We live in The Age of Ophelia and of the sticky transom, and neither of those things are good, or worthy, when day is done. Ophelia is one of the most insipidly sad characters in all of Shakespeare’s greatest works — and in Hamlet, she not only dies a coward’s death — she also deeply burns disappointment into every reader of the play and observer of her character in performance.
Continue reading → The Age of Ophelia and the Sticky Transom
We are often confronted with the mandate of youth, and the conundrum of wisdom in the matter of — “Everything Goes!” — and I stand here to humbly submit that not everything must go. Sometimes, we need prescience and determination to realize the lack of self-restraint and that an untrained, unsavory, following can become profound enough to dangerously dismiss the best of us.
With age comes experiential wisdom and, we hope, a certain jading when it comes to living a right life. Where once we surprised, now we are prepared; where once we were astonished, now we are bemused.
“It goes on…” is likely the best takeaway motto the elders among us have vested in the current lifetime. Life is circular and repetitive and expectation grows dark and deep as uncertainty continually erupts to corrupt the circle.
We yearn to be virtuous against our impending and inevitable ending, and in that shadow between first bursting and the final shovel is the test of our lives. Have we behaved ethically? Were we in this world just for ourselves? Did we, in some way, serve the others among us without an expectation of a return on our investment?
Continue reading → Between Virtue and Mortality: Of This Shadow We Have Known
How do we become wise? Is wisdom a gift, or is wisdom something practiced and acquired? Does wisdom know any age? Can a five-year-old child ever be wiser than someone who has lived 85 years?
Seventeen years in a hole;
emerging blue, better, but cheaper.
My beloved mentor, Dr. Howard Stein of Columbia University in the City of New York, celebrated his 87th birthday on July 4, 2009, and in that celebration of his life, he shared his special wisdom with me.
What is the nature of wealth, power and wisdom? I’d like to share some of my thoughts with you.
Why do so many people fear the truth?
People are frightened of honesty because truths are revealed. The danger in truth is that it wounds with indisputable facts. If you’re unprepared in life to deal with the reality surrounding you — it’s better to not know and to never ask.
Continue reading → Random Thoughts on Wealth, Power and Wisdom
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