In “Gospel Song,” Scott Bates sees self-interest entering into the motivations of even the holiest of men—King David, Daniel, Jesus and Moses.
Tag Archives: Scott Bates
Religion and Self Love
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Daniel, Francois de la Rouchefoucauld, Jesus, King David, Moses, Religion Comments closed
The Cosmic Meaning of Flushing Flies
I don’t know how deep my father’s qualms go about flushing a fly down a toilet bowl. At the very least, the prospect makes him think twice and look for a larger message, as he does in the following comic poem.
Take Me Out to the Orgasmic Experience
In his poem, Scott Bates fastens on the fact that the baseball diamond and the outfield, in their intersection, resemble a mandorla. An almond-shaped figure of mythic significance, the mandorla has been seen to symbolize “the interactions and interdependence of opposing worlds and forces,” such as spirit and matter or heaven and earth.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "B Is for the Baseball Mandorla", Baseball, Sports Comments closed
Ah, the Stench of Spring
The news has been so grim recently that I offer up a bit of comic verse at midweek to give you a breather. Think of it as a celebration of the stench of spring—which is to say, of the fertilizer that the farmers are spreading on their fields as the season of growth begins. The […]
7 Reasons We Help Others
Spiritual Sunday If I want to generate a spirited ethical discussion in a class, all I have to do is ask my students whether altruism derives from a higher moral sense or from enlightened self-interest. It is one of those questions that theologians, philosophers, biologists, anthropologists, psychologists, and others can debate for hours. They draw […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Seven Charitable Chimpanzees", Altruism, Ethics, Spirituality Comments closed
Happiness Is a Warm Gun (Shoot, Shoot)
Following the Columbine High School shootings, outrage against permissive gun laws led, not to tougher gun laws, but to pushback by the National Rifle Association. The NRA went on to help George W. Bush squeak by Albert Gore in the 2000 elections and has since become so bold that the 2006 Congress was afraid to extend […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Ballad of the National Rifle Association", guns, violence Comments closed
Revolution in Tunisia–A Good Thing?
While I want to be optimistic about the recent Tunisian overthrow of its dictatorial ruling family, I also appreciate Anne Appelbaum’s pessimistic assessment in a Washington Post column. Her caution brings to mind one of my father’s witty animal fables entitled “The Revolutionary Mice.” You can read it below. Appelbaum succinctly expresses her concern thus: […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "The Revolutionary Mice", politics, Revolution, Tunisia, William Blake Comments closed
Epiphany from a Camel’s Point of View
Scott Bates’s version of the epiphany focuses on a camel’s point of view. This camel doesn’t end up in Bethlehem but his work is no less holy.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Fable of the Third Christmas Carol", Epiphany, Religion, T. S. Eliot Comments closed
A Roc for Christmas (Annual Bird Count)
Sports Saturday I don’t know whether bird watching is officially considered a sport but, what with Christmas falling on a “Sports Saturday,” let’s say it is. That way I have an excuse for writing about the annual Christmas bird count. Every year, between the middle of December and the first week in January, bird watchers […]
