The Unclad Soul

It is becoming more and more clear every day, for those who didn’t see it the first day, that President Trump is an unruly and unprincipled leader. He may have a good side buried somewhere beneath the outer impenetrable layer of bravado that defines him. But so far it has not surfaced in any meaningful way. I know people, friends and acquaintances, who still support and like him. And I try not to talk about the president with them. We simply see things much differently. I have among my Facebook friends some who have no real issue with Mr. Trump. People who voted for him and will probably vote for him again. I try to be aware of them when I write because in the past I have often been insensitive to those who don’t agree with me about the president. But whatever good his supporters believe he has accomplished or wants to achieve, I cannot help but think they, too, see the obvious flaws in president Trump. We all have them. Obama, Bush, Clinton, Carter and all the...

Steinbeck once said he was born lost and had no interest in being found. I think I understand that comment. I feel that way at times. Well, in the sense that it’s nice now and then to mentally, and if possible, physically, get lost and leave the chaos and the absurdity of the nonsense around us. The moral and social fabric of our country is in alarming need of repair. One can only stand staring at it for so long before panic sets in and the ground opens up in some yawning gloom of darkness. I picked up an acorn cap the other day while walking. You know that little textured hat that sits on an acorn? They are elaborately constructed if you take the time to look at them. And they all fit so perfectly on top of the acorn. It’s quite a tiny miracle when you realize that the acorn produces an oak tree. The ancient mystics wrote, “Seeing the small is insight.” What could we learn from that? We live in an obsession with bigness. Everything is bigger in Texas, we say. Why ...