Journeys of a Bent Mind

Jack Riemer, Houston Chronicle: February 10, 2001~

On Nov. 18, 1995, Itzhak Perlman, the violinist, came on stage to give a concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City. If you have ever been to a Perlman concert, you know that getting on stage is no small achievement for him. He was stricken with polio as a child, and so he has braces on both legs and walks with the aid of two crutches. To see him walk across the stage one step at a time, painfully and slowly, is an awesome sight. He walks painfully, yet majestically, until he reaches his chair. Continue reading →

Barbara W. Tuchman; Alfred A. Knopf, New York; 1984; pg. 234.

Barbara W. Tuchman in her volume, “The March of Folly,” describes in painful detail the processes that individuals and groups pursue in spite of commanding evidence that the path chosen is foolishness to the extreme, the existence of viable alternatives clearly known by the participants, and how ample cautionary indicators fail to prevent the ongoing pursuit of such goals. She treats the classic folly of Troy and the Trojan horse, the Renaissance Popes, who nearly destroyed the Roman Catholic Church, the actions of the British against a Continue reading →

Race is a pretty delicate and volatile issue. It isn’t a simple matter. It is one of the many elephants we have in our proverbial living rooms we don’t often talk about. And unfortunately in our complex social encounters it is often a person of color who raises the issue and for their efforts is accused of playing “the race card.” I know, it’s happened to me. But here’s the thing: It matters that the issue be raised in those circumstances when something blatantly unjust or wrong or racist occurs. The thing itself as a negative Continue reading →

So you think you’re racism free? You think you don’t see color? You believe you see the humanity in a person and don’t see the color of their skin or the slant of their eyes? You believe that your parents raised you right and laid a foundation of values to see people outside of skin color? Okay, maybe so. Some parents do a better job of this training than others, and most who attempt this have good intentions. Continue reading →