by David King on May 7, 2012
A few months ago, I came across an article about Republican Candidate Mitt Romney’s “animal abuse” scandal. Apparently, he had put his dog in a kennel and strapped the kennel to the roof of his car. This had animal lovers up in arms.
My response was one of confusion: Really?
Here’s the deal – I’m a huge animal lover, and always have been. But there’s a growing problem in Western culture (and developed nations more broadly) – people are just downright obsessed with dogs.
Here’s my perspective on life – all life. I believe that consciousness is indeed a miraculous product of the evolution of the universe. For now, let’s put aside quantum physics and the notion that consciousness flows… Read More.
by David King on May 2, 2012
When I was 15, I used to idealize love. It was all I wanted, truthfully – but in hindsight, I didn’t know what it was, perhaps best described as some enigmatic nebula of images, feelings, and behaviors imposed upon me by the world. Back then, love was a kiss, an embrace.
When I was 19, I had my first experience of ‘love,’ which in hindsight, wasn’t really love at all. That first experience was nothing but a combination of raging hormones and convenient opportunities – I don’t reflect on it fondly. In fact, I try not to think of it much.
When I was 20, I had a brief two-week relationship that I was sure was love. My heart was… Read More.
by David King on April 26, 2012
There is a myth perpetuated by society that consistent and predictable behavior is a precursor to knowing who you are.
Bullshit.
There also exists a popular myth that exploring the world using anything other than a map or a compass means instability, immaturity, and lack of direction – particularly when it comes to knowing who you are.
More bullshit.
Further to this line of thinking, there is an even greater myth that jumping on any one particular bandwagon is the only route to success; that creativity is valuable so long as it is exercised within one’s area of expertise; that career paths are life paths because, after all, these are the paths that lead to knowing who you are.
Obviously… Read More.
by David King on March 6, 2012
In a recent article published in the Lancet, it was reported that the upcoming 2013 edition of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association) will make it possible for the diagnosis of depression following the death of a loved one. In the past, those experiencing grief and bereavement were excluded from such a diagnosis unless the resulting negative emotions were severe and lasted more than 2 months. It was argued that grief was a normal response to death (a view that’s still supported by many psychologists, nevertheless).
Such a shift, however, would essentially allow for the medication of grief, and therefore the avoidance of that which was previously recognized as a normal… Read More.
by David King on December 14, 2011
I walk down the street, and a stranger makes eye contact. She smiles, and continues passing by.
Sometimes, when I look closely, I see myself as a collection of everyone else. In truth, maybe that’s all we are – pieces collected along the way.
In the last three years, I have nearly drowned in anecdotal evidence of the idea that life isn’t always what we expect. And indeed, I have had very few recent expectations actually materialize. In some cases, expectations ended traumatically, while others drifted more slowly.
But there is beauty in the breakdown, or so they say. The greatest gift of life lies not in the materialization of one’s dreams and visions, but in the amazing ability… Read More.
by David King on December 5, 2011
More often than not, the end is all we see. And who can blame us? The end is guaranteed. The end is definite. The end is always there, waiting, patiently or otherwise.
There is a lot of talk among us humans of living in the moment. It seems to be something we all strive for – some sort of golden ticket that’s forever dangling at arm’s reach, just inches from our fingertips, nearly attainable but never quite so. When you consider that even a Tibetan monk plans ahead for long meditations by stretching, you might agree that it’s time to rethink this moment stuff.
So what’s in a moment? Not much at all really…seconds at best, maybe a minute,… Read More.
by David King on December 4, 2011
Time is…well, it’s simply another dimension, like length and width, a point of measurement only within the context of this life. From outside, or deep within, the increased number of dimensions creates a view much like a four-dimensional box, with time being yet another angle or direction in which matter – the big stuff – moves. It’s our minds, of course, that make time into something so different, so significant and transformational. And it is all of these things, indeed, indeed…but it is also something far simpler, and therefore something that can be grasped in a way that many may have previously thought impossible. It is a component of a mathematical equation, an anomaly of the three primary dimensions, and… Read More.
by David King on May 10, 2011
Of late, I have had an increasing number of increasingly disturbing encounters with individuals who, in supposedly seeking acceptance and respect, have become increasingly judgmental and presumptuous.
Most of us, in one way or another, have had the opportunity to partake in some sort of social minority, whether by choice or by uncontrollable forces (i.e., genetics). Some of us, of course, are members of minority groups which encounter heightened levels of scrutiny, discrimination, and/or hate (to be frank). As a fairly liberal and progressive thinker myself, I have always made a conscious effort to not assume, to not judge, and to not categorize. Of course subconscious processes may make this difficult at times, but at the end of the day,… Read More.
by David King on January 23, 2011
I feel compelled to return to this notion of “living in the moment.”
I have come to the strongly held, now frequently rehearsed, and both emotionally and rationally considered conclusion that living in the moment is, in its basic and standard form, a potentially hazardous ideation. In theory, and from a strictly optimistic perspective, it works: Live in the moment, escape the confines of the past and abandon the worries of the future; focus on the here-and-now, and be attentive to the beautiful details of life that are often overlooked.
The problem, of course, is that millions of years of evolution have led to a sophisticated self-consciousness that facilitates both long-term memory and complex consideration of future events. It… Read More.
by David King on November 5, 2010
There is an old adage that we’ve all heard, directed at us or someone around us, that goes something like this: “You need some time alone.” Or similarly, “Some time to yourself will do you good.” Many individuals further adopt this as a lifestyle of sorts, bragging about how much they’re “too busy for a relationship” or “enjoy living alone.”
The former of these may be the most irritating, for they are wrought with assumptions and presumptions and condescensions. None of us has the right to suggest to another that they should deny their natural mammalian drives to pursue social interactions and to find a mate. And sure, perhaps we’ve somewhat overcome these “simpler” needs and drives in light of… Read More.
