El Filósofo

Notes from a Zenned-Out Catholic

Blog

  • Pubs, Not Clubs

    I have a saying: “pubs, not clubs”. Maybe it’s the proud Brit in me, but I just love pubs (but not clubs). Clubs are expensive, crowded, and worst of all: loud. It makes it impossible to have a conversation! Of course, that’s not what clubs are for: they’re for dancing the night away, or for… Keep reading

  • Resolutions

    Happy New Year! I feel like I haven’t posted anything since last year. (Get it?) You’ll be pleased to know that one of my resolutions for this year isn’t giving up silly, overdone jokes. That’s a laugh all on its own, really. However, now is officially the time when new year’s resolutions come into effect.… Keep reading

  • Champagne and Catharsis on NYE

    I can’t say I’ve ever loved New Year’s Eve, probably for the same reason that I usually find my birthdays difficult: it is a holiday closely associated with the idea of change. I have always struggled with change. Just ask my mother. Ironically, New Year’s Eve is a time where people actively plan to make… Keep reading

  • Merry Christmas!

    I was struggling to think about what to write about for this Christmas. Surely, so much has been said already: the coming of the Saviour, incarnation, grace, God’s love, and so on. But frankly, while I wouldn’t detract from these topics, they are overdone. I could write you a Catholic Hallmark card anytime. But as… Keep reading

  • Parabellum

    As I write this, I’m sitting in the dark because the power has been out for hours and feel that I have nothing better to do than write. It’s a palpable feeling to sit in the dark for any extended period of time with no distractions. Yes, it’s true that I could sleep, but alas… Keep reading

  • You Could Miss It

    Everybody wants to live a good life. This is the first principle of practical reasoning: the good should be desired, and evil should be avoided. That one should believe any differently is, in my view, out of the question. If someone asks why this is so, the conversation is best avoided for the simple reason… Keep reading

  • Here’s Hoping

    To mark the beginning of our Advent season, the first candle you’ll see lit is representative of hope, which, if I’m being honest, is sometimes a blessing and sometimes a curse. Of course, the hope we celebrate at this time of year is that of God’s promises made in the Old Testament and fulfilled in… Keep reading

  • The Venerable Exercise of Watching Children’s Movies

    “When was the last time you felt a moment of unadulterated child-like joy?” When my therapist asked me this question, it was difficult for me to come up with an answer. I looked back on the last few years and realised that I’d had far fewer of these moments than I’d have liked. Not that… Keep reading

  • Out of Control

    “Love is easy to feel, difficult to hold, and astoundingly painful to hand over to someone else.” I spoke those words to a friend not too long ago, and (not to be prideful) I thought they were quite beautiful so I wrote them down. I’ve spoken at length about love on this blog over the… Keep reading

  • Human After All

    I hate flying. Not the flying itself, but the logistics of it: flying means going through airports, waits at security if not at the gate itself, having to take your electronics out or your shoes off, and host of other little inconveniences that just suck the energy out of you. Finally, by the time you’re… Keep reading