Month: augustus 2018

Meditation on Equality
We breathe the same air. That statement is already beginning to be problematic if you live in one of China's heavily polluted cities and you can't afford to escape to the relatively unspoilt countryside. You can't afford to buy Canadian air in a bottle, shipped to you by a special company. Let's breathe some air ...
Review: Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton
Status anxiety is "the price we pay for acknowledging that there is a public distinction between a successful and an unsuccesful life." In this book, de Botton explores our social lives from the perspective of status, and arrives at a remarkably comprehensive account of human society, that is erudite as it is entertaining. Essentially, the ...
Reading: Commotion and storm by Marc Tiefenthal
Marc Tiefenthal (b. ?) is a Belgian, writer, translator and poet. I read an existential poem: Commotion and storm The sky as the top solution you must do so, yes, or hell as a last refuge. No, we did not invent this by the way nor shall it disappear by the same way. Otherwise, the ...
The Pleasures of an Ordinary Life by Judith Viorst
Judith Viorst (b. 1931) is among other things an American writer and psychoanalysis researcher. She is known for her children's books and witty poetry. I read a sober summary of the pleasures of an ordinary life: I've had my share of necessary losses, Of dreams I know no longer can come true. I'm done now ...
Meditation on Time
Let's take some five second breaths to begin. Maybe even a ten second breath. We will breathe a finite number of breaths in our lifetime and it is less than one billion. Being aware of this fact is supposed to make us value every single one. We understand the present moment as the nexus of ...
Lekker zomers masochisme
COL Zomers masochisme Er is een tijd om te ijveren, en er is een tijd voor nostalgie. Vorige week mijmerde ik over een poëzieboekje dat ik enkele jaren geleden tijdens ons verblijf in Portugal schreef. Ik herinner me dat ik bij alle tweeënzeventig verzen het gevoel had dat het dingen betrof die gezegd moesten worden. ...
Meditation on Happiness
We begin with music. It is our intention to influence our own happiness. Breathe calmly. Imagine you have full control over your hormonal levels and neurotransmitters, especially oxytocin and dopamine. Would you keep them at a constant, optimal level so you can experience the most happiness that is physiologically possible. A standard response to that ...
Reading: Fatherland by Mansur Rajih
Mansur Rajih (b. 1958) is a Norwegian poet and human rights activist with Yemeni roots. I found this translation of one of his poems online: Fatherland Do not despair, my friend: The light that shines on our land will remain chaste. We still have time. Maybe next year, the year after- it will be enough. ...
Music as a universal language
We often hear people say that language is a universal language, and we like to uncritically accept such assessment. I thought today of polishing up that metaphor a little. Why don't we consider music as a language family, like the Niger-Congo, Austranesian, Sino-Tibetan, Afro-Asiatic or Indo-European language families. Communication between speakers of different languages of ...