Conquerors, visionaries, artists, poets, and resolute men of all sorts throughout time have been driven to extraordinary acts by their commitment to triumphs that most of us admire - but would prefer to leave to someone else

Schreckengost’ entire body of work reflects his thinking as: concept; design; and making. He thought all three a necessary continuum. Head was as important as hand, each worked as one to create products that were beautiful, appropriate, and made to a purpose.

I watch the Antiques Roadshow to see beautiful, well-crafted items that have withstood the onslaught of time. Decerning people during all the years of these items existence have recognized these items as worthy of maintenance and appreciation.  I agree.

He went on to tell me that he too hoped to be a writer. He supplied a list of possible titles, most of which were obscene, blasphemous, or otherwise indecent. Each of his titles were intended to reference the unspecified incident that landed him in prison.

The diversity of the movies I ended up seeing came about entirely because I watched without judgement whatever was showing on any given Saturday afternoon at the Parma Theater.
Fortunately, that randomness supplied better films to me than my teenage tastes could ever have managed.

I tend to avoid conflicts. I’ve no concern about winning because there’s nothing I want to win. When confronted, I usually say nothing. If possible, I walk away. Some say I remind them of a turtle. If my way is the way of the turtle, is the turtle my spirit-animal?

Next morning I opened the door to the deck outside to feed the birds. Grey and Calico galloped out. Jack stood at the doorsill looking doubtful. After a while he put a tentative paw on the sill. I had the impression he may have never been outside.

A great deal of the Quran echoes what is said in both the Torah and the Christian Bible; all three books preach fairness and benevolence.
          The exception between them is that the good teachings of the Torah and Christian Bible apply to all of God’s children, while the good teachings of the Quran apply only to the followers of Allah.
Everyone else is promised Jihad: continuous ho[y war until every Infidel is scourged from the Earth

Endurance is noble. That thought means nothing to the grief-stricken. It should mean something to those around them. The nobility of suffering should not be disrespected by those who imagine suffering an aberration to be cured. Suffering may be the only condition guaranteed in this life.

Progress always travels with unpleasant offspring. Cutting-edge technology cuts both ways. I suppose there's nothing to be done about the consequences. Nothing ventured, nothing gained - although, nothing ventured, nothing ruined, is also true.

I have some entirely unreliable thoughts about four particular Eras. Worse yet, I'm shamelessly appropriating the large idea of Era to describe smaller ideas about shorter-lived cultural enthusiasms. I say, the time of the season is an Era.

Satan's target is the individual human soul. The human soul is sovereign. Groups are an abstraction. A human soul bound to a group is no longer sovereign. Souls enmeshed in group abstraction no longer think for themselves. The group thinks for them.

Local weather-reports could be standardized: "42° Fahrenheit, more-or-less, rain, snow, and violent winds expected". The forecast rarely varies: cold, wet, stormy and overcast.

I decided years ago to walk with God. My walk may be wobbly, but I do the best I can. When I can't do good, I try at least to avoid doing harm. It's not much, but It's something. It's also calming. God's in charge, not me.