http://backgardenphilosophy.com Reflections on Existence Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:03:09 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I was having a very busy day in the city, rushing from place to place trying to get all my chores completed before close of business. Suddenly, I noticed a rather ramshackle entrance to a small park and decided to have a look. The park wasn’t very well ... http://backgardenphilosophy.com/2008/11/07/falling-leaves/ The Lake Road is one of the more popular walks in Cobh. It provides a nice gentle slope on the way down and a not too severe challenge on the return journey. There are, of course, a number of alternatives to the return journey. Three of my ... http://backgardenphilosophy.com/2008/11/01/walks-police-stations-and-reckless-drivers/ Before Eileen bought her first car she was a normal, happy-go-lucky person. She’s still normal and happy-go-lucky except for the very brief but highly intense moments when she is consumed by road rage. No ranting or raving, no foul language, no obscene hand gestures, just a brief ice-cold silence before ... http://backgardenphilosophy.com/2008/10/14/road-rage-explained/ I spotted her the moment I entered the bakery area of the supermarket. It wasn’t difficult really, because, apart from her, there was only two other humans present, a married man of about 35 and his child. The man was pushing a trolley but shopping was the furthest ... http://backgardenphilosophy.com/2008/09/10/doing-battle-with-a-gothic-goddess/ I watched a really interesting news item the other day. This guy went out on the street and handed out postcards with his name and address. The card invited people to write down their secrets and post them to him. It was an amazing success; he’s still ... http://backgardenphilosophy.com/2008/09/09/telling-secrets/ God was on trial on BBC 2 the other night. In a very interesting drama prisoners in Auschwitz, who were scheduled for the gas chamber, put God on trial on the charge that he had broken his covenant with his chosen people by allowing such barbarity to take place. ... http://backgardenphilosophy.com/2008/09/05/god-on-trial/ I have to say that I’m puzzled, very puzzled by the sudden return of the Cold War between the West and Russia. There’s no mystery about the first Cold War, it was clearly a stand off between two different political systems - Communism and Democracy. The Soviet Union ... http://backgardenphilosophy.com/2008/09/03/global-unity-or-total-disaster/ Consider the following situation. Four months into an eighteen month mission to Mars, NASA begins to receive disturbing reports of disunity among the crew. There is disagreement between the astronauts as to how resources like food, water and fuel should be utilised. Some crew members are consuming with ... http://backgardenphilosophy.com/2008/08/27/spaceship-earth-no-second-chance/ Before the Olympics games come to an end I thought I'd publish this article that I wrote for a local newsletter. On a hot summer's day 2,784 years ago, a Greek by the name of Koroibos crossed the finishing line to become the first ever Olympic winner. He was competing ... http://backgardenphilosophy.com/2008/08/22/the-olympics-a-force-for-unity/ Six years ago when I was reflecting on the consequences of reaching half a century, I decided that henceforth all work on my house would be done with the aim of reducing maintenance to a minimum. The first project was to get rid of the likeable but aging and difficult to ... http://backgardenphilosophy.com/2008/08/20/28/