The young male Cardinal pecking at my passenger side mirror is defending his territory. Though he has no chance to defeat his reflection and disturbs himself with each strike at the supposed other, the redbird is continuously and fearlessly aggressive. His courage is not dimmed by unexpected circumstances.
On the other hand, the mere possibility that death might snuff consciousness is daunting to most humans. How tough are we? How brave?
Evolutionary history makes it clear that consciousness does not have a favorite species. Development and self-expression command priority.
~
To the extent one is selfish, one requires remedial instruction. To grow more loving is to grow less selfish. This is an autobiographical statement, to be sure, yet encompasses more—much more—than my personal.
~
Do you subscribe to a belief system that enables your selfishness? How convenient.
Lawrence Miller
_______________________________________________________________
On the other hand, the mere possibility that death might snuff consciousness is daunting to most humans. How tough are we? How brave?
Evolutionary history makes it clear that consciousness does not have a favorite species. Development and self-expression command priority.
~
To the extent one is selfish, one requires remedial instruction. To grow more loving is to grow less selfish. This is an autobiographical statement, to be sure, yet encompasses more—much more—than my personal.
~
Do you subscribe to a belief system that enables your selfishness? How convenient.
Lawrence Miller
_______________________________________________________________
You Can Look It Up
One prairie summer forever ago, I hired myself out to local farmers to detassel hybrid corn, bale hay (eight high with a tie), and hoe last year’s maize out of this year’s beans until I had enough “extra” money to take an early Saturday train to St. Louis and watch the Cardinals play a night game in the midst of a hot pennant race.
Sitting in bed listening to the radio Friday evening, I cheered wildly when the player I most admired, Stan Musial, hit a winning home run in the bottom of the ninth.
The next night, hundreds of miles from my bedroom, I watched from the upper deck as the game afforded Stan an opportunity to reprise—or nullify—his previous heroics. Ninth inning. Cardinals trailing by one. Two outs. Runner on first.
~
My favorite baseball books: (7) Stan Musial by Bob Broeg, (6) Murder at Wrigley Field by Troy Soos, (5) You Know Me Al by Ring Lardner, (4) The Great American Novel by Philip Roth, (3) Bang the Drum Slowly by Mark Harris, (2) The Natural by Bernard Malamud, and 1) The Universal Baseball Association by Robert Coover.
~
Stan walked from the on-deck circle to the plate and I printed on my scorecard in large letters: “Déjà Vu: Musial Homers in Ninth, Cards Win.”
As they read what I had written, a wave of laughter effervesced our impermanent community of psychologically clustered fans, made nervous by the daring of youth to name aloud a secret longing shared by all.
Pitcher checks the runner. Batter coils. Pitch on the way. Swing. It might be out of here, it could be out of here, it is. Top of the pavilion roof. Walk-off home run. Second night in a row.
You can look it up.
Lawrence Miller
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
The preceding are excerpted from TOE Jam, Lawrence Miller's work-in-progress. You can read previously posted excerpts by clicking HERE.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
The preceding are excerpted from TOE Jam, Lawrence Miller's work-in-progress. You can read previously posted excerpts by clicking HERE.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Truer Than True Plutarch Vico’s Presidential Bios
A book about freedom. Laugh and learn. Political and social satire. Deconstruction of officially sanctioned presidential narratives. The reputed author, Plutarch Vico, born in 1776 to a family breeding for longevity, claims to have known every American president. His work is a mixture of fact and fiction, which theoretically makes his biographies of the 43 American presidents truer than true. That’s his story, anyway.
Link to Prez webpage Link to first chapter
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
A book about freedom. Laugh and learn. Political and social satire. Deconstruction of officially sanctioned presidential narratives. The reputed author, Plutarch Vico, born in 1776 to a family breeding for longevity, claims to have known every American president. His work is a mixture of fact and fiction, which theoretically makes his biographies of the 43 American presidents truer than true. That’s his story, anyway.
Link to Prez webpage Link to first chapter
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Cam Vennard
Memorials to Cameron Herrin Vennard from family and friends.
Link to Cam Vennard Memorials
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Memorials to Cameron Herrin Vennard from family and friends.
Link to Cam Vennard Memorials
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Our Company of Ruminates
Our Company of Ruminates describes an imaginary 14-day convocation of more than 900 historical and contemporary psychologists, scientists, philosophers, artists, poets, writers, and musicians. If you are on a spiritual journey (inside or outside the bounds of conventional religion) OCOR's discussions about the nature of consciousness should prove useful.
Link to "OCOR's 900" Link to OCOR main page
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Our Company of Ruminates describes an imaginary 14-day convocation of more than 900 historical and contemporary psychologists, scientists, philosophers, artists, poets, writers, and musicians. If you are on a spiritual journey (inside or outside the bounds of conventional religion) OCOR's discussions about the nature of consciousness should prove useful.
Link to "OCOR's 900" Link to OCOR main page
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
TOE Jam
Lawrence Miller is examining his personal "theory of everything." Everybody has one. His book on this topic has a working title of: TOE Jam. From Miller:
1. Two or three times per week, I’m posting content from TOE Jam in aphoristic form. Eventually, up to twenty percent of the book will be posted on this site.
2. For the first few days after a new post goes up, it will be displayed on this home page, before subsequently being shifted to the Toe Jam archives here and, after a few months, deleted.
3. Every three months or four months, an ebook containing “the work so far” will be organized, edited and published.
4. In February of 2014, a print book containing “the work so far” will be published.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Lawrence Miller is examining his personal "theory of everything." Everybody has one. His book on this topic has a working title of: TOE Jam. From Miller:
1. Two or three times per week, I’m posting content from TOE Jam in aphoristic form. Eventually, up to twenty percent of the book will be posted on this site.
2. For the first few days after a new post goes up, it will be displayed on this home page, before subsequently being shifted to the Toe Jam archives here and, after a few months, deleted.
3. Every three months or four months, an ebook containing “the work so far” will be organized, edited and published.
4. In February of 2014, a print book containing “the work so far” will be published.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Big Dreamer
If you died and were given a opportunity to return to Earth and rescue those you love from a pernicious prison, would you sacrifice paradise? Big Dreamer, a fable from the Fast, affirms that no one dreams alone. Set in a time when animals, birds, and humans share family ties, Big Dreamer tracks the progress of the feline protagonist as he discovers the powers of compassion and love.
Big Dreamer is best when be read slowly. Designed to provoke a discussion about whether love is the real power of the universe or selfishness a wiser course.
Read excerpts here.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Grow More Loving website content © Copyright 2013 by Terminal Moraine and Lawrence Miller. All rights reserved.
If you died and were given a opportunity to return to Earth and rescue those you love from a pernicious prison, would you sacrifice paradise? Big Dreamer, a fable from the Fast, affirms that no one dreams alone. Set in a time when animals, birds, and humans share family ties, Big Dreamer tracks the progress of the feline protagonist as he discovers the powers of compassion and love.
Big Dreamer is best when be read slowly. Designed to provoke a discussion about whether love is the real power of the universe or selfishness a wiser course.
Read excerpts here.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Grow More Loving website content © Copyright 2013 by Terminal Moraine and Lawrence Miller. All rights reserved.