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Comfort Watching versus Empathy Watching
The following paper, written by Carter Franklin, discusses how greater access to film and entertainment may not be as liberating as we might think. And, by the way, please check out his podcast. But it also caused me to think more universally about how we “consume” information and how that shapes our world view. I usually do not solicit comments on my posts. However, this is an exception. How would you answer some of the questions posed below? Refections on Movies by S. Carter Franklin Imagine this scenario: you are by yourself or with your significant other on a Sunday evening with nothing to do and decide that you want…
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Stockholm to Montenegro – August 26-27
To get to the small country of Montenegro, where we would spend a week hiking, we first flew into Stockholm for a 24-hour layover. In Stockholm we participated in a Nordic food and drink tour. One very memorable part of the tour was the Swedish licorice. Evidently the Swedes love their sour/bitter licorice. Most of our group spit it out immediately. Those of us who did not wished we had. But we loved Stockholm. We then flew into Split, and had a driver take us south along the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia to Dubrovnik, where we would meet our hiking group. Along the way, we stopped in the towns of…
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What makes a family 8.22.23
A wonderful article on what makes a family from "Faith and Leadership" and a poem about human connection.
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Standing on the dot… 8.20.23
Thank God for those who do not stand on the dots….. As I sat on my deck drinking my cup of coffee on this rare cool August morning, I read the following from my favorite blogger: On the dot Hardy came home from school and proudly showed his mom the cheap plastic trinkets he had earned that day. “I stood quietly on the dot and so I got some tickets. And if I stand on the dot quietly tomorrow, I can get some more prizes!” First grade! That’s one way to indoctrinate kids in both obedience and consumption. It’s rare we see it so brazenly and vividly executed. Is standing…
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The People We Meet in Basque – Part 4 – 8.17.23
Dear James, Here is the 4th and final installment of “The People We Meet” from my Basque Trip. Day 16 – The Tour de France in Bilbao, Spain – The Mother The “Grand Depart” of the Tour de France would occur in Bilbao with the first stage starting and ending there. Through very fortunate circumstances that occurred in South Africa of all places, I was given VIP passes for the start and end of the race, allowing us to be near the teams. As we mingled at the finish line in our VIP tent, I met a family with three teenage sons. Americans, they now lived in Japan. I told…
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People We Meet – Part 3 – 8.16.23
Dear James, Here is the third installment of “The People We Meet” from my Basque Trip. It covers the cycling part of my trip in the French Pyrenees and the Rioja Region – days 10 through 15. Day 10 – The Swimmers in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France We left San Sebastián early in the morning, took a train across the border to Biarritz, where we met our Cycling Group. We cycled 16 miles to Jean-de-Luz, a beautiful French Basque Coastal town. I decided to go for a swim. Because it was later in the day, the only other swimmers were two teenage boys jumping off of a diving platform located 75 yards…
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“The People We Meet” – Days 5 to 9 from Basque Trip
8.15.23 Dear James, Here is the second installment of “The People We Meet” from my Basque Trip. It covers Days 5 to 9. Day 5 – The Pyrenees – The Englishman. On day 5 we took a taxi from Biarritz to Saint Jean Pied de Port, the starting spot for the French Camino. From there, a pilgrim can hike 33 days to Santiago de Compostela, home of Saint James’ remains. Pete and I would only hike to Pamplona, Spain, home of “The Running of the Bulls.” On that first day as we hiked over the top of the French Pyrenees into Spain, we met an Englishman who had been the…
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People We Meet – Basque Trip – Days 1 to 4
8.1.23 Dear James, After another wonderful visit with you in Boston, I decided to share some my Basque Country trip with you. The magic of travel can include new landscapes, museums, food, climates and culture. I now realize all are more enjoyable when done with other people. Walking a few days alongside a mom from Ireland and her 13-year-old son on the Camino portion of the trip really reminded me of this. And I do hope to walk a portion of the Camino with you some day. And travel is made much richer when experienced with locals. So, I decided to convey the culture and personality of the wonderful Basque…
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Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero With a Thousand Faces”
A summary of "The Hero With A Thousand Faces" This is such a powerful and ubiquitous concept that I thought I would summarize the 12 steps of the hero’s journey. Do not read the book yourself unless you are ready for some very dense reading.
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What does diversity mean? July 5, 2023
This morning I read an article in the NYT that is very salient. For years I have been trying to get people to engage with me on the issue of economic inequality. Let me first say that I firmly believe that we still have systemic racism in our country. However, we also have systemic economic discrimination. But we ignore that. Even many minorities want to sweep that issue under the rug because it dilutes their message and complicates the issue. I get it. But that does not make it right. Maybe the Supreme Court’s recent decision will help all of us focus on economic discrimination as well. A friend of…