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For Mom, not a mom
I stand and look out, at the dark lake,With the moon rising.And the horse and buggy are coming back in,From the past, in silenceWhere things they don’t existAnd we’re all in this together, till the endWhere the pearly gates remain openAnd welcome me homeBy the time I came to Manitoba, I diedAt the hands of Continue reading
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Authenticity in an Age of Totality
In an age when the fifth type of totalitarianism, Mass Society, has systemically devalued and degraded the human person, I hope it is proper to demand a hearing of any and all authentic reactions in favor of a person’s inalienable solitude and for her effective freedom. The murderous cacophony of materialism cannot be allowed to Continue reading
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Character Building and Becoming: A Christmas Story
“…tending to our own resilience is a vital task for living well. But that requires not only that we don’t overlook the severity of loss or the suffering that we regularly experience, but also that we experience and embrace the suffering.” Continue reading
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Technological Society Deprives
While it’s easy to appreciate the benefits of technology, we often struggle to identify what it has taken from us. Technology is part of us. Continue reading
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It’s Hard to be Embarrassed; is that a problem?
This may be one time when we all know that we exist between the past and future. Continue reading
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Liberal Democracies buttressed by Illiberal Forces: a Social Imaginary
“what is meant by individual freedom is hotly contested and not just a brute fact. It must be nurtured and grown. This is how I experience my moment of bliss over bacon and eggs. This emerging freedom is a profoundly different social imaginary than the one on offer by liberal democracy.” Continue reading
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Constitutive Work, Recognition, and Why Hannah Arendt Matters
Going through a layoff can be devastating. When I got laid off from a Christian University that had been struggling financially (typical of such post-secondary institutions in the 2000s), I needed to come to the deep logic which eliminated me from the equation. After all, I was in my early 50’s, and I had thought Continue reading
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Charles Taylor: New Dimensions of Experience
Taylor not only provides a language and framework that can articulate the deep senses of meaning we long for, but he also identifies many of the forces that are at work in our lives. Continue reading
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Rosie
I hope, at some point, a kind stranger will be a safe light in the middle of the night for my youngest. Continue reading
About me: I am a career educator and traveler at heart. My written work includes academic writing in philosophy and linguistics, English acquisition, and most intently in the areas of spiritual engagement with reality and what that means for our public lives.
My education is a mixture of formal study in philosophy, political theory, Biblical studies, and history, along with professional teaching certification in TESOL and in cognitive testing, and international teaching.
My travel experiences include a range of countries in Asia, Europe, Africa and North America. I have lived in Canada, the United States, Germany, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Thailand. From those places I have traveled to many others besides.
I am a child of the 70’s and a “family man.” That means I have two wonderful kids who have been round the world with me.
Lastly, I am married to a wonderful woman since 2004. She is my partner, my friend, and my muse.
Thanks again for stopping by,
Raymond Klassen - Ideals and Identities 