Pathodicy

What if, instead of coming at a situation from above ‘in understanding’, or from below through shame, I came at a person, a circumstance, an experience, a moment… as what..? my imagination crumbles, retracts like an unstretched tendon. Here I have to go back to ‘my training’ with Stephen. I guess the only approach is one that seeks the progression of life’s most important structures, human contentment, and personal awareness. This last is most difficult, but the first two aren’t possible apart from it. Apart from self awareness, the most that one can produce is a lesser version of a lesser perception. Awareness is the environment in which the most creative and beneficial solutions have been found. It is the space in which law was made for humanity and not the other way around. It is the space in which red lights at 4am have little meaning, or function. It facilitates individuals using their most important faculties, to think for themselves, t...

The most powerful metaphor I've ever found in this life isn't originally mine, though I've used it as such. I first came across it in one of my all-time favorite shows, The West Wing (1999-2006). The scene involves one of the more intense characters in the show, Bruno Gianelli (Played by Pirate Captain Ron Silver), an elite political operative known for running successful campaigns under the toughest electoral conditions. For instance, one in which the incumbent President failed to disclose that he had MS for the first three years of his presidency, including his initial campaign. If you've seen the show, he's kind of like the Maverick to Toby's Goose (Toby being the more repressed, tied down, version of Bruno, both so endearing in their Brooklyn charm). At one point during President Bartlet's (played by Vietnam Vet/Best president Ever Martin Sheen) reelection campaign, Bruno believes there might be an opportunity to gain some mo...