Category Archives: Philosophy

Life In Japan: Dekansho 2024!

Posted on August 18, 2024 by johnrachel

The Dekansho Festival here in my hometown is my favorite. The music, dancing, food and fireworks are great. But most of all, it’s seeing the whole community come together to have a good time that makes it so special. It’s truly inspiring! Continue reading →

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Life In Japan: A rose is a rose is an onion . . .

Posted on May 16, 2024 by johnrachel

I was trying the other day to imagine what went through my mind when I was 25. It’s both a difficult and amusing exercise. One thing I can assert with absolute certainty . . . I never imagined I would at this stage in my life be living in Japan growing onions in my modest garden! Continue reading →

Posted in Deconstruction, Education, Food, Japan, Philosophy, Revolution, Spiritual, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ban the Bomb!

Posted on November 7, 2021 by John Rachel

The first philosophy book I ever read was Bertrand Russell’s Common Sense and Nuclear Warfare. I was 13 years old. It shaped my life. Continue reading →

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Book Review: “Healing the Land with Tao” by Gary Lindorff

Posted on June 11, 2018 by johnrachel

Intentionally or not, with his new book “Healing the Land with Tao”, Gary Lindorff has created a loosely structured operating manual for the soul. We’ll all get different messages and meanings. We will benefit to differing degrees. But if I could choose only one book to help break the chains of my mental and spiritual incarceration, it would be this book. Continue reading →

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A Simple Straight-Forward Message for a Complex Convoluted Time

Posted on December 30, 2017 by johnrachel

This is about “Happy New Year”, my holiday greeting card to the world, a song I wrote three years ago, performed by my lovely and extremely talented wife and myself, here in my home studio in Japan. I believe it offers a simple straightforward message for a complex convoluted time. Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Philosophy, Religion, Social Commentary, Spiritual, Video Blog | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Just a little . . .

Posted on June 21, 2016 by johnrachel

It’s easy to confuse the little questions with the big questions. Language itself is often imprecise and misleading. Yet at other times it offers the appearance of an exactitude which is unwarranted, or at least inapplicable. Can we see the difference when we need to? Have we become so smart that we are outsmarting ourselves? Have we become victims of a conflation of logic and hubris? Continue reading →

Posted in Nihilism, Philosophy, Political Analysis, Satire, Social Commentary, Spiritual, War and Peace | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Update: Stairway To Heaven

Posted on May 31, 2016 by johnrachel

Why do we seek high places? We generally look up when we pray. We don’t send our prayers into the dirt, we launch them out and upwards to float into the ether of spiritual space. We certainly don’t ever aspire to the lower moral ground. We don’t say, ‘I’m at the bottom of the world.’ We don’t declare, ‘I had a valley experience.’ When we smoke a joint, we don’t get low. I guess we just assume that somewhere “up there” is some comfort. Maybe some answers. And if we don’t get the answers we need, at least we have a nice view or easy exhilaration. Continue reading →

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In a land of pigs . . . bacon is a sacrament!

Posted on May 23, 2016 by johnrachel

I’m great! You’re great! We’re great! America is great! It makes me feel . . . GREAT! Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Economics, Nihilism, Philosophy, Political Analysis, Political Rant, Social Commentary, War and Peace | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

How to Become a Target for State Assassination

Posted on March 4, 2016 by johnrachel

The absence of war is not peace. More accurately, in our times the absence of war is a truce. A truce is the abatement of conflict with no guarantee that war will not break out again. Peace is a state where no conflict is ongoing or possible. Continue reading →

Posted in Deconstruction, Philosophy, Political Analysis, War and Peace | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Still Crazy After All These Years

Posted on February 9, 2016 by johnrachel

My wife, Masumi, has yoga and ballet. Even in the cold, twice a week I stumble up and down a big mound of dirt. Works for me. Is it so unreasonable to think that every single person in the world deserves this? Just a simple, basic shot at happiness, free from hunger, fear, war, oppression. Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Philosophy, Spiritual | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment