Author Archives: thevsstudioblog

“Every one of us is shadowed by an illusory person: a false self. We are not very good at recognizing illusions, least of all the ones we cherish about ourselves. Contemplation is not and cannot be a function of this external self. There is an irreducible opposition between the deep transcendent self that awakens onlyContinue reading “self Vs. SELF”

“Even if we can’t beat fate, we can nevertheless give fortune a hard time.” -Plutarch writing about Cato The Younger “A man can be destroyed, but not defeated.” -Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and The Sea “I know you had nothing to do with the injustice that brought me to this jail, so I’m willingContinue reading “You Can Always Still Choose”

If a country is governed wisely,its inhabitants will be content.They enjoy the labor of their handsand don’t waste time inventinglabor-saving machines.Since they dearly love their homes,they aren’t interested in travel.There may be a few wagons and boats,but these don’t go anywhere.There may be an arsenal of weapons,but nobody ever uses them.People enjoy their food,take pleasureContinue reading “Not Laboring”

Let me take you down‘Cause I’m going to strawberry fieldsNothing is realAnd nothing to get hung aboutStrawberry fields foreverStrawberry fields foreverStrawberry fields forever -song, “Strawberry Fields Forever” by The Beatles Tyger Tyger, burning bright,In the forests of the night;What immortal hand or eye,Could frame thy fearful symmetry? -poem, “The Tyger” by William Blake Heading intoContinue reading “Enjoy The Strawberries”

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “The transformative power of love is not fully embraced in our society because we often wrongly believe that torment and anguish are our ‘natural’ condition.” -bell hooks In all that you do, in all your relationships, beContinue reading “Be Transformational”

When the band came outThey stood behind youCymbals crashedThe lights went blue You stood aloneIn the halo’s hazeShiny guitar hung onGold laméAnd youYou were the lonely oneYou wereThe lonely one When you performIt’s so intenseWhen the critics panI write in your defense -Wilco, song “The Lonely 1” It’s a lonely endeavor… To be passionate aboutContinue reading “A Lonely Endeavor”

I love the below words of wisdom from writer-activist Lydia Wylie-Kellermann (hat tip to Richard Rohr and his daily CAC meditations). I’ll just let it speak for itself… Dear friends,ask the hard questions.Give thanks for uncertainty.Trust yourself.Lean into the wisdom of community.Don’t take yourself too seriously.Know that the arc is long.Lean on the ancestors.Ask theContinue reading ““How Lucky We Are To Be Alive!””

Therefore the Masteracts without doing anythingand teaches without saying anything.Things arise and she lets them come;things disappear and she lets them go.She has but doesn’t possess,acts but doesn’t expect.When her work is done, she forgets it.That is why it lasts forever. –Tao Te Ching by Lao-Tzu (Stephen Mitchell translation) Everything that’s important to you, everythingContinue reading “Stewardship”

“The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” Michelangelo Speaking of The Nudge, this anecdote from Economics professor Tyler Cowen… Yesterday I had lunch with a former Ph.D student of mine, who is nowContinue reading “Raise Their Expectations”

“Great art is the outward expression of an inner life in the artist, and this inner life will result in [their] personal vision of the world.” -Edward Hopper Another phenomenal poem from Albert Huffstickler (aka “Huff) who also wrote “I Dreamed I Lived In Austin” which I put in the blog a little while back.Continue reading ““The Way Of Art””