We all have our prejudices. To think that we don’t is to be willfully blind, prone to believe that the way we perceive the world actually is the world. To deny our prejudices leads to an unwillingness to listen to others. It leads to an unwillingness to open up to the possibility that we might … Continue reading I Pledge Allegiance: Part 8–And Now…The Apocalypse
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I Pledge Allegiance: Part 7–They Wore Diapers On Their Heads
In the early 1970s, in an effort to quell the unrest in Argentina, General and President Rafael Videla took matters into his own hands. First, he labeled his enemies in this way, “A terrorist isn’t just someone with a gun or a bomb. (A subversive is) anyone who opposes the Argentine way of life.” And … Continue reading I Pledge Allegiance: Part 7–They Wore Diapers On Their Heads
I Pledge Allegiance: Part 6–The Spirituality of Pledging
For most of civilization, no one pretended that their political and spiritual lives could be compartmentalized. There was no pretension over thinking you could pledge to this or that over here, and then turn around and pledge to this or that over there. For most of history, there was no sacred here, secular there, divinity … Continue reading I Pledge Allegiance: Part 6–The Spirituality of Pledging
Spirit and Soil: Part 10—Sleep is Underrated
Many times when I ask someone about their spirit-life, the response that I get has to do with how often they are meditating/praying, how much they are giving, how often they open and read their sacred texts, how consistently they gather with their spiritual communities. Very rarely do they mention the double-pepperoni Hot Pocket they … Continue reading Spirit and Soil: Part 10—Sleep is Underrated
Spirit and Soil: Part 3–Before the Tesla 3…was the Chevy Nova
It is hard to miss the enormous Tesla factory situated on I-880, between Oakland and San Jose. Not only is the facility mammoth, the signage is matched to its facade: T-E-S-L-A. But before Model 3s were being rolled out there, the plant belonged to GM and Toyota, in a joint venture known as NUMMI. The … Continue reading Spirit and Soil: Part 3–Before the Tesla 3…was the Chevy Nova