Articles
On Tragedy, Death, and God, III
In Islam, a ubiquitous phrase that one hears in the Muslim world is "Insha'Allah" - which means "Allah willing" or "If it is the will of Allah." Latin has a similar phrase, "Deo Valente" that means "God Willing." I've studied some Arabic under a...
On Tragedy, Death, and God – II
So, once again, I had an unexpected brush with the Grim Reaper's repercussions in an entirely unexpected venue. I was loading some stuff into a car that someone gave to me and I was chatting with the guy who was helping me load it (a wonderful gentleman, by the...
On Tragedy, Death, and God (yeah, that’s all)
I've decided that when anyone who is younger than 25 years old dies, it is a tragedy, almost regardless of the circumstances. Seriously. Even if it's a gang-banger who gets gunned down in a shootout with a rival crew. You know why? ...
And now, a brief diversion…
I have a long post coming that deals with death - among other things - but I have to indulge myself today in light of the Boston Bruins winning the Stanley Cup last night in Game 7 of the Finals. My life is not ruled by sports. I've been a lifelong...
The End of the World and Being Human – Final
If you type "what is the essential quality of being human?" into Google, the first hit you get is a Wiki Answers page that says three words: "Compassion. Empathy. Sympathy." That's hardly authoritative, but interesting as a first response.In response...