by M. W. Wollacott | Nov 19, 2023 | Beasts and Monsters, Fantasy, Tolkien
The Battle of the Five Armies has a movie named after it, but is it not immediately obvious to anyone watching it what the five armies are. We have the dwarfs – a mixture of Erebor and the Iron Hills, we have the wood elves of Mirkwood, the humans of Lake Town,...
by M. W. Wollacott | Nov 19, 2023 | Beasts and Monsters, Beowulf, Fantasy, Tolkien
Tolkien’s elves will live as long as the land of Arda exists. Those that die will wait a time in the Halls of Waiting then will be given new, identical bodies. Elves that grow weary will travel to the Undying lands to dwell until the end of time. Only an elf who gives...
by M. W. Wollacott | Aug 2, 2022 | Philosophy, Plato
Plato’s five regimes are, in this order, aristocracy, timocracy, oligarchy, democracy, and tyranny. Of these, Plato favored aristocracy in his ideal state and branded the other four as imperfect societies. The Greek philosopher Plato is one of the most famous...
by M. W. Wollacott | Aug 1, 2022 | Haiku, Life in Japan, Poetry
I first learned about haiku in 2005. It happened on one of my regular trips to the north of Osaka city to check out the foreign books and magazines in Kinokuniya. Most of the magazines were super over priced, but I happened upon a copy of The Kyoto Journal. In it was...
by M. W. Wollacott | Jul 28, 2022 | Runari
What is Logic? The Way of the Runari: A Brief Introduction The Principles of Runari 5/12 “Writing structure is logical. Writing method at its best is instinctive. That way you get the benefits of both styles – improvisation within calculation.” Stewart Stafford “There...
by M. W. Wollacott | Jul 28, 2022 | Runari
What is Responsibility? The Way of the Runari: A Brief Introduction The Principles of Runari 4/12 “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” Abraham Lincoln “A true gentleman puts responsibility upon himself but not upon others.” Confucius...
by M. W. Wollacott | Jul 28, 2022 | Runari
What is Freedom? The Way of the Runari: A Brief Introduction The Principles of Runari 3/12 “The only freedom which deserves the name is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to...
by M. W. Wollacott | Jul 28, 2022 | Runari
What is Creation? The Way of the Runari: A Brief Introduction The Principles of Runari 2/12 “‘If you wish to rule the state, first pacify your family. If you wish to pacify your family, first discipline yourself. If you wish to discipline yourself, first make right...
by M. W. Wollacott | Jul 28, 2022 | Runari
What is Appreciation? The Way of the Runari: A Brief Introduction The Principles of Runari 1/12 A cherry blossom’s Beauty is only fleeting, Yours is forever. You leave your new office situated on the twentieth floor of a glass and steel skyscraper. As you leave the...
by M. W. Wollacott | Jul 25, 2022 | Being, Philosophy, Ponderings
Is it possible to know everything there is to know? That’s a question which came to me while cooking dinner the other night. It part came from the world around me at that moment and part from movies where humans tap into unused brain space for limitless knowledge and...
