The Expendables

Once upon a time, my class watched the classic Hitchcock film, “Lifeboat,” in our first-year seminar course. The lifeboat was a microcosm of life. With severely limited resources, nine passengers on a lifeboat were faced with deciding who will live and who will die. Now, an algorithm might give a seriously injured man a lower … Continue reading The Expendables →

Independence

Tullius: You don’t really believe that do you? Marcus: Yes. I do. The kingdom of God is among us. Tullius: So, you mean in the here and now, not in the next life or that it’s on the way? Marcus: In a sense, it’s on the way, because the choices we make today can nudge … Continue reading Independence →

Weep No More

In 2008, our Weeping Cherry tree was under attack. A thunderstorm blew it almost to the ground and split the trunk out of spite, I suppose. I propped the tree for over two years and treated it to stop the insects crawling on the cracked trunk. After that, it was able to grow – little … Continue reading Weep No More →

Narratives

In 1971, Cher’s song, “Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves,” rose to number one on the charts. In addition to having a great hook, the recording called out the hypocrisy of “the people of the town,” who called others cruel names, as though they had a right to judge. But let’s not congratulate ourselves. In many ways, … Continue reading Narratives →

Winners?

When he saw one of us after a concert or recital, one of my music professors would ask, “So…winners?” If our performance went well, we would answer, “Winners!” If we hesitated, he said, “Losers, then?” His expression said, “Well, you can’t win them all. Better luck next time.” We could tell he wanted us to … Continue reading Winners? →

Doniella

A fable inspired by "A Quality of Mercy," episode 80 of “The Twilight Zone,” December 29, 1961. [A bigoted American soldier is transformed into a Japanese soldier in a besieged platoon.] “Who are you, and where is President Trump?” demanded the Secret Service agent. “Come on, Bill, I’m Donald Trump! What the hell is going … Continue reading Doniella →

What’s the Point?

“We all are going to die,” at least according to a prominent senator. This observation leads to two conclusions, both of which are unsatisfying. One is that religion (Christianity, according to the senator) will provide “salvation” in the next life, so we don’t need to fix things in this life. The other is that no … Continue reading What’s the Point? →

Constants

In the middle of winter, someone crashed into one of the low brick walls that mark the entrance to the neighborhood. Significant damage was done, but nobody seemed to know anything about the accident. For a few months, I suspected that a snowplow had hit the wall, but the county office couldn’t confirm my conjecture. … Continue reading Constants →

Bookends

We recently returned from a tour that included several cities in Hungary, Austria, Germany, and The Netherlands. We began in Budapest, where we visited the “Shoes on the Danube Bank” memorial to 800 Jewish people who were forced to give up their shoes before being shot and thrown into the river. Seeing the pairs of … Continue reading Bookends →

Of Colleges and Kings

A family member used to say things like, “If he’s not guilty, why did they arrest him?” or “He’s guilty. What do they mean, ‘alleged’?” When I mentioned that the prosecution must provide evidence to prove the charges in court, their answer was, “Why bother? Everybody knows he did it.” Yet, accusations are not enough. … Continue reading Of Colleges and Kings →