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The Joy of Chaos

The Greek God Dionysus

When Alex Comfort’s book The Joy of Sex was released in 1972, America was in the throes of the sexual revolution, eager to throw off the remnants of Victorian boundaries and embrace ecstasy. Psychedelics, orgies, Be-ins and gatherings like Woodstock in 1969 had set the stage for… Read the rest

Larry Barnett Culture 3 Comments January 9, 2021January 9, 2021 2 Minutes

Iconoclasm at the Capitol

The recent events at the nation’s capital are receiving, deservedly, a great deal of attention. The role of the President is being widely discussed, as instigator, incendiary and inciter of the mob that broke into the Capitol Building, broke windows and ransacked the offices of The Speaker of the House.… Read the rest

Larry Barnett Culture, Politics 1 Comment January 7, 2021January 7, 2021 2 Minutes

Cheerleader or doomsayer?

When asked if he were a pessimist or an optimist, the brilliant Bucky Fuller – inventor of the geodesic dome, prefab dymaxion house, and coiner of the phrase ‘Spaceship Earth’ – replied, “Neither. I’m a realist.” His answer was predictably Zen, which is to say he saw being here as a process… Read the rest

Larry Barnett Culture Leave a comment January 5, 2021January 5, 2021 2 Minutes

Hacked to pieces

In an essay I wrote in 2008, I discussed the vulnerability of computer network technology to hacking, calling it “the soft underbelly” of the Internet. I was referring to the “swinging door” operation of computer servers, that their “in/out” communication security depends upon a “lock and key” approach… Read the rest

Larry Barnett Culture Leave a comment January 2, 2021January 2, 2021 2 Minutes

Freedom, selfish and otherwise

I grew up being told that democracy is messy; the events of this year certainly prove it. The freedom to vote is not – and has not been – a “human right;” rather it’s a privilege bestowed upon particular groups of people deemed eligible. As we know, America’s eligible voters were originally… Read the rest

Larry Barnett Politics 1 Comment December 31, 2020December 31, 2020 2 Minutes

Anger and our quest for shared emotional intimacy

People are social animals; our lives begin in dependency and remain that way until the end of childhood. For lucky ones among us, childhood is filled with love and nurturing, secure emotional attachments are formed and a sense of safety builds. Although each of us must eventually individuate, our ability… Read the rest

Larry Barnett Culture 1 Comment December 25, 2020December 25, 2020 2 Minutes

Better dead than red?

America’s fear of socialism has bred some pretty wild reactions, not the least of which was the McCarthy-inspired fear and sloganeering of the 1950s. “Better dead than red” strongly supported the idea that communism, seen as analogous to socialism by many at that time (and today as well), was a system… Read the rest

Larry Barnett Culture, Politics Leave a comment December 21, 2020December 21, 2020 2 Minutes

My bullet-riddled body

During my many years in local politics and as a community activist, I’ve been subject to plenty of criticism, some of it in print and some of it in person; it’s the price I pay for speaking out and taking action. I’ve been called a “socialist,” “manipulator,” “chain store bigot,” and a variety of other epithets… Read the rest

Larry Barnett Culture, Politics 3 Comments December 16, 2020December 16, 2020 2 Minutes

Living in a doctrinal world

Cultural narratives, and every culture has them, contain doctrines of belief. These doctrines vary, just as the original languages of separated cultures vary, including vocabulary, word meanings, idioms, and implications. As each of us is born into a culture, so too are we indoctrinated, leading… Read the rest

Larry Barnett Culture Leave a comment December 2, 2020December 2, 2020 2 Minutes

Between reason and feeling

Pundits and talking heads, particularly those of the left, seem confused about why it is so many American voters like Donald Trump. Trump is, they reason, crass, vulgar and wildly emotional, the most un-presidential President in recent history; what is there to like? Although their observations … Read the rest

Larry Barnett Culture 3 Comments November 25, 2020November 26, 2020 2 Minutes

American Feudalism

When I try to imagine where America is going, what sort of social, economic and political system will dominate its future, I find myself thinking about feudalism, the system of hierarchy that dominated Europe until the 14th century. If Donald Trump’s presidency represents anything, and he’s so all-over-the-place… Read the rest

Larry Barnett Culture, Politics Leave a comment November 21, 2020November 21, 2020 2 Minutes

After Life

I understand why people invented god. Life is full of surprises, many of them terrible.  Searching for answers about why we suffer is mostly a fool’s errand. Shit happens. Yet despite the challenging uncertainties of living, the world’s religions, whether Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu… Read the rest

Larry Barnett Philosophy, Religion Leave a comment November 18, 2020November 18, 2020 2 Minutes

The strange case of Donald Trump

Buddhism advises we not spend our time pondering others, and that if spare time for pondering is available, pondering self is more valuable. Such advice, like most of its kind, is offered precisely because it speaks to how we generally behave and what behaviors get us and others into repeated trouble.… Read the rest

Larry Barnett Culture, Politics 3 Comments November 11, 2020November 11, 2020 2 Minutes

Semi-woke

Back in the days of Tim Leary, Bucky Fuller, Abbie Hoffman, and Jefferson Airplane, conversations veered into talk about consciousness, raised and otherwise. In the mind-expanding 60s and 70s it seemed as if humanity had finally woken up, had come to understand the precariousness and preciousness… Read the rest

Larry Barnett Culture 1 Comment November 6, 2020November 6, 2020 2 Minutes

Developing Herd Humility

The Covid-19 virus is an equal opportunity infector; neither wealth, social status, intelligence, nor stupidity affects it’s lethality. In a matter of weeks, a virus so small tens of millions can fit on the head of a pin has thrown global culture into paroxysms of fear and humbled global civilization.… Read the rest

Larry Barnett Culture 2 Comments October 31, 2020October 31, 2020 1 Minute

Signs of Election

The 17th century religious reformation in Europe unleashed a world-conquering power: Christian capitalism. On the heels of Martin Luther and anti-Catholic Protestantism, the writings of French cleric John Calvin in the 16th century and his belief in salvation through the grace of God – we… Read the rest

Larry Barnett Politics, Religion 1 Comment October 22, 2020October 22, 2020 3 Minutes

Your part in America’s highest rated sitcom

America loves sitcoms, short for “situation comedy,” a scripted series with recurring characters who find themselves in awkward and unexpected circumstances. And, you gotta hand it to him; The Donald Trump Show has the highest ratings in history. In the entertainment industry, ratings… Read the rest

Larry Barnett Culture, Politics 2 Comments October 19, 2020October 19, 2020 2 Minutes

In the beginning was the word

Judge Amy Coney Barrett, Supreme Court Nominee, swearing an oath before God

The Senate hearing in consideration of the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court has focused in large part upon her self-description as an “originalist” and “textualist.” As to the… Read the rest

Larry Barnett Culture 3 Comments October 14, 2020October 14, 2020 2 Minutes

That Fly

The moment That Fly landed I turned to my wife and declared, “there’s a fly on Pence’s head!” From then on, I knew, the Internet would be abuzz with comments and reactions and a new meme had been born. Within minutes, images of Biden and Harris holding fly swatters appeared online,… Read the rest

Larry Barnett Metaphysics, Politics 1 Comment October 8, 2020October 8, 2020 2 Minutes

Karma, Trump and America’s Shit Show

The announcement that Donald Trump has tested positive for Covid-19 has a quality of inevitability. From the beginning of this pandemic, Trump has minimized its health risks, downplayed its severity, boosted quack treatment theories, ridiculed wearing a mask, argued with administration health… Read the rest

Larry Barnett Culture, Politics 2 Comments October 2, 2020October 2, 2020 2 Minutes

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