Musings
We have nothing to fear but fear itself, and spiders.
I used to be an arachnophobe. However, a phobia is an irrational fear as opposed to a rational fear. Since I was hunted and bitten by a particularly venomous (and downright mean) eight-legged devil, I now have a completely rational fear of spiders, and a nasty and painful wound. Many believe the amygdala, a tiny,…
Read MoreLiving In The Limelight
Have you ever made a mistake or committed a social gaffe and then felt as if everyone was watching you, sure that every person in the room noticed and would forever remember your faux pas? Everyone has. This is so common it even has a name, The Spotlight Effect. In a paper titled, “The Spotlight…
Read MoreAn Intimate Endeavor
My wife and I took our only daughter to college this past Saturday. It is worth noting that we’ve done this 3 times before with sons. This time it was different for me. I love the boys, but I did not have the same emotions about them leaving as I did with my only daughter.…
Read MoreYou Can’t Receive What Isn’t Sent
At 9 pm on August 27, 1920, Sociedad Radio Argentina broadcast a live performance of Richard Wagner’s opera Parsifal from the Coliseo Theater in downtown Buenos Aires using electromagnetic waves. Only about twenty homes in the city had receivers to tune in this radio program. Today, every type of music, video, data and writing and,…
Read MoreBrain Drain
I had the distinct pleasure of hearing Dr. Nathan Mellor speak at the OBU Bison Connection luncheon last Thursday at the JASCO Event Center. It was a pleasure for a range of reasons. Steve Trice, the Chairman of JASCO is on our board and it is always a pleasure to see him, especially on his…
Read MoreCultural Camouflage
In the summer my family likes to attend the evening service at another church because they do a series called “At The Movies.” The pastor teaches a biblical truth using the story in a popular movie, complete with clips from the film. I am always amazed at how the truth in the story, even when…
Read MoreParadox of Life
The world is a contradiction; the universe a paradox – Kedar Joshi Paradox: involving contradictory yet interrelated elements that exist simultaneously and persist over time. Another way to say it would be that a paradox is comprised of two sides that appear to be opposing, but in fact are mutually supportive. “Less in more.” “I…
Read MoreSilly Putty Isn’t
I remember being fascinated by Silly Putty as a young person. If you formed it into a ball, it would bounce very much like the hard rubber balls we got from “gumball” machines. If you pulled it slowly, you could stretch it into a thread a mile long. However, if you pulled it hard and…
Read MoreThe Roots Of Culture
The house we are staying in is surrounded by trees that are foreign to an Okie. Too many different varieties of pine to count, and Aspens. Aspen is a common name for several tree species in the genus “Populus” which includes Poplar and Cottonwoods also. The Populus Tremuloides, or Quaking Aspen, is the most widely…
Read MoreA Day Away
“Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for.” – Maya Angelou As I was sitting in the hot tub last night looking up at the pine trees swaying in the mountain breezes I realized I hadn’t written a Monday Musing, so this one comes on Tuesday, a…
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