Monday, October 25, 2004struggle against the dumbing down of languageI spent my twenties studying the writing of a number of mystics and, though I have considerable reservations about institutional religion, I still have a certain interest in those dimensions of experience which tend to be categorized as spiritual or mystical. I am still somewhat touched by those... Sign in to see full entry.Sunday, October 24, 2004what future do you want?One of my favourite forms of fiction are speculative narratives about the near future. Some obvious examples are 1984 and Brave New World but more recent examples are Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Oryx and Crake. I like these novels because they provoke thought about how certain aspects... Sign in to see full entry.Saturday, October 23, 2004the perfect book for aardvarkStrangely enough I was thinking about your areas of interest yesterday Aardvark, before reading your comment about reading lists, and I suspect you would enjoy a book titled The Modern Mind by Peter Watson. I loved reading this book. It gives a history of the major intellectual developments over the... Sign in to see full entry.Thursday, October 21, 2004a literary evening shared with 900 othersLast night I went to a talk given by Tim Winton (a rare public appearance). Just to put it in perspective readers, Tim’s book Cloudstreet was voted by critics and readers as the finest Australian novel written, so it was no surprise that Sydney Town Hall was packed to the rafters with 900 people... Sign in to see full entry.Wednesday, October 20, 2004what strange little things do you remember?Whenever I start writing something real (rather than having my mind ground to mince in the act of data entry) my fingers become enormously animated. It’s as though I’m doing a kind of digital dance over the keyboard. Listen closely and you will hear my thumb doing it’s best rendition of Singing in... Sign in to see full entry.Tuesday, October 19, 2004to be and to writeWhat would it take for me to actually write something and see it through to the end? Obviously some passion and discipline are needed on the menu. Anything else? It’s tempting to get caught up talking about waiting for inspiration but I suspect that’s something of a cop out. I have all that I need,... Sign in to see full entry.Monday, October 18, 2004something that might be faithSomeone I love recently asked me if I have lost faith. It was a direct and fundamental question and I was caught by surprise. I know I equivocated in trying to answer it. Am I a man who has lost faith? Did I ever actually have faith? Am I different in my thinking now in comparison to when I was a... Sign in to see full entry.Friday, October 15, 2004remembering in the cellsToday I'm struck by the full bodied reality of human rememberance especially when it comes to matters of love and intimacy. It isn't simply the brain that remembers. Every cell of the body is capable of retaining the living impression of a moment: the lingering taste, pressure, heat and carress of a... Sign in to see full entry.Wednesday, October 13, 2004and I shall be free like a kangarooBefore I wander into the office in the morning I usually get myself well and truly caffeinated downstairs in the café. In some ways I am a person who settles into routines. I drink the far from perfect coffee and I read the far from perfect Sydney Morning Herald. This is much the same routine I had... Sign in to see full entry.Tuesday, October 12, 2004My Disturbing InsightAs I was walking down the hill to catch my bus at the beach bus stop I had a strange insight. It was an insight of such grand proportions that I’m not sure whether I should be consoled or disturbed. Maybe both! Let me set this up for you, kind and gentle readers. Any human desire or ambition is... Sign in to see full entry. |
