A Reading for Independence Day: “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”
David Severson David Severson

A Reading for Independence Day: “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”

On July 4th, I always want to reflect on the ideals which inspire the holiday—freedom, liberty, and justice. On a day like July 4th, the most logical place to turn for readings on these topics would be the Federalist Papers, written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison. Or, perhaps, the very document we are celebrating, the Declaration of Independence. I find the most honest discussion of freedom, liberty, and justice, especially on a holiday such as July 4th, to be Frederick Douglass’s “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”…

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Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits
David Severson David Severson

Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits

In the late 19th century, Europe was in a period of transformation. Countries found themselves moving away from monarchal rule to democratic rule. Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection had shaken the foundations of theology and of the origin of the human species and taken hold in the minds of the intelligentsia; trains now stretched from France to Germany and all around Europe; the Church was experiencing a decline in political power, under threat from the new scientific innovations spreading across the continent; everywhere one looked, one saw signs of an ever increasing rate of change that would come to be the norm in the 20th and 21st centuries…

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Art in 27 Seconds
David Severson David Severson

Art in 27 Seconds

How much time does a single person spend engaging with a single piece of art? According to a 2001 study conducted by Jeffrey K. Smith and Lisa F. Smith, the mean time spent viewing a piece of art was 27 seconds, with a median time of 17 seconds. And while some paintings may capture a person’s attention for longer, the longest time they observed was a mere three and a half minutes…

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Corporate Influence in Local Politics - A Case Study
David Severson David Severson

Corporate Influence in Local Politics - A Case Study

Today I received a flyer with bright colors and bold fonts. I receive these kinds of political flyers so often, my first instinct is to always tuck it into the other junk mail of the day and discard it when I get home. However, after five seconds looking over the front and back of the card, I immediately pick out some strange claims…

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The Walking Mind
David Severson David Severson

The Walking Mind

Walks have a long and storied history among writers, with many writers and philosophers cultivating bizarre walking habits. Thoreau, Kant, Kierkegaard, and Nietszche all walked consistently, a habit that fulfilled different purposes for each of them. Walking was seen as a necessary part of thought…

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Thoughts On the Ukranian Defense, and Why It Isn’t World War III (yet)
David Severson David Severson

Thoughts On the Ukranian Defense, and Why It Isn’t World War III (yet)

Today is the third day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Russian army has moved in, and they are now bombing and fighting in Kyiv. The Ukrainian people are rallied to fight against Russia, but even with the support of weapons and supplies from Western Europe and the U.S., their chances of winning or thwarting Russia look slim…

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On Suicide and the Monopoly of Suffering - A Reading from Emil Cioran
David Severson David Severson

On Suicide and the Monopoly of Suffering - A Reading from Emil Cioran

What drives people to suicide? What is the experience of someone considering suicide? There is an epidemic of suicide in the United States right now, especially among young men, so any understanding one can glean about suicide is important to discuss, especially if it might help prevent a suicide.

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On Mercy: A Book Review
David Severson David Severson

On Mercy: A Book Review

What constitutes mercy? What effect does mercy have on society? Is mercy more central to the formation and sustainability of a society than justice? What if justice, instead of mercy, was found to be disposable? These and other bold questions are discussed by Malcolm Bull his in book titled On Mercy (2019)…

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The Craving, the Nihilist, and the Content
David Severson David Severson

The Craving, the Nihilist, and the Content

No one talks about the content man. The man who has learned to live with little is the man who remains invisible to the eyes of history. His exploits are less brave and daring than the adventurous, whose appetite for new experiences drives him to…

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An Open Letter on Anxiety
David Severson David Severson

An Open Letter on Anxiety

I suffer from anxiety. Perhaps some of this anxiety is part of the normal angst of the human condition. Surely, not all of it can be explained away as part of the normal, human condition. When one is pulled taut, their mental bands fraying at the edges, anxiety increases…

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In My Next Life, I Should Like to Become a Housecat
David Severson David Severson

In My Next Life, I Should Like to Become a Housecat

In my next life, I should like to become a housecat. Once, I considered myself a dog person, as most Americans do, but cats have much to be said for them. They know what they need, and do not typically ask for more…

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On a Meditation Pad by the Cache la Poudre River
David Severson David Severson

On a Meditation Pad by the Cache la Poudre River

Taking a blanket, my mediation pad, and my journal, I sit on the small patch of flat shoreline of the Poudre River. I sit where the river forks, diverging only momentarily before joining back together. Between tall trees and green grasses, the river runs through town, curving east…

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My Kitten Knows of Dao
David Severson David Severson

My Kitten Knows of Dao

Kara and I have acquired a new kitten. She is a small, short-haired, twelve-week-old gray kitten. Her name is Artemis. We took her on a ‘trial’ basis to see our other cat, a big, seven-year-old calico named Luna, would accept her…

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An Afternoon Drizzle
David Severson David Severson

An Afternoon Drizzle

Storm clouds pass over my house, leaving a light rain to drizzle onto my dry, patchy lawn. The northwest corner of lawn has died, but the rest of the lawn is lush and vibrant…

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A Short Morning Ritual
David Severson David Severson

A Short Morning Ritual

This morning, I woke before sunrise. Unable to stay in bed any longer, I got up and put on my yukata. Leaving my phone, I went downstairs. My cat, fully awake and waiting for food, rubs against my legs. I put today's portion of food into her dish, and refill her water bowl…

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Bad Habits
David Severson David Severson

Bad Habits

I drink too much. When I reflect upon my vices, my habitual drinking is apparent. Somedays, I drink only a beer, but tonight I find myself sipping a crude concoction of lychee juice and vodka…

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