Author: mmwordsmith

Who Am I? Why am I here? Why are any of us here? These are first-class essential questions. The kind of questions many people laughed about when Admiral James Bond Stockdale posed them in a vice-presidential debate in 1992. Who wants a politician to wax philosophical when he could act like he knows all the answers? Apparently, people like me. The need to question and reflect seems to be part of my personality - an inextricable part. I believe I need to take these kinds of questions seriously, but while doing so, try not to take my answers or myself too seriously. My guess is as good as anyone else’s, after all. Maybe the lesson, if there is one, is to struggle with questions like these, to stretch my capacity for understanding, to challenge my ability to tolerate divergent views, to look at life creatively, to remain unafraid to cling to old ideas when they are good and move on to new ideas when they are constructive. The great moral philosopher, Red Skelton, once said he believed we are put on earth “to create and not to destroy.” I sincerely hope my stories and musings will somehow help others grapple with their own questions and follow their best impulses towards creating a better world.

Myth and Reality

In 1970, Sun Ra recorded “Myth Versus Reality.” It begins with the spoken words, “If you’re not a myth, whose reality are you? If you’re not a reality, whose myth are you?” What we call reality is entangled with stories – myths and legends – narratives that can illustrate deeper meanings than mere facts. The … Continue reading Myth and Reality →

Planting Seeds

Because this is the 90th post in the series, I want to take a few minutes to think about why I’m doing this. I’ve written elsewhere about some of my motivations, but it seems to me some might think I’m just being pretentious or trying to be something I’m not. I’ve never claimed to be … Continue reading Planting Seeds →

Just Asking Questions

There was an unwritten rule in my college days. I’ll try to write it. A student may ask any pertinent question in class but may not ask about basic information from the assigned readings, unless there is a good reason to do so, such as to clarify an apparent contradiction or a difficult concept. During … Continue reading Just Asking Questions →

If You Want to Live

“Come with me if you want to live,” is a well-known line from the Terminator movies. Various characters say it to offer a way out of danger. The implications are clear: come with me or stay here and die. Of course, the characters being rescued want to live. If they didn’t, the story would be … Continue reading If You Want to Live →

We Will Have Failed

In 1689, John Locke wrote “Two Treatises on Government.” His ideas informed the men who drafted the US Constitution. In the second treatise, Locke drew a distinction between liberty and license. It seems to me the founding fathers agreed that Locke was essentially correct – liberty does not mean we can do anything we desire. … Continue reading We Will Have Failed →

Salt and Light

I’ve read and heard many complaints about Christians being “persecuted” in the US and I’ve been trying to understand what is behind these feelings. I haven’t noticed that Christians have been forbidden to meet, pray, read the Bible, or share their beliefs here. I’m not aware of Christians being imprisoned, tortured, or killed for their … Continue reading Salt and Light →

Good Guys

An editorial… Lately I’ve been thinking about self-control. And schools. And the doctrine of “in loco parentis” (in the place of parents). It seems to me we are missing a major point in the debate surrounding the Second Amendment. On one side we have some who want to ban and/or confiscate various types of firearms. … Continue reading Good Guys →

Bans and Prohibitions

Many years ago, I read an article about how to stop students from plagiarizing. All colleges prohibit plagiarism, with various penalties. They say things like, “academic integrity matters, so do your own work, unless the assignment involves collaboration.” As I recall it, the author of the article validated my thinking, with several suggestions. His main … Continue reading Bans and Prohibitions →

Wind-up Soldiers

My reaction to the horrific mass murder in Buffalo… A person I respect once asked me, “Religious people say they have faith, but when something contrary to that faith happens, then what?” Diagoras of Melos, a 5th Century BC Greek philosopher, warned that survivors should beware of attributing their salvation to the favor of the … Continue reading Wind-up Soldiers →

Alice

Thoughts on the importance of teachers. I once had a student in Jazz Ensemble I’ll call, Alice. Alice was in the “back row,” the trumpet section. Early in her Jazz Ensemble career, a few other students came to me to express their concerns about whether Alice ought to be part of the group. They said … Continue reading Alice →