In Celebration of Awe
Rui Umezawa-Toronto: It was a metaphysical standoff befitting the holiday season in the information age, the age of reason, the age of consumerism and The Spirit Age. In late November, American Atheists, an organization the mandate of which is to protect the civil liberties of non-believers, let its views on Christmas be known on a [...]
The Devil’s Best Trick
“He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws.” – one of the charges against King George III listed in the US Declaration of Independence Rui Umezawa-Toronto: Stifled laughter murmured across the congregation gathered at the church of Western democracy shortly before the 2008 [...]
Narrative Nations
Rui Umezawa-Toronto: The media, all said and done, could not help but frame the recent financial crisis in Ireland in terms of the country’s fierce sense of identity when a crucial by-election was held Nov. 25 in the northern rural county of Donegal. The senatorial election occurred the day after Prime Minister Brian Cowen introduced [...]
What It Is Is What It Is Not
“Semantics is always a bitch.” – Gil Scott-Heron Rui Umezawa-Toronto: Any complaints Preston Manning makes about volatile political discourse might easily be interpreted as a loss of heart – the dissatisfaction of a former leader of a now defunct federal political party who since his retirement from public office has grown weary of battle. But [...]
The Spirituality of Spider
“Nearly unimaginable wonders and marvels are just around the corner.” – Spider Robinson Rui Umezawa-Toronto: One Book, One Vancouver since 2002 has united the city under a well-publicized reading program organized by its public libraries. Based on similar initiatives in Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle, one title is chosen every year as a recommended read [...]
The Paradox of Form
“Learn the form, but seek the formless.” – Jet Li, Forbidden Kingdom Evelyn Glennie is a Scottish virtuoso musician who is profoundly deaf – suitably inspirational for educators; sensational enough for headlines; satisfyingly contradictory for metaphysical theorists. Above all, however, she is an enchanting, gifted artist. The Grammy-winning percussionist is a featured performer in the [...]
The Spirit Age-The Tools of Faith
Rui Umezawa-Toronto: Southern Baptist Seminary President Albert Mohler made headlines last week when he called on Christians to avoid yoga. According to the Associated Press, Mohler objects to “the idea that the body is a vehicle for reaching consciousness with the divine.” He also said many people have told him they’re only doing the physical [...]
Science, Spirituality, Exteriority and Interiority
Rui Umezawa-October 6, 2010: Two recent news stories once again brought attention to the continuing tension between spirituality and science, worldviews that often resemble siblings constantly competing for our approval. The first centered on the much-anticipated release of The Grand Design, the latest book by iconic British theoretician Stephen Hawking. Co-authored by Caltech physicist Leonard Mlodinow, the instant [...]
Remembrances of Things Not Past
Rui Umezawa-The Spirit Age: Shonen Jet was a black and white live action adventure serial popular among Japanese children in the years immediately preceding 1964 – before colour television broadcasts first went to air in Japan due to the Tokyo Olympics. The series centred on the crime-fighting escapades of Jet, a boy detective who wore [...]
