Michael T. Starks

Author: admin

  • Access to Great Content

    —

    by

    admin
    in ,

    Reading or listening to good books is one of my favorite activities. Yesterday, Malcolm Gladwell’s Revenge of the Tipping Point was released on Audible. I started listening as soon as I could. If his first book, The Tipping Point, was about the phenomenon of social contagion, this book promises to be more about the causes…

  • Meditations

    —

    by

    admin
    in ,

    I’ve read about a third of Meditations: A New Translation by Marcus Aurelius, updated by Gregory Hays. Based on how much Ryan Holiday has gushed about Meditations, I expected to be blown away. But so far, that hasn’t happened. I agree with Pierre Hadot that the entries seem like “spiritual exercises”. In his Introduction, Gregory…

  • Under the Spell of the Ocean

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    I love walking along the beach, listening to the ocean waves. Walking in sand is slower than walking on pavement. The ocean waves have their own rhythm. They beckon me to slow down, to appreciate the wonders of nature, to ignore the chattering of my monkey mind. The salty air is nourishing. I could get…

  • Bernie Taupin

    —

    by

    admin
    in ,

    I know Bernie Taupin through his collaboration with Elton John. He writes amazing lyrics and is one of my heroes. Here are some of my favorite songs that feature his lyrics. I didn’t realize that Bernie Taupin has continued to write lyrics for Elton John through the years. In fact, they did a sequel to…

  • The Origins of Taste

    —

    by

    admin
    in ,

    As we bumble our way through childhood, we begin to notice some cool things that touch our hearts. I learned how to ride a bike, and this gave me access to a much larger world than my own backyard. I could ride to two different parks, my elementary school, and more. Along the way, I…

  • The Longing

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    I love the experience of looking forward to something. It can be anything. Today, I’m looking forward to seeing the ocean. While I’ve seen the ocean before at Ocean City, Maryland, I long to see it again. To feel the sand and water beneath my feet while walking along the beach. To hear the waves…

  • Jimmy Buffett

    —

    by

    admin
    in , ,

    I’ve enjoyed listening to Jimmy Buffett songs most of my life. I’m proud to say he’s one of my heroes. I have good memories of my Aunt Mae listening to Jimmy Buffett. I think she’s the one who first introduced me to his music. I love so many of his songs. The ones I’ve listened…

  • People Are Weird

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    Everyone has their quirks. We each have our habits, mannerisms, attitudes, convictions, rehearsed actions, hang-ups, beliefs, hopes, and dreams. It takes time for you to get to know anyone else well enough that you begin to understand his or her specific weirdness. Even when you know people very well, you can still discover additional weirdness…

  • Mississippi Burning

    —

    by

    admin
    in ,

    Sometimes I wonder how it’s possible for multi-generational conflicts to exist. Then, I remember watching the movie Mississippi Burning. I remember the scene that hit me like a sledge hammer when I first saw it, so many years ago. Here’s the trailer. The movie is a work of fiction inspired by true events that took…

  • The Not Knowing

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    Sometimes, we know exactly what we want to be doing. And sometimes we don’t. Life offers us plenty of chances to leap into the abyss, not knowing what we’re going to find after our feet leave the ground. We like certainty. Some of us like to calculate probabilities. We often feel uneasy with uncertainty. The…