I wouldn’t say that cats are enlightened, or that we should take them as our role models, but they do have a few things to teach us, from what I can see. Here are some thoughts that my feline friends have sparked today. Their quiet teachings are …
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Writings of J. Todd Ring: The path of the writer and the path of heart
The bodhisattva reaches out his hand to the drowning man, and says, “Give me your hand.” The man replies, “I’m not going to give you my hand.” So the bodhisattva says, “Alright then, take my hand.” The teacher is respected everywhere but …
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: To thine own self be true
Just a fun post – no serious politico-philosophical stuff here…gotta take a break some time.. And yes, I am an unabashed head-banger… I do love music that gets your energy flowing, including hard rock…along with blues, jazz, cla…
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Light and fluffy time: delicious and hearty Mediterranean-style stew
Ok, I realize that stew is not something we would generally think of as light and fluffy – but I meant that this is not a serious political or philosophical analysis piece or essay: it is for joy and for good health. Bon appetite! I don’t u…
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Puritanism and the reversal of opposites: dissolution of extremes and the coming end of an age
The West – or rather, the North West corner of this small planet – is by tradition and by psychology, puritanical in bent, still, even though this tradition is recent, spanning only the past few hundred years, and even though much of it has been sh…
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Obama: pseudo-populist, crypto-fascist, corporatist, globalist
(Ya, I’m subtle – I have to call it as I see it) Obama and the Democrats are being framed and blamed for every evil in America, and the country’s problems are all the fault of the evil Republicans. Nice story line – for a fantas…
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Thoreau, the dharma and the dark age
In the view of Buddhism, Hinduism and also the ancient Greeks, among others, we live in a dark age, or what in the East is called the Kali yuga, the decadent age: and it is true. In the dark age, greed is pervasive, human bonds of love, community, shar…
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Divide and conquer, or United we stand
Community has been greatly eroded: human social bonds of solidarity and mutual aid have been severely eroded, the extended family is largely gone in the modern world, and even the nuclear family – the last remnants of a broader social network of …
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Built to crash: the coming economic tsunami
`Would you rather have a perfectly efficient system that, if hit by a pebble, would shatter? Or, would you rather have an adaptable system that may not give you the exact output you want, but can handle anything? According to Barry Lynn of the New Am…
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: The greatest of dangers
The challenge is not to become a machine. The greatest danger is not from outside: the greatest danger is ourselves – that is, the greatest danger is losing touch with our own hearts and common sense. Above all, strive to maintain compassion and pres…
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Trivia question for the day: hint, Bonacieux
Ok, total lightness time – nothing serious whatsoever here. Today’s trivia question: are you ready? Pencil in hand? Alright then, here `tis. Four gold stars for anyone who get this question right – and two extra if you can name the au…
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: The system is broken: strategic voting, coalitions, and the political regime under which we live
While I can of course see the rationale for strategic voting, there is much to be said for voting with one’s conscience. When we consistently choose the lesser of two evils, our choices are reduced to evil, and the results are evil. When everyone hol…
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Libertarianism, Anarchism, Socialism and Democracy
Fundamental questions And The future of humanity on earth Or, Further reflections on political economy in the real world The questions of philosophy, and in particular, political philosophy, are of course large: and the implications of our responses, v…
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Uniting the People: On the need for a left-right coalition
The struggle is not between left and right: it is between democracy and tyranny – that is, it is between the people and the power elite. If the people do not unite, they will never defeat the rising dangers of fascism, ecological collapse or soci…
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: “How globalization can save the planet”
A response to a very glowing review of Flannery’s new book on the state of the earth (Toronto Star, Porter) http://www.thestar.com/news/article/975785–porter-how-globalization-can-unexpectedly-save-the-planet There is always hope. Life never en…
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