traditions

Carl Jung famously said, “The gods have become diseases.” By this he meant (I think) that the underlying myths, or ‘archetypes’ have come loose from their moorings, and degenerated into…

The basic assumptions that a speaker or writer holds are often enfolded in an offhanded remark, asides of such conventional wisdom that their truth seems indisputable. These are precisely the…

An American living much of the year in Mexico wrote asking me to “state my religious agenda.” I don’t care for agendas, especially hidden ones. But intent is important. And…

Did indigenous people, living before the Agricultural Revolution, face the same existential alienation from the earth that we do in the scientific-computer age?

In ancient times, and not so long ago in many parts of the world, cultures and traditions were completely distinct and whole. Tradition wasn’t something that a people had; it…

The conservative’s belief that “our symbols—our monuments, our books, our thoughts and principles—are our guide and shield,” and that without them “we will be no better than ignorant armies of…

In ancient times, and not so long ago in many parts of the world, each tradition was completely distinct and whole. Tradition wasn’t something that a people had; it was…