Tag Archives: agency

A Skeptic has a Mystical Experience. Who would have thought it?

Posted on October 3, 2020 by hessd

A few weeks ago, I had a mystical experience.  I mention it because I am not at all sure what a mystical experience is and because I am not somebody who has mystical experiences.  Still…this time I did. So what’s … Continue reading →

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Identity and Agency

Posted on September 6, 2020 by hessd

Sounds heavy doesn’t it?  You wouldn’t know, just by looking at the title, that this is going to be a critique of hyperindividualism. [1] Let’s start with this exchange. Empathetic Elder: (EE) Thank you for sharing that account with me.  … Continue reading →

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Zen agency

Posted on February 28, 2020 by hessd

I’ve been thinking about agency a lot lately. A agency is fundamental to being human; the costs of giving up on it are catastrophic. By “agency,” I mean only having the sense of acting on your own behalf. In Martin … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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Not being afraid

Posted on February 12, 2019 by hessd

There is nothing quite like fear to inspire an ardent interest in what works. I am going to cite today two formulations that have helped me and that I have thought about. [1]  It seems odd to me, as I … Continue reading →

Posted in A life of faith, Living My Life, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Depth in a Superficial Story

Posted on December 8, 2016 by hessd

I want to tell you two stories today. They are related, so I don’t want to put them into separate essays. The first is just personal. It has to do with the transition my mind made from a superficial made-for-TV … Continue reading →

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Remembering Bonnie Zawacki, Part II

Posted on May 22, 2013 by hessd

In Part I, I passed along to you Bonnie Klein’s recollections of herself as a college student; Bonnie Zawacki, studying causal attribution with me at Westminster College.  The two of us—Bonnie and I—talked about building a new lens, a lens … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Political Psychology, ways of knowing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments