“Oh yes, suddenly I realized what a good thing death can be, how just and fair, like a disinfectant, or a vacuum cleaner. — Olga Tokarczuk, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead. One of the great fears of our existential being is the fear of death. So much so that we don’t want to know… Read More »
“To be abandoned by God was worse than to be punished by Him. Better an unjust God than an indifferent one.”—Elie Wiesel. “Evil is unspectacular, and always human.”—W. H. Auden. A festive night, for sure; the glitters of the occasion are overtly evident. The rich and famous start to arrive in their chauffeured-driven limousines. It is one of… Read More »
“I have lived a fortunate life…Mine has been a life that has spanned eight decades of excitement and discovery and relationships and a lot of luck.” – William Shatner. William Shatner is a Canadian actor who is famously known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise. I had seen a few episodes of… Read More »
“Suffering in and of itself is meaningless; we give our suffering meaning by the way in which we respond to it.” – Harold S. Kushner. “Consolation is what we do, or try to do, when we share each other’s suffering or seek to bear our own. What we are searching for is how to go on, how to… Read More »
“To everything turn, turn, turn/There is a season turn, turn, turn/And a time to every purpose under Heaven.” — Lyrics from Turn! Turn! Turn! by the Byrds. “In the quest we undertake for the best possible life we are capable of —an individually tailored best life for each—there has inevitably to be something ideal, and much practical.” —… Read More »
“I want to show to those who deprive people the right to love of country, that when we know how to sacrifice ourselves for our duties and convictions, death does not matter if one dies for those one loves —for his country and for others dear to him.” — Jose Rizal. Of all the historical figures involved in… Read More »
“All of my life I have wondered about the possibility of life elsewhere. What would it be like? Of what would it be made?”—Carl Sagan. Science never played a prominent role in my upbringing and educational progress, especially astronomy. When I looked up at the sky, what knowledge I had was informed by my Catholic faith. Religion taught… Read More »
“It seemed that human sorrow was always based on regret and pain in the past, and that neither time nor location nor history made much difference.” — Abdulrazak Gurnah, Gravel Heart (2017). By Rey Moreno We distinguish. We discriminate. We love ranks, hierarchies and categories. It’s them versus us. Love your own kind. Belonging and identity define us;… Read More »
“I’m not afraid and these 15 days convinced me there is nothing to fear. Let them be afraid instead.” — Alexie Navalny. When I heard the news that Alexie Navalny died on Friday, March 16, in the Arctic penal colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence, my first reaction was of great sadness. I thought why would… Read More »
“The cancer that demands our urgent attention is corruption and poverty.” —Miriam Defensor-Santiago. “Corruption is a cancer, a cancer that eats away at a citizen’s faith in democracy, diminishes the instinct for innovation and creativity.” —Joe Biden. Every country has a history of corruption. Those which are well-governed have managed to curb corruption to its minimal impact. That’s… Read More »