Essays
Philosophical and Political
Beauty Exists Even in the Absence of Humans
I’ve been at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument since noon. I first came here in ’88 on my dissertation trip. I had had a brief exposure to Death Valley and extended time in the Joshua Tree desert area and then several days here. More even than JT it has a diverse...
This Astonishing Sonoran Desert
My little dog Twig and I have walked several miles through this astonishing Sonoran Desert today. I find again that age does not enhance my ability to traipse around in the heat. Although not from a large or scientific sample, I have heard among those I’ve met over...
The Pursuit of Happiness & Its Obstacles – Conclusion
A few days later, Douthat’s Times colleague David Brooks weighed in: For many people, the gun is a way to protect against crime. But it is also an identity marker. It stands for freedom, self-reliance and the ability to control your own destiny. Gun rights are about...
The Pursuit of Happiness & Its Obstacles – Part 7
On the Other Hand? I have posited that despair may be the most realistic response to America’s unhappiness and to its likelihood of finding remedies. My reasoning to this conclusion resonates with the implication of The Onion’s satirical headline following the Las...
The Pursuit of Happiness & Its Obstacles – Part 6
Where Happiness Lives & Dies Once I happened upon the World Happiness Report my interest was sparked to learn what I could about the place of happiness in the 21st century human endeavor. My receptivity to this study probably arose from often having my mind in two...
The Pursuit of Happiness & Its Obstacles – Part 5
Other Sources of Lost Happiness I began by wondering if the West, and especially the U.S. (bigger and better at everything), had managed to develop social and cultural systems not well fitted to the life satisfaction and happiness that arise from well-founded life...