August 2025 – Paul's Blog

Tracks in the Wrong Direction

Near the end of one of Wendell Berry’s finest poems comes the advice to “…Be like the fox / who makes more tracks than necessary, / some in the wrong direction.” The status quo may expect us to seek to maximize our waking hours for pleasure and profit, to always think and speak like ourContinue reading “Tracks in the Wrong Direction”

The Edge of the Margin

Near our home is a building boasting a large-lettered sign with the name MarginEdge on top. I assume this is an office of some sort and I have no experience with with them other than seeing their sign, but what a curious idea that sign calls to mind. The demands of life (both real andContinue reading “The Edge of the Margin”

Adversary or Enemy?

So, consider for a moment that person one might disagree with… How we engage them and the story we tell about that interaction turns them into an adversary or an enemy. An adversary is a sparing partner, a worthy rival. An enemy is someone you behold with hostile contempt from whom nothing can be learned. Continue reading “Adversary or Enemy?”