Line Dancing in the Bardo

Bill Powell — Bardo: a Tibetan term/concept that refers to an intermediate or transitional state between two incarnations or two sequential lives on earth. There is, coincidentally, a new novel, recently published, entitled Lincoln in the Bardo written by George Saunders. . . . There are things we experience that we rarely, if ever, mention to others. . . . Nearly every person dreams. The … Continue reading Line Dancing in the Bardo

The Summer of Becoming Quasimodo

Bill Powell — My wife and I recently discussed Pearl Buck’s classic novel The Good Earth and tried to recollect whether, and when, we might have read it as children. We are both “bookish” people and have been so since childhood. We also discussed our early reading habits, subject preferences, and how they have evolved and continue to this day. I mentioned that during one … Continue reading The Summer of Becoming Quasimodo

A Quiet Man

Bill Powell — After seven decades of my life, I have experienced, learned, and remembered many things—among them, that people touch our lives by being totally “present” with the other person, by genuine caring, feeling and being felt, and by knowing that such connections are often formed in ways using deeper languages, beyond words. One of my most profound and impactful memories of this nature … Continue reading A Quiet Man

Imagining Wisdom from the Inside Out

Bill Powell — This article serves to introduce a planned offering of periodic personal musings on the notion of wisdom. Thought will be forthcoming and more questions than answers may be generated. Occasionally phronesis, or practical wisdom, will also be addressed, and other additional notions will be added to suggest new ways of framing or imagining wisdom from other cognitive or emotional vantage points.  The … Continue reading Imagining Wisdom from the Inside Out