While global travel restrictions are currently changing daily, it's time to reflect on borders and what lies between them---the nation-state. The Lithuanian poet and intellectual Tomas Venclova can provide some inspiring input for such reflections.
The year is not even half over, and there is no shortage of things I will always remember it for. If I were to give 2020 a title in my personal history book, though, I would call it the year when I learned to cherish and wield the power of habits. Of course, habits have always been an important part of my life. Humans are creatures of habit; that’s a truism, and I’ve been aware […]
An age-old tale about three princes inspired modern science, the creation of the word serendipity, and a whole tradition of detective fiction. It seems equally inspiring today in the midst of a pandemic and a global crisis of knowledge and information.
Near where I live, a row of Japanese cherry blossom trees is thriving along the same line where the Wall once used to be. When the Wall came down, the people of Japan got so invested in the events in Europe that they donated hundreds of their favorite trees to the reunited people of Germany. These trees were then planted along the former inner-city border. Today, on a sunny afternoon, the lush life of the […]