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8 Oct 2004 @ 15:17, by craiglang. Thoughts
An interesting observation from the creative writing class I am currently taking.
We are presently working on writing fiction at this point in the course, and discussing the key things needed in a good story. One of the things needed in a (good and interesting) story is a drama of some form. This generally takes the form of a conflict - which is required to make the story interesting.
This is an interesting contrast to what I've been studying in the Eastern Tradition. In studying Vedic philosophies and the meditative traditions, I have noted that it is generally a goal to somehow transcend drama. On the road to enlightenment, it is an objective to simply be, rather than do. Read More
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20 Sep 2004 @ 18:24, by craiglang. Thoughts
As I sit at a computer workstation in the lab at my day job, waiting for another experiment to complete, my mind begins to wonder. I ask myself what is it that I question about the daily routine? I notice that I enjoy what I do from day to day.. But as I'm sure many have observed, what is missing from the corporate-American job is the long term psychic fulfillment that comes from serving the higher calling. Read More
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3 Sep 2004 @ 17:12, by craiglang. Thoughts
Last night I briefly caught some of Bush's acceptance speech. What caught my attention was the way in which he attempted to associate himself with the heroes of 9/11. But overall what struck me was the stridency and the degree of divisiveness which I saw. Listenning to what little I did of the Republican convention, it struck me just how much the level of polarity has increased in our present day. It once again dramatizes to me that the pace of change in our world is quickening, and we have reached a key crossroads in history. Read More
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5 Aug 2004 @ 00:20, by craiglang. Thoughts
Promise, peril and joy, they go together; signposts and milestones along the road of life.
Some thoughts on possible pending job changes - voluntary or otherwise, and life in Corporate CubeWorld. Read More
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30 Jul 2004 @ 15:03, by craiglang. Thoughts
How Would Jesus Vote?
What would the politics of Jeshua Ben Yusef be, if He walked the Earth today? My short answer is that we probably don't know. But it would probably be something very different from what anyone would expect.
I'm writing this article for our church newsletter. I think it has alot to say to those on both the right and the left, who tell me they are "followng Jesus".
. Read More
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7 Jun 2004 @ 12:28, by craiglang. Thoughts
In past newslog entries, I have noted that several people have written about depression. There are alot of discussions as to just exactly what depression is. Is it a biochemical imbalance - a deficiency of serotonin? Or is it perhaps a spiritual affliction? Or could it be one of a myriad of other paradigms? Which of these views is valid? In any case, this weekend, I had a few insights and experiences which came out of my own visit from the depression demons. I hope that these insights can be of benefit to others who are also visited by the curse of depression. Read More
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25 May 2004 @ 11:47, by craiglang. Thoughts
In the last day or two, a number of people have written and posted - with some very positive vibes. Thank you.
One of the things that I sense from what people have written is that there is alot of healing and recovery going on. A few weeks ago I sensed alot of angst "out there". Now the sense is one of recovery and healing - that many are climbing out of the hole of difficulty - or moving beyond whatever was at issue at the time.
It is as if the collective/aggregate were pausing, recovering, centering, and catching the breath before moving on to the next thing that awaits. Read More
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24 Mar 2004 @ 11:00, by craiglang. Thoughts
Last weekend, I attended the local DFL (Democratic-Farm-Labor party, the Democratic party in Minnesota) convention, where we selected delegates to the state and congressional-district conventions. Politics is always a fascinating thing both to participate in, and to observe, and this time was no exception. At this convention, I noted some very interesting dynamics between the people involved. Read More
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2 Mar 2004 @ 20:36, by craiglang. Thoughts
A fascinating evening at the Minnesota Democratic caucuses. Several things things truly impressed and amazed me.
1) The number of people who turned out to the caucuses. There were about twice as many people present as I normally see at a precinct caucus.
2) The intensity of the feeling in everyone present.
There was a powerful feeling of coherence there - a single focus, returning control of the country to the people. I found that consensus was formed very quickly on resolutions, although there was discussion on nearly every point. It appeared that everyone was focused on an objective, rather than on political division, or making smaller individual points. There was the sense that there is too much at stake.
It is the same wherever I look. The deep-seated political division in the USA is so thick, it feels like you could cut it with a knife. This political season is going to be deep and emotions are going to run hot and heavy. Read More
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12 Jan 2004 @ 11:08, by craiglang. Thoughts
An experience over the last few days has rekindled my interest in Alvin Toffler's book Future Shock. Making some adjustments to the day-to-day business of life again brought home to me just how complex our civilization has become.
For example, we don't just have a telephone anymore. Now we have the landline, the cell phone, the fax, the DSL, and probably several others that I'm not thinking of.
Another example: getting a bank statement - you have your choice of doing your entire banking online, getting on-line statements, etc. No-longer does one just get one's cancelled checks and statement once a month.
Each information channel seems to add a layer of complexity. Although I can't actually state that this is the case, the complexity of information channels in modern life seems to me to follow a Moore's law progression. That is that there is a doubling every 18 months.
This morning for some reason, I was struck by the magnitude of this complexity. It was sort of an overwhelming feeling, as I realized just how much information each of our minds has to keep track of. My question is, does this increasing volume of information really add value to our lives? If none of these channels of information existed, would our lives have any less quality to them?
Something to think about as you pick up your combined PDA and cell phone and start punching buttons... Read More
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