Author Archives: hessd

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About hessd

Here is all you need to know to follow this blog. I am an old man and I love to think about why we say the things we do. I've taught at the elementary, secondary, collegiate, and doctoral levels. I don't think one is easier than another. They are hard in different ways. I have taught political science for a long time and have practiced politics in and around the Oregon Legislature. I don't think one is easier than another. They are hard in different ways. You'll be seeing a lot about my favorite topics here. There will be religious reflections (I'm a Christian) and political reflections (I'm a Democrat) and a good deal of whimsy. I'm a dilettante.

All seated on the ground

Posted on December 23, 2019 by hessd

As I have been reading texts more carefully (the reasons for which need not detain us at the moment) I have found all kinds of little fragments of language that you can read right through or listen right through and … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent, Words | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

On being “woke”

Posted on December 21, 2019 by hessd

This is President Obama, at an Obama Foundation event this last October. The man makes so much sense. There is this sense [among some young people] that the way of me making change is to be as judgmental as possible … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Political Psychology | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The bird needed to be flipped

Posted on December 17, 2019 by hessd

This very unusual expression was used—I am tempted to say “coined,” because I have never heard it before—by my friend, Bob Nightingale. He was describing a situation I didn’t see, myself, although I was there. But I knew what he … Continue reading →

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The gospels as murder mysteries

Posted on December 8, 2019 by hessd

The value of a metaphor is that it opens up a less known idea by comparing it to a better known idea. [1] I have never been to Greece, but I have been charmed for years by stories that Greek … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical Studies, Paying Attention | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Paying attention to Christmas

Posted on December 5, 2019 by hessd

In her New York Times editorial, Tish Warren cites an “old saying” I never heard before: “Hunger is the best condiment.”  I’d like to think about it a little, using the same context in which she uses it, which is … Continue reading →

Posted in A life of faith, Advent, Paying Attention | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Metabolizing the minutes

Posted on November 29, 2019 by hessd

Neaera H. It used to be that I stayed up till all hours and still felt time-starved, none of the day seemed to be metabolized into living.  Now the minutes make me strong. Here is my text for the day.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Living My Life, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Know Nothing Party, Part II

Posted on November 27, 2019 by hessd

The Know Nothing Party Abraham Lincoln knew flourished briefly before the Civil War.  They called themselves “the American Party,” but since its inner workings were supposed to be secret, its members were supposed to say “I know nothing” [1]  That … Continue reading →

Posted in Political Psychology, Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

When meaning gets thin

Posted on November 19, 2019 by hessd

I have been working for some years now on Ursula LeGuin’s book, The Farthest Shore. There is a lot to like about the book. It is the third of her EarthSea Trilogy. [1] I liked it first because it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Getting Old, Living My Life, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

What is “carn-ism?”

Posted on November 13, 2019 by hessd

The only people I know who are writing and talking about eating meat are people who are treating it as a moral matter or who are allergic to it.  I make an exception, of course, of the American Beef Council, … Continue reading →

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Are we worth saving?

Posted on November 10, 2019 by hessd

“Let me tell you something, my friend, Red says to Andy in The Shawshank Redemption, “hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.” And that may be true. Or it may be the only thing that gives … Continue reading →

Posted in Society, Sustainability | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment