“I want to taste sugar. I don’t want to be sugar.” This was a philosophy professor’s point years and years–and years–ago in rejecting what he saw as the premise of mysticism: the dissolution of the self/ego into some kind of union with God. Since then, I have read many things to the effect that this…
In the Ancient Egypt of the pyramids, the Pharaoh Akhenaten tried to institute a monotheism based on the worship of the Sun. The context was that every morning the star’s all powerful light conquered the dreaded darkness of night, thus announcing the daily assured victory of the good and rational over evil and ignorance with…
(Published in The Arizona Daily Star, March 5, 2023) Consider the following scenario: there is someone you have known for years, practically your entire life. You love and trust this person who has always been there for you, no matter what, and has even saved your very life a time or two. As it turns…
“Do you love me?” Most people see such a question and assume it comes from some starry-eyed indvidual–thrilled with emotion, but quivering that the feelings are not mutual. Depending on the experiences of the reader, the reactions might range from a nostalgic “How sweet!” to the hardened “How stupid!” to the cynical “How naive!” There…
(Vincent van Gogh, “In the Asylum,” 1889) How many of us can honestly say we have not seen ourselves in such a painting at one time or another? Maybe that common experience is what allows us to empathize with those who are seeing themselves in such a painting now…and pray for those who do so…
In the Jewish Talmud, there is a story that illustrates the dangers of engaging in questions of mysticism. ” Four entered the Pardes (“Paradise,” or the realms of mysticism): Ben Azzai died, Ben Zoma went insane, and Aher (the “other” who was no longer to be cited by name, Rabbi Elisha ben Abuya) left the…
“I need to find myself” is a common refrain. Unfortunately, it often refers to something “out there”–a career, perhaps, or a relationship–as opposed to identifying and pursuing one’s own internal passion. The irony is that, when engaged in that passion, one loses the sense of self. Think of the sentence “I am singing.” Most will…
Philosophy-types often argue about the existence of “free will.” The notion is that we either have the ability to decide how to behave or there is something–maybe our DNA or the laws of physics or social pressures or some combination thereof–that determines those decisions. It’s a typical “either/or” debate in the West. In the East…
(published in the Arizona Daily Star, February 12, 2023) “If God is all good and all powerful, why is there evil? If God can’t prevent evil, He is not all powerful. If He can prevent evil but does not want to, He is not all good.” This is a typical formulation of one of the…
The ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates, made his career on the basis of definitions. In the classic “Dialogues,” documented by his erstwhile student, Plato, someone—usually one of the well known professional Sophists of the time–makes a proposition regarding topics like “justice” or “power” or even “truth.” Socrates then asks questions as to the implications of that…