Disentangling Knowing from Belief

It appears simple: we know something because we are told of it and the sum of what we know becomes our body of knowledge to be held in books and in memory. What if this does not describe knowing at all, but simply belief?

Chefs and Sea Captains

Chefs and sea captains and drill sergeants and Zen masters have been born in and borne by a legacy of abuse passed down the generations. It would be easy to condemn them outright for their aggression, but only if we fail to look at their motivations…. There is something widespread and deeply similar behind what

In a Nutshell

This was written in response to L. M. Sacasas’ recent post on The Frailest Thing: A truly thought provoking piece. Some of the strains in the post and their echoes in the first comment lead me to add my own take by describing the distinction I’ve come to between Technology and the broader human capacity

“What do we do when we stop pretending?”

This line from the Dark Mountain Manifesto stopped me in my tracks when I first read it and, in a sense, I’ve been hovering, listening, and looking for how to respond ever since. In fact, you might say, I’ve not gone any farther. Perhaps, I’ve even backed-up. The question that really holds me is one

Meaningful work

We have confused a pseudo-existential threat, a threat only to Ego’s dominion over us, for an actual existential threat. This same mechanism leads a heroin addict to suicide and leads every self-proclaimed Master of the Universe to massing all the energy available to him, almost always a him…, to actively promote the destruction of the fabric of life.

Craft, Story, and Ritual

An introduction: This is where innovation fails: Undertaking Craft without respect for mystery one presumes to know what cannot be known. In this we falsify the power of doing. Our doing does not come from Being. This imposition blocks us from connecting with what-is. Story is how we perceive the flow, movement reflected back at

The Word Craft Is Derived from Strength

It’s taken me long enough; but I’ve finally discovered that the word craft derives from Old English and German words for strength. Forehead slap! Of course. Kraft paper means strong paper. Knew that! So at this point this belated revelation reverberates in my skull. Thinking about the distinction between strength and power…. There’s already been

A Shared Foundation of Experience

Launching Boats for difficult times It seems crazy to be thinking about boats at a time like this. Not just with winter closing in, but within this climate of growing uncertainty as the imminence of collapse emerges into our everyday lives. The old patterns don’t work, and whether we are upset by this, or inwardly

On Painting

notes to a fellow painter I’ve been thinking about your paintings and what you wrote about them. Part of the reason I’ve waited to respond has been wanting time for my thoughts to percolate. It’s so good that you’re painting. Carving the time and dealing with the logistics. That’s tremendous and shows the tenacity I always

Further notes on Craft, a Point of Departure…

The trouble with talking about Craft is that everyone thinks they already know what it is. Let’s take a deep breath and set all those assumptions aside. Easier said than done. To begin, here’s some of what Craft is not: Backward Anachronistic, and therefore not a viable way to proceed. A niche activity, something working

Driven by Fear

Coercion, hostility, anger, rejection; are all signs of fear. They cease to exist when there is no fear. These are paraphrases of points Krishnamurti made repeatedly. The dynamics surrounding fear cannot be ignored. They inflect not only how we react and respond ourselves, but hold some key to how we can find ways to speak

On Berger’s “the Moment of Cubism”

I’ve mentioned John Berger’s essay, The Moment of Cubism a number of times. While I recommend you read the original I felt it was time I describe why I find it such a vital document. Berger differentiates “The Moment of Cubism” from the “Movement” of Cubism. He writes about a handful of artists during the