Eric Scheske

The Stranger The whole attitude of existentialism is perhaps best seen in the most-popular existentialist novel of the twentieth century, Albert Camus' short book, The Stranger [https://amzn.to/2sNUVD9], which I'll summarize in hopes of giving the reader a good “feel” for existentialism. The hero of

The experts often disagree about the definition of existentialism, but in general, the term refers to a type of thought that emphasizes existence rather than essence. Here's how one scholar put it: “[G]enerally we can describe thinking as existentialist if it makes existence rather than essence the

Existentialism and the Modern Man There is one good religious projection in particular that has been spraying for the past one hundred years in one form or another and has cropped up occasionally with tremendous popularity, though few recognize it as a religious phenomenon. It has been a spiritual artesian

Monday Miscellany If you're looking for this week's podcast, there isn't one. The Thanksgiving Holiday weekend proved too much. Look for it to resume on December 8th. I would hope to keep it regular from that point forward, though the Christmas weekends could prove

BYCU Pain x Resistance = Suffering. That's a mindfulness axiom. Pain is unavoidable, but our resistance to it is. If you practice yourself into complete acceptance, the result is no suffering. Anything multiplied by zero is zero. This obviously parallels Christian experience and practice, especially as taught in de

“Thanksgiving Day originated in New England when the Puritans realized they had succeeded in exterminating their neighbors, the Indians, instead of getting exterminated by their neighbors, the Indians.” Mark Twain “Gratitude is a fruit of great cultivation; you do not find it among gross people.” Samuel Johnson “Beggar that I

Black Wednesday Ah, Black Wednesday. I've been black on this Wednesday before there was Black Wednesday. I remember speculating with friends back in the 1980s that it might be the biggest bar night of the year. It was like, nobody had become fully cognizant that this evening had

In 1927, G.K. Chesterton spoke in the Great Hall of University College, London. The topic: “Culture and the Coming Peril.” People probably thought he was going to talk about Bolshevism, but he didn't. The peril isn't Communism, Chesterton said, it's vulgarity: “To put

Many writers talk about religious “currents,” but I think that term is too generous. The term “current” implies something sustaining and capable of moving things forward in a meaningful way. It implies the existence of a stream or river–something steady, often deep–where it can run. That type of

BYCU Blogging has been light. Okay, non-existent. Lots of life changes, shifting priorities, moving parts . . . whatever. I'm in a transition area, with a pretty firm idea of projects I hope to launch next year, but I need to finish this year's priorities first. But regardless, I