Tag: culture

A Quick Haiku: A Moment In Paris

Carl Setzer

 

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Gazing upon this

Such a cultural symbol

Moments of beauty 

Love this photo by Mathieu Rivrin. Check out more of his work here.

This Modern Age

Carl Setzer

​We can’t agree

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Respect and Dignity: A Haiku

Carl Setzer1 Comment

We are unable

To summon basic respect

For views not our own



As long as we, as a culture, or as a species, struggle to summon basic respect and dignity for each other, we will fail. 

Why do villains laugh?

Carl Setzer

Something I’ve wondred.
Why do villains always laugh?
A puzzling thing

Recommend Reading: @ClaireDederer’s “What Do We Do with the Art of Monstrous Men?”

Carl Setzer

As my culture deals with abrupt waves of awareness of the ugly, monstrous behaviors of so many prominent men, Claire Dederer presents a rather thoughtful article. 

What Do We Do with the Art of Monstrous Men?

I struggle with this, too. Ms. Dederer captures my sentiment quite nicely. Very insightful questions, making one think, which seems considered criminal any more. 

A Reflection on Alan Watts: A Haiku 

Carl Setzer

Straightening out life
Violates its core nature
We must let it be

This haiku is my response to Alan Watts’ quote “you’re only making a mess by trying to put things straight. You’re trying to straighten out a wiggly world and no wonder you’re in trouble”. I find this very relevant in today’s climate. 

Contemporary Communications

Carl Setzer

A current cultural value: speed. Faster, faster…get more done sooner!

So, with that, one of my recent personal observations: I need to slow down. In the grand flurry of work, I find it easy to wrap myself up in the frenetic nature of life and reactively communicate. My most common culprit: email, though other medium catch that, too.

Taking that moment to consider “what am I trying to say?” and “what do I want to happen?”, then evaluating my content against those proves itself valuable again and again.

Also valuable: thinking through medium. Is an email the best tool to get the results I need? Sometimes I end up shifting to a phone call after a few emails where we talk past each other.

Quite often slowing down, getting focused on quality ends up being by far faster. In my experience, I find that true more often than not.

Responding to our vacuous culture 

Carl Setzer

Seeking richness 

And depth 

While our culture 

Celebrates and delights 

In the vacuous, 

The superficial,

The inane 

Gently, gently, 

With greatest care 

I dream we can bring 

A love for grace, 

Dignity, compassion 
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