I’d like to say some things about my Mom’s full life; others will likely say things more recent about her (recent, for my Mom’s life, is all relative. That might be things from grandchildren or great-grandchildren that cover only the past few decades or so). (more…)
December 31, 2012
August 6, 2012
Sex and Discipline
No, I don’t mean “discipline” during sex. I’m referring to discipline regarding sexual activity, comparable to how we may seek to discipline ourselves in regard to our eating and sleeping behaviors. It may seem strange/incongruous even to consider sexuality in terms of (more…)
July 26, 2012
Has women’s lib become women’s chains (comparable to men’s)?
One of the greatest capitalist rip-offs of the second half of the 20th century was to convince women that they would be better off and happier being “liberated” to leave their families and to emulate the meaningless hamster-wheel work life (so falsely glamorized) that their mates “enjoyed.” So now we end up with (more…)
Is (was) Paul a survivalist? Yes and No.
It’s interesting to consider that half a century ago, I had some things somewhat comparable to this rather over-the-top survivalist, stashed in the trunk of my car. I always kept (more…)
July 6, 2012
Calling all married/established activist couples – where are you?
Fran and I do many of our social actions together as a couple. We have always done some things separately, but we are often together. But in my experience we are the only married/established couple present (more…)
August 1, 2011
“How do you know when you’ve met the right one?”
I was asked the following by a friend who is in the process of making life and relationship decisions: “How did you know when you met the right one?“ My response follows. (more…)
February 5, 2011
Does Paul take a homeless person to the formal Mendel dinner?
The Villanova College of Arts & Sciences invites their faculty to an annual formal dinner. Putting on a tux for dinner seemed rather excessive/wasteful to this simple Quaker. But a friend had purchased one at a garage sale that happened to fit me perfectly, and so (more…)
February 1, 2011
Comments on Big Little Wolf’s Daily Plate of Crazy
I recently came upon this well-written and challenging blog http://dailyplateofcrazy.com/ The author discusses personal issues of family, relationships, work, etc. from the perspective of a single mother. Here are some of my Comments on her blog and on similar blogs. They can be put in perspective by referencing them to her original postings if you wish. These topics are different from my usual ones and present an opportunity for me to write about some issues that I usually don’t cover. But I also see that the authors’ situations and concerns are different from mine, and thus my blog and their blogs will naturally go their separate ways, even while we continue to learn from one another. Also, I have transferred much of my attention from my blog to my Facebook posts, where I condense some serious ideas into the allotted 420 spaces. Her Blog Topics are in BOLD. My Comments follow: (more…)
January 3, 2011
A sustainable marriage (NYTimes 12/31/10)
This NYTimes article focuses on what makes a sustainable marriage. The author proposes that relationships succeed when they develop “self-expansion” via a mutual contribution to increased knowledge and new experiences. The concept is interesting and speaks to the relationship between Fran and me. I took their “quiz,” although I don’t put that much credence in it. What I found most interesting were the comments that ensued. You can see them for yourself online, and I have copied my four comments at the end of this post (#s 69, 159, 174, 207 for NYTimes article).
As a Quaker, I am particularly led by two testimonies focusing on 1) Inner (personal) peace and 2) Outward (world) peace. These two are closely related, and while my comments on this NYTimes article relate particularly to the first sense of peace, it is true that with more of this first type, we would also have much more of the latter type (and vice versa). (more…)
December 20, 2010
My Crèche Tableau
Why do I value the crèche that I set up every Christmastime? I do not take, nor am I particularly concerned with, a strictly literal interpretation of the scene depicted (even the bible tells the story differently). So what does it represent? (more…)