Musings

• Midstream Musings – we scale ourselves and return Sisyphus …

  • Beyond happy – the pursuit of ease erases our humanity (and liberty)
    Epigraph “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” – United States Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson replaced the word “property” with “pursuit […]
  • Beyond happy – a resonant reality requires resistance
    Introduction idyllic_moment.jpg Attaining (whether by pluck or luck) a seemingly friction-free life is a seductive notion. A state essentially without complaint. Something to yearn for, strive for. Perhaps achieve via a life of effort, as a well-earned place. Or a heroic reward. A validation of righteousness. Such is this notion […]
  • feather & fur – a 21st century fable, part 1
    [Draft 11-3-2025] feather & fur – parting ways a 21st century fable Copyright © 2025 John P. Healy (humility’s hard done by) Claws in the night In the murky stillness, something sharp hit his head, knocking him to the ground. Rising to his knees, claws tore into his back. He […]
  • October 31 comes – beware pricking of thy thumbs
    October 31 comes with parties … candy treats … a long and varied history … remembering … This year the Halloween holiday reminded me of the 1983 film adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s 1962 dark fantasy novel Something Wicked This Way Comes [1]. But a while back, in considering a story […]
  • The meaningscape – synchronizing shared realities?
    Meaningscape is a relatively new word – for the contours & connections that we sense and use to grasp our reality. It’s a layered ‘sandwich’ of signs & symbols, beacons & benchmarks, ways & waypoints, memories & meanings. [1] Meaning is relational. Meaning is finding a shared way of reading […]
  • Comment on Beyond happy – the pursuit of ease erases our humanity (and liberty) by jph
    Living in the uneasy place, an uncomfortable space [1] – the challenge of relying on reasoned choice rather than impulsive alignment or disengagement. This year's news cycles reminded me to beware of the illusion of majority consensus. That the loud (extreme) voice of a small minority (for example, on social […]
  • Comment on Modern stoicism – beyond happy & meaningful, Part 3 by jph
    How do you measure a country's happiness? If there's a general sense (among pollsters and policymakers), does it vary around the world? This article discusses 4 key factors. Are these factors aspirational? And in each case, I wonder whether it's sustainable. The recipe. See the article for more details in […]
  • Comment on Beyond happy – a resonant reality requires resistance by jph
    11-14-2025 There's the commons – shared community space – and what we have in common. What binds us together. But how deep do those bonds go? What is taken for granted (tacit)? What is left unexplored in daily routines and transactions? Harm hidden in silence. Uncertainty rooted in indeterminate liberty. […]
  • Comment on Beyond happy – a resonant reality requires resistance by jph
    11-16-2025 Evidently, even the bond between telepaths might not be adequate joining, a deep enough togetherness. The theme of individualism versus collectivism involving, in particular, a hive mind reminded me of a story I'd read long ago, decades ago. It's been nagging me. Well, a Google search confirmed the details. […]
  • Comment on Shadowscape Episode 5, Part 2 by jph
    I read this AI research article recently. Its drift fits my narrative re symbiosis – "a collective [and cooperative] human intelligence sort of thing." • Harvard News > "Artificial intelligence may not be artificial" by Liz Mineo, Harvard Staff Writer (September 29, 2025) – The term artificial intelligence renders the […]