Go ahead, turn the page

Posted on October 8, 2012 by jackpelham

Go ahead
Turn the page
Dance the dance
Rage the rage

Speak the speech
Seize the day
Spell it out
Lead the way

Dare the sky
Dare the sea
Dare the you
Dare the me

Cry the cry
Sing the song
Dance the right
Mourn the wrong

Build the thought
Nurse the pen
Sweat the ink
Pierce the skin

Pierce the heart
Shake the mind
Touch the soul
Find the find

Mirror truth
Mirror lie
Paint the is
Sketch the why

Point to when
Teach the how
Plead the why
Hawk the now

Write me love
Write me changed
Write my fears
Rearranged

Write me hope
Write me heart
Write me you
Be the art

Watch me grow
Watch me fight
Watch my dark
Turn to light

Write me love
Write me you
Trust the gift
Trust Him too

Dance the dance
Rage the rage
Go ahead
Turn the page…

 

Note:  I wrote this for a dear friend sometime in the late 90s.  As I recall, I presented it handwritten into the beginning pages of a blank book, in which I encouraged my friend to make a habit of writing her keener thoughts.  Whether she has ever done so, I do not know, but I resurrect this piece because it strikes me today with the same zeal and import that prompted it all those years ago.  The years from then until now have largely been spent dismantling and rebuilding the things I thought I knew about life.  Whether I have yet got it right to any appreciable degree remains to be judged by history, of course, but I believe I am yet closer than ever and the constant tweaking continues now as a way of life.

At some point, it only makes sense to share a good thing, the risks and expenses notwithstanding.  Life is short; why not do something extraordinary while we are here?

 

 

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How Can You Tell When God Says “No”?

Posted on September 9, 2012 by jackpelham

You pray for a million bucks and two seconds later the doorbell rings.  You answer the door to find an angel with a big sack of money–$1Million, to be exact.  You consider this a “yes”—an “answered prayer”.

You pray for a million bucks and two seconds later, nothing happens.  You keep praying for a million bucks, and months later, nothing has happened.  You keep on praying and three years later, nothing has happened.  Do you consider this an “answered prayer”?  And if so, what is the answer?  No?  Not yet?  Maybe? Continue reading →

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Commentary: The Coup De Grace by Ambrose Bierce

Posted on September 5, 2012 by jackpelham

This post is in response to a question sent in by a reader earlier today:

I’m currently taking a Biomedical Ethics course at the college. Your writings cover a wide range of topics and interests so I thought you would have an opinion about ethics as well.

On the first day of class we were required to read The Coup De Grace by Ambrose Bierce and discuss whether or not the characters in the story did the right thing. I’d really enjoy hearing your ideas about the ethics involved in the story. Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Ethics, History, Paradigms, Politics, Religion | Leave a comment

Who Will Straighten Out the Mess?

Posted on September 4, 2012 by jackpelham

This post is going to be really unfair, now that I think about it, because I’m preparing to introduce an incisive and thought-provoking question into a field where such things are generally thought to be inappropriate:  politics.  I know, I know.  That’s a really dirty thing to do—to confuse the whole affair like that.  But hey, it’s my blog and I’ll pry if I want to!

So now that we have that out of the way, my entire point here pretty much boils down to one question: Continue reading →

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10 Quick Tips for Choosing a Political Party

Posted on September 4, 2012 by jackpelham

Far be it from me to tell anybody to which political party he or she should belong, but for those of you who may be giving the issue some thought, I’ve written a few tips below for your own private consideration.  Your primary goal—and I can’t stress this enough—should be to make a decision that is easy—both easy to make and easy to justify down the road.  What you do not want to do is to put too much thought into it, to analyze anything, or to have to give careful consideration to the results of your choice later.  So just pick your favorite question from the easy list below and answer it.  Then find the political party that best matches your answer.  It’s just that easy! Continue reading →

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Rombama 2012!

Posted on September 3, 2012 by jackpelham

Tell me that politics isn’t one big compromised mess.  You folks who are euphorically waving your Romney flags as if Jesus himself were running for the GOP—and who swooned like a Georgia Belle when Paul Ryan came aboard (just as you did for Palin in 2008), you were the ones who were wishing back in December that Romney had just stayed out of the race.  And now, you’ve worked yourselves into a frenzy, praising him like there’s nothing not to like about him. Continue reading →

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Bill Nye the Science Guy Waxes Unscientific on the Theories of Evolution and Creation

Posted on September 2, 2012 by jackpelham

NOTE: The author of this article believes not only that irrational creationists and irrational evolutionists alike are in the wrong, but that there are practically as many of one as there are of the other.  The goal of this criticism of Nye, therefore, is not to promote creationism, as many might ignorantly presume, but to criticize irrational argumentation wherever it exists—even when it emanates from a demigod of popular science.  I could just as well write a critique of the rhetoric of a famous preacher, and may well do that when I’m finished with this present piece.  Continue reading →

Posted in Fallacy, Logic, Religion, Science, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

The Naked Brain by Richard Restak, M.D.

Posted on September 2, 2012 by jackpelham

These are my brief notes about:

The Naked Brain: How the emerging neurosociety is changing how we live, work, and love

by Richard Restak, M.D. Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Consumerism, Reading, Science | Leave a comment

The False Left-Brain/Right-Brain Dilemma

Posted on August 31, 2012 by jackpelham

It’s too bad that people tend to look at such diagrams with the false left-brain/right-brain dilemma in mind. They totally ignore the function of the corpus callosum, the spaghetti-like mass that links both sides of the brain together so that all these brain functions can WORK TOGETHER. As a result, they tend to view human behavior as an “either/or”, rather than as a “both”. Either smart OR emotional, either rational OR creative, and so forth. What they should be looking for instead is a way to be ALL of these things together, without any of them being compromised or shut off. Continue reading →

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Well, Hush My Fingers!

Posted on August 29, 2012 by jackpelham

OK, it’s embarrassing, but here’s how it went down. Continue reading →

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