Ashok Karra

philosophy

Antigone and Ismene Outside the Gates

Humans understood as rule-bearing, rule-bound creatures does not start with a notion of the "state" or "city," but with family itself.

philosophy

Philosophy and Addiction

...if a book doesn't help you become more aware of your own life, something is wrong.

poetry

Kobayashi Issa, "the butterfly I passed"

There are moments when we're more than we are, and they're not necessarily moments of triumphant heroism.

poetry

W.H. Auden, "Domesday Song"

Reality itself can't explain reality.

poetry

Emily Dickinson, "Perception of an object costs" (1071)

Did Dickinson send something so elaborate just to say "get out of my life?"

philosophy

Three Thoughts from Epicurus' "Principal Doctrines"

Hedonism, the thesis that pleasure is the good, can be frightfully ignorant.

philosophy

What We Don't See: Xenophon, "Memorabilia" I.3.12-13 & Kyla Houbolt, "on the wing"

Perhaps, when you are virtuous, it shows throughout your being. You don't just stand for something, you are seen to be it.

philosophy

The Practicality of Parmenides' "On Nature"

You're right! If you back down, you don't just descend into error, you compound the error.

poetry

Kay Ryan, "Lime Light"

The more one has to deal with, the more one has to take seriously.

philosophy

José Ortega y Gasset on "Intellectual Effort"

We, however, must deal with those who say things like "math isn't real" and believe in ESP because they watched a YouTube video once.

poetry

Seamus Heaney, "Lightenings viii"

It's exciting to declare you're exploring Plato, stumbling upon problems few have seen or will see. It's tempting to believe there must be wisdom in such a rarified activity.

politics

On Political Yearning

I don't think it's possible to properly inform future generations how committed we are to "just blurting things out."

blogging

A Young Person's Guide to Creating Written Blog Content

Rule 1: You're creating because you want to create.

poetry

Rae Armantrout, "Influence"

I do not believe the classics will be lost, unread and thrown aside, because things I don't like are popular.

poetry

Kobayashi Issa, "[the snow is melting]"

I should say, the first time I read this poem, I thought Issa was in "grouchy old man" mode, bemoaning the noisy, shouty kids disturbing his peace.

poetry

Alfred, Lord Tennyson, "The Eagle"

Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "The Eagle" is, as the kids say, "metal."

poetry

Emily Dickinson, "This is my letter to the World" (J 441, F 519)

Vendler allows this lyric to resonate with moral force, and I have no doubt some will commit this poem to memory because of her interpretation.

poetry

Donald Hall, "The Sea"

Some readers want to see how others live, how they process their experience, and how they wrestle with a changing sense of importance.

poetry

Kyla Houbolt, "bad idea"

That the Colosseum can be humane, peaceful, and fun for us may be a fitting tribute, though far more fitting if all colonial and imperial endeavors ceased.

poetry

Matsuo Bashō, "The temple bell stops..."

...I spend considerable time trying to explain my relevance, even when talking about my own life.

american politics

The New York Times presents "Day of Rage"

...we live in the shadow of Jan. 6th.

poetry

Yosa Buson, "The morning breeze..."

Clarity, then, is seeing things stand distinct. It’s the knowledge something, someone, can be whole and independent.

poetry

Kay Ryan, "Things That Have Stayed In Position"

Should a writer be toxic? Raising the stakes, erasing the past, undoing social bonds?

poetry

Tom Snarsky, "Opera"

Feeling unloved, one could say, isn’t having a free mind. Strictly speaking, it’s having a mind that “doesn’t feel like anything.”

poetry

Rainer Maria Rilke, "Closing-piece"

I am consistently impressed by Rilke’s ability to build with profundity, not just to profundity