seanessay.com “May you live all the days of your life.” Jonathan Swift, rationalist poet: (1667-1745) Physical and mental abuse, from my parents and four brothers, declined as I grew bigger. Shortly after I moved away as a teenager, and was trying to process my life, I reasoned: If I have my arms and legs chopped […]
Enlightenment in Old Age
seanessay.com They say Buddhists get their enlightenment very abruptly. I’d like that too, but for me things take a while. I’m now over Greenland thinking lofty thoughts. This morning in London I was in the Bloomsbury district, of bookstores and writers, enjoying the More Delish cafe, chatting with the owner. In my American midwest accent—where […]
Some Cultures are More Equal than Others: Judging Moscow
seanessay.com Prologue Canada’s most famous liberal led the liberal Members of Parliament out of the room when the House of Commons was about to vote on whether the Chinese communist government was committing genocide. Under that prime minister’s watch, Canada has yet to erect a controversial memorial to the victims of communism… Maybe being fed […]
Humble First Encounter With Art
seanessay.com What do art lovers know that I don’t know? I’m still learning, and on holiday I’ve just learned more. I am in London, where the British have free (link1) art galleries (link2) around Trafalgar Square with many priceless paintings: If I sold my home and car I still would not be able to afford […]
Have Social Skills, Will Travel
seanessay.com Derek Sivers’s blog has scores of comments for his recent Travelling Just for the People. (Instead for landmarks and tourist sights) A few of the commenters, no doubt representing many lurkers, lamented they don’t know how to meet the locals. “Not even in bars and cafes” says one, explaining he came from a more […]
Being Judged at the Imperial War Museum
seanessay.com …Fear of the very existence of honest Ukraine impelled violence, for a dictator’s lies always require violence to exist, just as violence always requires lies to exist…From ideas of Solzhenitsyn (Sean Crawford ) A young man asked me, “Do you work here?” (My rucksack and tourist hat were in a locker) I answered “No, but try […]