Shakespeare’s Macbeth, As You Like It, and all the world’s a stage

If brevity is the soul of wit, Macbeth’s might be the superior statement of the futility of our existence, an entire philosophy contained in a few simple lines, but the overall meaning couldn’t be more different.  It’s as if each speech is itself a prism, and the meaning reflected is based on the direction of… Continue reading Shakespeare’s Macbeth, As You Like It, and all the world’s a stage

Springsteen’s “Badlands” and the moment that just don’t come

The search for something better defines us, and will always do so.  The only way to cope is to tell the world itself to fuck off. We can rise above our fates only if we spit fate itself in the face and live in the moment. “Badlands” isn’t my favorite Bruce Springsteen song.  A perennial at… Continue reading Springsteen’s “Badlands” and the moment that just don’t come

An atheist’s case for optimism in the face of oblivion

There might have been a time when existence was so bleak and life so cheap, humanity had little choice except to hope for more, but that period has long passed and developed countries, at least, are world’s of plenty.  As an atheist, I’ve been occasionally asked how one copes with the idea that this life… Continue reading An atheist’s case for optimism in the face of oblivion