Category: Miscellaneous Drivel

Very few of us in the developed world know hunger. Sure, we might say, “I’m hungry,” as the next meal approaches, but what do we mean by that? Odds are we just had a good meal a few hours before that, and maybe a snack in between. Yet we declare that we’re hungry. For most…

I just came across this phrase and wished I had come up with it for a book chapter I’m working on. On second thought, I realized that it would be unlikely to capture reader interest, considering how obsessed we are with the now. From bestselling books to Buddhist philosophy, we are given the message to…

When someone asks if I am in a committed relationship, I usually reply that if I felt I had to commit myself, I would be in a partnership rather than a relationship. Vows and contracts are for business partners—I wouldn’t think of approaching a loving companionship in the same way. My mate and I consider…

Poets and writers will devote endless pages—even entire lifetimes—to capturing love with words. Or defining fear, greed, or the passion to follow one’s dreams. Someone who lives from the heart and knows love needs no words to describe it to someone else who lives from the heart. His or her communication is direct, from one…

Recently my mate Lety’s Ojibwe language teacher Makoons, along with her husband Errol, stopped by to visit. “Thirty years ago,” I told Errol, “I wanted to make a wiigwaasi jiiman [an old-time birch-bark canoe]. Someone told me about an old Ojibwe man named George McGeshick, who lived only forty miles away, near Iron River, and…

What is the draw of so many to incorporate pain and dominance into their sex play? Why are boldness and force part of the mating rituals of many animals? And why do some rape victims respond sexually and even experience orgasm? In our culture, where things are typically black or white, right or wrong, how…

Wisdom from the sages can get pretty rich—chew on this for a lighter snack. A wise man is given a luxurious carriage in appreciation for sharing his wisdom. “Isn’t it great?” his family and friends say when they come over to celebrate. “You are so lucky!” The man only smiles and says, “Maybe.” For a…

Last night I met with an old friend I hadn’t seen in over a decade. Over that time he has been one of the Teaching Drum Outdoor School’s primary benefactors, in addition to bringing me a wealth of inspiration. In the middle of our conversation, he paused and gave me one of his classic penetrating…

Review: The Rhyming Tao Te Ching, by Cedargrove Mastermind Group, CreateSpace, 2011 Other than the Bible, there is probably no classic text more besieged with controversy than the Tao Te Ching. Was it written by one person, was it compiled, or was it transcribed from the oral tradition? Is it 2,300 or 3,300 years old?…

A Beggar sitting beside the road asked a passing Sage for alms. “Are you extravagant?” asked the Sage. “Yes,” replied the Beggar. “Do you like lounging around drinking coffee and smoking?” “Yes,” the Beggar stated again. “What about going to the hot springs every day?” “Oh, yes.” “Also having a good time drinking with your…