Category Archives: Living My Life

“Fear is the little-death”

Posted on August 21, 2014 by hessd

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Living My Life, Paying Attention, ways of knowing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

He’s really let himself go since his wife died

Posted on August 16, 2014 by hessd

“He has really let himself go since his wife died.” It’s a perfectly ordinary sentiment.  Everyone knows immediately what it means.  He has stopped taking the care necessary to appear properly and behave properly to his companions.  He used to … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Old, Living My Life, Paying Attention, sociability, Words | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Lone Ranger and the High Salt Diet

Posted on July 29, 2014 by hessd

I grew up listening to the Lone Ranger on our radio.  I heard there for the first time a lot of music I came to understand better later.  Like everyone else, I heard the William Tell Overture there.  I heard … Continue reading →

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Do Women Talk more than Men?

Posted on July 24, 2014 by hessd

It is my goal in this essay is to argue that that is a silly question and to say why. If you are the one who is asking a question, it is tough, sometimes, when the response comes in the form … Continue reading →

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Lust! Oh my!

Posted on July 18, 2014 by hessd

Marcel LeJeune seems to have the particular ministry of talking about sexual dilemmas to young hormone-addled Catholics.  Some days, that must feel like being the geek at the carnival, the guy who astounds the crowds by biting the heads off … Continue reading →

Posted in Living My Life, Society, ways of knowing, Words | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Stereotyping

Posted on June 28, 2014 by hessd

One of my favorite introductions to a topic comes from Tom Lehrer’s song, “Smut.”  “I do have a cause though,” he says,  “Smut…I’m for it.”  That little ellipsis gives you a chance to imagine why he hates smut so much … Continue reading →

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Being “Beautiful”

Posted on June 18, 2014 by hessd

So I’m this old guy with a white beard.  What would I know about being “beautiful”? Quite a bit, actually.  I don’t know how it feels to be beautiful, having…you know…never been, but I do know how it feels to … Continue reading →

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Wanting What You Can Have

Posted on June 7, 2014 by hessd

My old friend Tony and I get together at the Cadillac Café every now and then just to keep up on what’s going on.  The last time we were together, he passed on a saying that was current in his … Continue reading →

Posted in Living My Life, Love and Marriage | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

College Recruiting and Sexual Abuse

Posted on May 17, 2014 by hessd

This is probably one of those essays I will eventually wish I had written and not posted.  I take a little courage from the experience of Hannah Arendt who wrote about the trial of Adolph Eichmann and called it “the … Continue reading →

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“I will never be able to forgive myself.”

Posted on April 18, 2014 by hessd

I don’t remember ever saying that myself, but I’ve heard actual people say it and I’ve seen it in a lot of movies.  There are two reasons why a person might say this sentence.  One is that he or she—I’ve … Continue reading →

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