On Being Blog

Apr 22

Apr 21

Sketchnotes of On Being interview with wildlife conservationist Alan Rabinowitz. 

Sketchnotes of On Being interview with wildlife conservationist Alan Rabinowitz. 

Apr 20

“Civil society depends on the mental, spiritual and moral health of the stranger. Rule of law is a privilege, a blessing, not a birthright.” — ~Krista Tippett, from her Twitter feed

Apr 19

“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader. For me the initial delight is in the surprise of remembering something I didn’t know I knew. I am in a place, in a situation, as if I had materialized from cloud or risen out of the ground. There is a glad recognition of the long lost and the rest follows. Step by step the wonder of unexpected supply keeps growing. The impressions most useful to my purpose seem always those I was unaware of and so made no note of at the time when taken, and the conclusion is come to that like giants we are always hurling experience ahead of us to pave the future with against the day when we may want to strike a line of purpose across it for somewhere.” ~Robert Frost from The Robert Frost Reader: Poetry and Prose Photo by Stan Wiechers / Flickr, cc by-sa 2.0

“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader. For me the initial delight is in the surprise of remembering something I didn’t know I knew. I am in a place, in a situation, as if I had materialized from cloud or risen out of the ground. There is a glad recognition of the long lost and the rest follows. Step by step the wonder of unexpected supply keeps growing. The impressions most useful to my purpose seem always those I was unaware of and so made no note of at the time when taken, and the conclusion is come to that like giants we are always hurling experience ahead of us to pave the future with against the day when we may want to strike a line of purpose across it for somewhere.”

~Robert Frost from The Robert Frost Reader: Poetry and Prose

Photo by Stan Wiechers / Flickr, cc by-sa 2.0

Apr 18

trentgilliss: David Campbell’s paintings from his series “The Idiot” will make you laugh. Come on, a dude in repose sucking a lollipop while bouncing a beach ball is knee-slappin’ funny! And some of his titles are even more humorous when paired with his painting. Granted, it’s an odd humor at times. “Touching My Wife’s Hair While She Sleeps” is kind of creepy, yes, but I love that the artist doesn’t take himself too seriously. They are rather strange and slightly awkward — and they’re utterly beautiful. (h/t to Tamara Brantmeier)

trentgilliss:

David Campbell’s paintings from his series “The Idiot” will make you laugh. Come on, a dude in repose sucking a lollipop while bouncing a beach ball is knee-slappin’ funny!

And some of his titles are even more humorous when paired with his painting. Granted, it’s an odd humor at times. “Touching My Wife’s Hair While She Sleeps” is kind of creepy, yes, but I love that the artist doesn’t take himself too seriously.

image

They are rather strange and slightly awkward — and they’re utterly beautiful.

(h/t to Tamara Brantmeier)

Apr 17

“Learning to let go should be learned before learning to get. Life should be touched, not strangled. You’ve got to relax, let it happen at times, and at others move forward with it.” ~Ray Bradbury from Farewell Summer photo by Thomas Leuthard/ Flickr, cc by-nc-nd 2.0

“Learning to let go should be learned before learning to get. Life should be touched, not strangled. You’ve got to relax, let it happen at times, and at others move forward with it.”

~Ray Bradbury from Farewell Summer

photo by Thomas Leuthard/ Flickr, cc by-nc-nd 2.0

Apr 16

“Calvin says that God takes an aesthetic pleasure in people. There’s no reason to imagine that God would choose to surround himself into infinite time with people whose only distinction is that they fail to transgress. King David, for example, was up to a lot of no good. To think that only faultless people are worthwhile seems like an incredible exclusion of almost everything of deep value in the human saga. Sometimes I can’t believe the narrowness that has been attributed to God in terms of what he would approve and disapprove.” ~Marilynne Robinson from The Paris Review Hear more of Marilynne Robinson in The Mystery We Are Photo by Trân Tú Nguyễn / Flickr, cc by-nc-sa 2.0

“Calvin says that God takes an aesthetic pleasure in people. There’s no reason to imagine that God would choose to surround himself into infinite time with people whose only distinction is that they fail to transgress. King David, for example, was up to a lot of no good. To think that only faultless people are worthwhile seems like an incredible exclusion of almost everything of deep value in the human saga. Sometimes I can’t believe the narrowness that has been attributed to God in terms of what he would approve and disapprove.”

~Marilynne Robinson from The Paris Review

Hear more of Marilynne Robinson in The Mystery We Are

Photo by Trân Tú Nguyễn / Flickr, cc by-nc-sa 2.0

“Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail” What I’m reading today courtesy of The Faith & Politics Institute’s Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage. ~Trent Gilliss, senior editor

“Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.”
~Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail”

What I’m reading today courtesy of The Faith & Politics Institute’s Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage.

~Trent Gilliss, senior editor