I just read about what happened to the number-one male tennis player in the world at the French Open. He had already captured the first two sets and sat comfortably at 5-1 in the third when the oppressive Paris heat took hold of him. He stayed on the court, pushing through the haze, but the…
Deception and Reality
There are certain phrases that have snuck their way into our language much like the armadillo has found its way from Texas to North Carolina’s highways. The phrases themselves are deceptive: “side effects,” “collateral damage,” and “friendly fire” are but a few examples. They are linguistic anesthesia, designed to make us ignore or minimize consequences…
Moving Past The Noise
Probably every one of us has looked up from the clutter of our days and realized, with a quiet ache, that we are spending the currency of our souls on the wrong things. We yearn for the expansive spaces—traveling to distant horizons, hiking the rugged cathedrals of the mountains, or losing ourselves in the quiet,…
Common Ground
A wonderful friend of mine used to react to the infamous news stories of the Pentagon spending a thousand dollars on a single toilet seat with a characteristic blend of pragmatism and wit: “Hubbell, I either want it stopped, or I want in on it.” He was a man of vast contradictions—the kind that define…
The Symphony of Play
Men as well as children have need of play—that is to say, of periods of activity having no purpose beyond present enjoyment. But if play is to serve its purpose, it must be possible to find pleasure and interest in matters not connected with work. — Johan Huizinga, Homo Ludens (Man the Player). Reading Huizinga’s…