Published in The Small Dark Light·PinnedWhat Do I Do?The Small Dark Light’s mission statement — My previous post was about who I am, this post is about what I write. Read on if you’re curious about what this publication is for and where I hope it ends up going. Hint: you may be involved. I want The Small Dark Light to be a meeting place…Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche7 min readChogyam Trungpa Rinpoche7 min read
Published in The Small Dark Light·Mar 16The Banshees of Inisherin and the Tragic WorldviewWhat does McDonagh’s film tell us about the nature of reality, and what are we going to do about it? — Trivial warning: this post contains The Banshees of Inisherin and I’m Thinking of Ending Things spoilers. Serious warning: it also explores topics like mental illness, despair and suicide, and although the essay is in no way intended to cause distress, some people may find certain aspects of my perspective upsetting.Martin Mcdonagh18 min readMartin Mcdonagh18 min read
Published in The Small Dark Light·Oct 10, 2022The Fifth Throne, Part 2: Eta’s StoryThe third druid addresses the council — Eta sits for a moment thinking about what to tell the assembled company and what to leave out. They’ve been rehearsing for this moment for days, but it’s one thing to imagine Chi’s imperious stare boring into your brain, and another to experience it in person. The others don’t have…Fantasy16 min readFantasy16 min read
Published in The Small Dark Light·Sep 28, 2022The Fifth Throne, Part 1: Tau and RhoA druid council attempts to navigate multiple crises in a time between times — Tau is the last to arrive as usual. They enter the small clearing, scuttle through the circle of boot-flattened, dew-soaked grass, duck under the low stone arch, hang up their cowl and rustle into the chamber. Making their apologies, they take their place on the east-facing throne, a plain granite…Fiction Series15 min readFiction Series15 min read
Published in The Small Dark Light·Sep 13, 2022Beyond FulfilmentSatisfaction, meaning and purpose are not enough — This post follows directly on from my last piece about Aldous Huxley’s The Doors of Perception and what it means to be happy. OK, so as I was saying….oh great, it’s Doubting Fred. Just when you think you’ve seen the last of someone. ‘This stuff about peak experiences is all…Aldous Huxley10 min readAldous Huxley10 min read
Published in The Small Dark Light·Aug 27, 2022What Makes Us Happy?Asserting ourselves and pursuing goals? Or losing ourselves and doing nothing? — A little while ago I was lying in bed with my mind drifting from place to place, and I suddenly had the thought What is it that we really want, anyway? By “we” I of course meant “everyone who’s ever lived”. …Buddhism8 min readBuddhism8 min read
Published in The Small Dark Light·Jul 30, 2022Narcissism and ValiditySelf-obsession, approval-seeking and their alternatives — I’ve been reading a lot of Freddie deBoer lately. As someone who leans towards market socialism, but feels uneasy about a lot of mainstream progressivism’s attitude and goals, I find his perspective and bullish style invigorating. I’m incapable of feeling passionately certain about any particular political worldview myself (you’ll notice…Freddie Deboer11 min readFreddie Deboer11 min read
Published in The Small Dark Light·Jun 25, 2022Culture Club #8: The Beatles’ Embrace of Absolutely EverythingUniting opposites was the band’s superpower Another long gap between posts — day jobbing plus various chronic health issues have made it impossible for 2022 me to keep up the pace of the newsletter’s original lockdown run. But ultimately that inner pull to write is just too strong to ignore…Music8 min readMusic8 min read
Published in The Small Dark Light·Feb 13, 2022Culture Club #7: My 2021 in MusicYe, Bo Burnham, Vampire Weekend, Van Morrison and more — Oh, OK. Catchy a title as “My 2021 in Music” is, I reported on some of what I was listening to last year at the time, and it’s already mid-February, so technically this post won’t be covering all of last year, will be covering a little bit of this year…Bo Burnham14 min readBo Burnham14 min read
Published in The Small Dark Light·Feb 5, 2022Culture Club #6: Stevie Wonder’s Lesser-Known GemsGenius on this level can’t be contained in five classic albums — I’ve loved Stevie Wonder ever since I saw The Definitive Collection in a record shop as a teenager, found myself drawn to that beaming face and decided to take a chance on it. Having been raised on a diet of classical music, classic rock and Robbie Williams up to that…Stevie Wonder7 min readStevie Wonder7 min read
