I’ve heard the comment a number of times over recent years that the world is becoming more contentious and divided, more divisive. I tend to think this attitude is attributable to people either not knowing, or understanding, history. Or perhaps it is that as we grow older we recognize sources of contention and divisions that […]
Our media at times throws around terms without much explanation, or even understanding, of what the terms mean. One of those terms is “domestic violence.” The headlines read “so and so arrested for domestic violence” or “so and so charged with domestic violence,” usually an athlete, without any understanding or explanation what domestic violence actually […]
The economy of China is an important issue for the World as the growth of China’s economy since the late 1970’s has been one of the most important factors driving the World economy over that same time frame. Certainly other factors have played into the World’s economic growth over the last 40 or so years, […]
Most members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are familiar with the quote of Joseph Smith, Jr. regarding the Book of Mormon. “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to […]
Many in the media of late have speculated regarding the fate of Alibaba, Tencent, Didi, and other large “private” businesses in China that Americans and others have invested in. The fate of Alibaba et al is just a continuation of the recent “closing” of China by the Communist Chinese Party under Xi Jinping after the […]
In Egypt stands one of the most famous human built structures of all time, the Great Pyramid of Khufu. Constructed about 4,600 years ago, this mammoth stone edifice was the tallest man-made building in the world when it was completed, at just over 480 feet, for about 3,800 years. Unlike the European Cathedrals whose spires […]
The Book of Mormon is a beautiful book, whatever may be its provenance. Like the Old and New Testaments, the lessons that it teaches are not always adhered to by those who would wish to see themselves as The Faithful. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is surely aspirational for we mere mortals. In Jacob, Chapter […]
Reading once again Thomas Taylor’s 1821 translation from the Greek of Iamblichus’ work “On the Mysteries of the Egyptians, Chaldeans, and Assyrians,” written around 300 AD. This work never ceases to inspire and focus my mind on those things which are most important. The following caught my eye this time. “For on this account, because […]
The label “just like Hitler” is often attached to leaders, or would be leaders, as a simple way to accuse the target so labeled of being a very bad person. Without historical context the label “just like Hitler” is just a knee jerk reaction. With that said, put in historical context, I think there’s some […]
China rising from the ashes of the rule of Mao Zedong has shaken the world order, and how the world has reacted and will react to that rise in the decades to come will shape humanity’s future in so many ways. China’s rise has very little to do with those standing front and center on […]