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Apr 21

The Forgotten Question

by Chris Billows in Spirit Speculations 0 comments
Most journalists talk about the five W’s as a method to get a story. These are: WHO? Every topic needs a subject. WHAT? Every subject needs an event. WHEN? Every event needs a time. WHERE? Every event needs a place. WHY? The existentialist question. There is a reason behind the subject experiencing the event, at the time and place it happened. That’s five W’s… but there is actually a sixth, forgotten one. I will argue that the sixth W is found at the end of the question and word: “HOW?”. HOW is the most forgotten and subtle question. It is the only future-looking or solution-focused question. After we have answers to the first five questions, we need to ask HOW so we can re-frame the entire situation to consider change and solutions. HOW do we create peace? HOW do we reduce suffering? HOW do we find happiness? Perhaps problems remain unsolved because we stop short of asking the forgotten ‘W’ question of HOW.

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Feb 09

Middle of the Muddle

by Chris Billows in Spirit Speculations 0 comments tags: Human Condition, Poem
In turning 40 years old, I am sharing a personal poem to celebrate my arrival of middle life. Now that I am middle-aged, I can start acting even more eccentric and get away with it. 😉 … Middle of the Muddle: A Poem About Mid-Life by Christopher Billows … I have learned, that facts and theory, found in degrees and libraries, do not grow or touch our psyche. … I have met many, the brilliant and the dull, and the rich and the poor, and found happiness being the pursuit of all. … I have worked for years, seen the capable abhorred, found leaders be the first to hide, and watched justice be ignored. … I pursued self-actualization, and have always been stung, that the pursuit of the perfect, is the cause of all wrong. … I have loved and adored, witnessed another’s death, fathered and seen birth, and now ponder the drama of a final breath. …

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Feb 02

The Golden Rule x 2

by Chris Billows in Spirit Speculations 0 comments
Many people know about “The Golden Rule”, which some say is the basis of most religions. “Do unto others what you would have them do to you.” or its negative form “Do not do to others what you would not like to be done to you.” It is pretty hard to disagree with this principle. Yet, there is a second Golden Rule which is just as relevant but quite a bit more cynical. The second Golden Rule is, “The one with the gold, makes the rules.” 😛 On one hand you have a succinct summary of good ethical and moral conduct, on the second you have a summary of how most political, economic, and sociological conduct takes place. I personally think that both Golden Rules are relevant and are actually compatible. The first one deals with the idealistic and religious realm of human beings, the second deals with the conventional truth of human relations and history. Some people operate exclusively in one realm and ignore the other realm. History has shown that idealism alone does not work, while misused power is destructive. A balance between both Golden Rules is quite possibly the real Golden Rule to follow…

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Jan 16

Defining Poverty

by Chris Billows in Spirit Speculations 0 comments
Poverty is generally defined as being in material want of something. Not having enough to eat or money to buy essentials is the general understanding of poverty. But I would also say that poverty is also having an attitude of feeling powerless, helplessness, or even non-gratitude. It is psychological and is how you define yourself. My in-laws are living examples of people who took full advantage of what Canada offers them. They are immigrants who worked very hard and created wealth through their industry which appears to be lost of many native-born Canadians. Technically they have always been “poor” as far as annual earnings are concerned, yet the life they lead is as far away from poverty as can be. Their example tells me that that poverty is not a state of physical or financial want, but a psychological one. These are people who don’t think of themselves as poor and in terms of how they live, they are not. They have more than enough money because they are content to live within their means. Yet there is nothing simply psychological about the poverty experienced by Canada’s aboriginal people. I can only conclude that what they have experienced collectively is […]

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Jan 01

The Poets and Parasites of Art

by Chris Billows in Spirit Speculations 0 comments
What unifies all great art is inspiration and vision. It cuts beyond popularity, profitability, and personality of the creator. Yet with the rise of greater leisure and technology allowing for everyone to more readily become creative, we see a huge swell of new music, movies, books, and games. Unfortunately, inspiration is rarer than the amount of media that is out there and only the true Poets are the visionaries, not being concerned for money or reputation. Where does that leave everyone else? I have mapped out a definition hierarchy of this creative class that ranges from the authentic Poet to the Parasite. 1) Poets (the elite of the Artists, known for influencing the Artists, being visionaries not concerned for money or reputation, the crazed and eccentric) 2) Artists (the creative craftsmen, creating new genres/markets, concerned about legacy) 3) Craftsmen (those who refine the performance, bringing peak performances, concerned about the craft) 4) Performers (capable, journeymen, emphasizing showiness, concerned about the performance) 5) Pretenders (riding on the coat-tails of the Performers, the critics, concerned about reputation) 6) Parasites (pure copy-cat, cynical marketing, pure hype, concerned about money) Its not a pyramid that Poets need Parasites who are at the bottom of […]

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Nov 23

Some Are Not Worthy… Rational Charity Giving

by Chris Billows in Spirit Speculations 0 comments
I believe that giving to the less fortunate is beneficial both personally and socially. When a person demonstrates generosity by giving to a charity, their spirit is enriched in some non-material way; it is like invisible bridges are built between them and others. This is nothing to be said of the how the act of generosity helps the recipient. Generosity is a virtue that all of the world’s great religions share and is the basis of the modern taxation system, which is meant to redistribute resources to the most needy. But is all generosity the same? Is giving to a charity that buys books for disadvantaged children as beneficial as giving to a charity that prevents children from becoming disadvantaged? What about charities that protect our environment or those that promote particular religious perspectives? The problems of modern society is overwhelming and the charitable response is just as confusing. While I commend people to give to a cause they believe in, I also think that some things are not as high a priority as others. A blogger named “Gates” posted a bold and insightful blog that helped me develop a rationale method on prioritizing which charities I should give to. […]
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