’s not love, mind you. It’s relentless, ongoing emotional distress. Pain is to growth what water, manure and sun are to a plant or a tree. It’s what makes it grow into a splendid bush of roses or … Continue reading On Growth
Do you believe in fate/destiny? Yes, I do. Everything is fixed and we cannot change it. Entropy is everything. Mosaicism, Christianity, and Islam swear by it. What we do in life does echo in eternity, as Maximus so aptly put it. But our agency is confined to how we go about fulfilling our destiny. It’s … Continue reading On Predestination
Describe a phase in life that was difficult to say goodbye to. Moving on is never easy. In fact, I would wager a lot of money it’s the most difficult thing you’ll ever do in your entire life. We are creatures of habit. All of us. No matter what the naysayers claim. They are chronically … Continue reading On Clinging to the Past
If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be, and why? Some people are unhappy. Others feel neglected. Most of us experience both sentiments during our lifetime. A few also stare into the sky waiting for things to change. All this is normal. A small number of gents take things further. … Continue reading On Wishful Thinkers
Describe the most ambitious DIY project you've ever taken on. Contrary to what people may believe it to be, a shaving horse is not what its name implies. A shaving horse is a wood working bench used by bowyers to make a wood stave into a longbow. Or better said, to make a length of … Continue reading The Shaving Horse
If you could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be? Why? If you think long and hard about this, you realize this is a difficult question. Which word carries such a positively nefarious meaning that would justify its being banned? Now perhaps I’m not the best person to answer this … Continue reading On Free Speech
Daily writing promptWhat is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?View all responses The biggest challenge anyone can face now and always is the fight against inevitability. Entropy is everywhere. Everything is fixed and we cannot change it. But that doesn't mean we should not fight it. Life happens. That's that. … Continue reading On Commitment
What advice would you give to your teenage self? I’d tell my younger self to choose smarter. Learn more, love more, and get out of Dodge earlier. Choices matter, people. They make the whole difference. It doesn’t matter if it’s your chosen vocation or profession or significant other. But the most important choice in life … Continue reading On Education
Summum ius summa iniuria est. The greatest right is the greatest injury. What is just is however not always equitable. This is why the spirit of the law is as important as the letter of the law.
Götterdämmerung 