Category: Social Studies
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Vegetarianism – Notes
Since I started writing these posts on vegetarianism, I have been asked again “why [am I] a vegetarian,” asked if I “am still a vegetarian,” asked for advice about diets because I am an “expert,” agreed with, disagreed with, and generally been put at the center of some weird conversations about meat and food. I…
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Vegetarianism – Part 3
To open this part, I have to admit defeat, and I have to confess that my vegetarianism was giving me problems even as I wrote part 2. I didn’t fail because I gave in to eating meat, though as I am sure many vegetarians do I did eat meat products several times by accident to…
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“A Persistent Drip” – 4 years ago
From 4 years ago. How time flies, and mountains remain. Zen wisdom is difficult: I’ve been in a philosophical mood lately; probably because of the approaching life events, and other big tides, but my trains of thought seem to be manifesting themselves in grand ways. What I have been working on in those passing moments…
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Vegetarianism – Part 1
I didn’t think I would have to explain my choice to be a vegetarian living in California, but over the last several months, I have actually been confronted several times about it. And oddly, I had little defense in those moments. I didn’t responded well, partly, because I hadn’t sorted out all my own reasons…
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Flea Market Negatives
Flea Market finds. Two sorta interesting negatives in a box of old family photos. Neat little view of an other time, even if it’s not the most breathtaking treasure.
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More Perspective
Sometimes I forget that my perspective has changed over the years, and I forget to check where I am. My son does a great job reminding me to do that.
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MLK, OBL, and a piece called “Night and Dark”
I painting this diptic over ten years ago when I was just out of undergrad. I had had a hidden life as an oil painter during my science studies, and these were two of the only four I completed after school. Eventually, I got around to showing these as a grad student in a show…
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Post-Economic
It’s occurred to me that one of the big problems we face is that we as a country and increasingly the world can only make decisions based on an economic model. Economic models are horribly flawed, and economists would tell us that basing everything on them would be a mistake. So why then do we…
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To Steal
In Kite Runner the main character has a conversation with his father where he explains that all sins can be reduced to one; do not steal. Murder is stealing a life. Blasphemy is stealing god’s holiness. Gluttony; stealing from those in need, etc. It seems reasonable enough, but the precursory idea to stealing is ownership.…
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On Conservation and consumption
There is a reason why we need to make conservation a legislative matter and why free market solutions don’t work to lower waste and overuse. That reason has to do with how conservation and consumption work. The two are quantitatively different, even though qualitatively they are similar. Conservation and consumption behave in inverse ways. Not…