Early Retirement for Injured Federal Employees
The image connotes a sense of lightness of being; for, to “hover” is to have that levitation of weightlessness, and it is in the moment of nostalgic interlude that we experience the concurrent sensation of becoming lost in the memories of forsaken pasts. Nostalgia is to Man what icing is to a cake; without it, we live in the reality of dreaded days where the future is merely a repetition of Sisyphus’ burden […]
Two quick observations about the game of Chess and those who play it: Few are actually very good at it; and, like self-image and a false sense of confidence for many in the United States, too many who play it believe themselves to be very good at it. Stefan Zweig wrote about the game brilliantly in his novella, the “Chess Story” (or otherwise translated or sometimes referred to as “The Royal Game”), and debunked the notion that the greatest of players are by implication, […]
What does it mean to be an “Edwardian”? The reign of Edward VII was brief, but its influence is often extended to periods both before and long after in an aggregation of understanding “trends” that were noted, and often idealized. It is a period of little interest to most Americans, except perhaps when there is some vague reference during a period of a royal scandal or a royal wedding […]
Both remain with us; and like innocence which, once tarnished, refuses to be whitewashed, they cast a looming shadow of irreversibility upon the fragile tissue of one’s psyche. Stains endure; knowledge persists; and once the two combine, the stain of knowledge never relinquishes its hold, whether ugly, radiant, gnawing or insidious; neutrality is rarely a chosen point upon the spectrum of unraveled ignorance. […]
There are circumstances in life when the environment becomes so intolerable, that one just has an inkling to “chuck it all” and walk away. Fortunately, the human animal possesses a measure of self-discipline and restraint; although, looking at the excesses of the world around us, one would never know it. If you watch and read the news, one would logically conclude that the world around us is falling apart and disintegrating at the seams. If you hermetically seal one’s life and shut down all communication devices, happiness may well abound in the bliss of ignorance, but you will be deemed to be either mad or uncouth. That is, in fact, what the ad agencies wanted us to believe, wasn’t it? […]