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I start by asserting that the fundamental sources of true wealth are in the earth and the sea. Some people create new wealth by transforming the lives and minerals grown in and extracted from these two sources into useful things … Continue reading ... mehr auf pavellas.wordpress.com

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This is the phrase that leaped to mind, unbidden, as I read the first few pages of the “Preface” to Hermann Hesse’s Steppenwolf. The familiarity of the words (for I have read them at least thrice), their poetical presentation (even … Continue reading ... mehr auf pavellas.wordpress.com

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… yet, in vain, we continue to issue words. I am rereading Nine-Headed Dragon River: Zen Journals, by Peter Matthiessen. One chapter is an account of his journey to the land of Dolpo on the Tibetan plateau. He later expanded … Continue reading ... mehr auf pavellas.wordpress.com

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The phrase “politically correct,” or “PC,” was first publicly used by a British Ministry of Information official during the First World War. It later appeared in Mao Zedung’s “Little Red Book” in the early 1960s and was adopted, originally tongue-in-cheek, … ... mehr auf pavellas.wordpress.com

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There are two teachings which deserve a reading in high school, perhaps, but certainly in one’s young adulthood:  The Perennial Philosophy, by Aldous Huxley, and The Varieties of Religious Experience, by William James. I did not read these until I was … Continue reading ... mehr auf pavellas.wordpress.com

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[I posted this many years ago in my book review blog. I offer it here and now because of a conversation I have just had with some family members]   Johnny Dooit’s* Song (See footnote): The only way to do … Continue reading →... mehr auf pavellas.wordpress.com

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He served the King well, then was executed (I posted this on another of my weblogs many years ago. Since Eva and I are now watching the video series made from the book, Wolf Hall, I reckon it is time … Continue reading →... mehr auf pavellas.wordpress.com

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Opinions differ on the day Spring arrives, especially at the northern latitudes, Stockholm’s being 59 degrees north. The Vernal Equinox occurred locally on 20 March, and today is the 22nd. Until today, the temperatures for the past many weeks were … Co... mehr auf pavellas.wordpress.com

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History repeating before our eyes. I’m reading a book published in 1939: The Sleepwalkers: A History of Man’s Changing Universe, by Arthur Koestler. This book seems to fall into the realm of these three books: The Decline and Fall of … Continue reading ... mehr auf pavellas.wordpress.com

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… yet, in vain, we continue to issue words. [I have let my weblog “Being Old” lapse. No longer will anyone be able to access the articles I have placed there. I will repost some of them here to preserve … Continue reading ... mehr auf pavellas.wordpress.com

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The Nobel Prize ceremonies will soon commence in Stockholm (and Oslo, Norway for the Peace Prize). I am reposting, below, and with some supplementary remarks, an article I wrote eight years ago which is still timely. I could well have … ... mehr auf pavellas.wordpress.com

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The heading to this article won’t bear much scrutiny in its logical construction. The real story is that men, typically but not exclusively men, seek political power because they like being powerful. But again no: those who choose elective politics … Contin... mehr auf pavellas.wordpress.com

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The books are: “Heart of Darkness,” by Joseph Conrad; and, “Death Comes for the Archbishop,” by Willa Cather. Among other parallel attributes, the two novels show us the geopolitical forces of the times and places of their narration.  “Heart…” is … ... mehr auf pavellas.wordpress.com

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I thought I had said all I had to say in this space, but a holiday trip I have just completed, and other concurrent experiences, provided me with energy for what I offer below. The first experience was to find … Continue reading →... mehr auf pavellas.wordpress.com

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When tears well in my eyes upon reading a passage in a book, I must explore the possible reasons for this. I am only sixty percent through reading “Postcards from Greece,” by Victoria Hislop. Her story is unerringly soulful and … Continue reading →... mehr auf pavellas.wordpress.com

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As I read from the list of books which may be useful in formulating such a report, the slow, distant drumbeat of a wise and familiar saying has come to the forefront of my noggin: From The Way of Life … Continue reading →... mehr auf pavellas.wordpress.com