The Philosopher's Stone

Osprey, Lower Deschutes River, Oregon

“…and yet, in that despair, which is transcendent, you will find the ancient understanding that the Philospher’s stone will always be found despised, and buried in the mud.” –The Counselor

As a committed cultural observer one of my responsibilities is to review the daily casualty lists. The list comes down to me by way of media platforms, which I endeavor to keep diverse in an-going effort to bolster the middle mind. My theory is that by keeping track of lunatics on either end I can generally navigate my way to a rational center, which as Henry Adams pointed out is usually somewhere closer to the truth–though not always. Some stories have no middle at all, and are just wildly bad and wrong and disturbing. This morning’s casualty list contained such a horrifying tale from Stockton, California, about a fireman who was shot to death while putting out a dumpster fire. Under such terrible circumstances I hope you’ll forgive me for saying that the entire City of Stockton, California, is a dumpster fire, and no part of me was surprised this horrifying event happened there.