Read this post in English here. Yn sgil sylwadau angharedig yn newyddion diweddar y Deyrnas Unedig, mae’r iaith Gymraeg wedi bod yn bwnc o ddiddordeb cyhoeddus, ac oherwydd taw Mawrth 1af yw Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant, dw i wedi cael fy symbylu i feddwl am hunaniaeth Gymreig. Ni fyddaf yn anrhydeddu’r sylwadau yna gyda dolenniContinue reading “Hunaniaeth o’ch Dewis”
Author Archives: Robert Davis
The Identity You Choose
Darllenwch y post yma yn Gymraeg. Thanks to some unkind commentary in the UK news recently, the Welsh language has been a topic of interest, and as March 1 will be St David’s Day (the national holiday of Wales), I’ve been prompted to think about Welsh identity. I won’t dignify the aforementioned “unkind commentary” withContinue reading “The Identity You Choose”
Soft Tyranny
I remember when George W. Bush talked about “the soft bigotry of low expectations”. I think we should consider the applicability of a similar spirit to a new category. I think America might have a problem with soft tyranny. We don’t get dragged out of our homes in the middle of the night by theContinue reading “Soft Tyranny”
The Gods Return
An original poem. we see it first from afarthe shadow on Saturnsliding across smooth rings a glimpseof a puck on ice eyes and telescopespeer, strain, squint, probeto bring the Distantclose as thought on every screenthe explainersdispel the mystery no, it can’t be naturalthe shape is too regulartoo perfect, and Natureworks in fractals it must knowContinue reading “The Gods Return”
Certain Death
Between the COVID-19 pandemic and the US election, 2020 has given us a lot of food for thought. I think it has shown us the power of certainty, and maybe even moreso the power of the need for certainty, as a force in our lives. We’re not living in an era with a high toleranceContinue reading “Certain Death”
What We Think About When We Think About Thinking
In my philosophy classes in college, I was particularly intrigued by the philosophy of mind, especially the mind-body problem and the qualia problem (the latter also known as “the hard problem of consciousness”). Recognizing that the brain is a physical organ that is implicated in what we observe to be mental processes, the mind-body problemContinue reading “What We Think About When We Think About Thinking”
Introducing the Welsh Tattoo Handbook
In my last post I talked a bit about my history with the Welsh language, why I speak it, and about getting the chance to write a book, but I didn’t go into great detail on the book itself. I’d like to give a shout out to the Geeky Gaeilgeoir for inspiring me to doContinue reading “Introducing the Welsh Tattoo Handbook”
Pam dw i’n siarad Cymraeg
Read this post in English here. Dw i’n siarad Cymraeg. Dw i’n ei siarad er gwaetha byw yn yr Unol Daleithiau. Mae’r rhan fwyaf o bobl — gan gynnwys pobl Gymreig — yn synnu ar hyn. Fe ddechreuais astudio’r Gymraeg pan oeddwn i yn y prifysgol. Fe ges i set o CDs a dechrau gwrandoContinue reading “Pam dw i’n siarad Cymraeg”
Why I Speak Welsh
Darllenwch y post yma yn Gymraeg. I speak Welsh. I do this even though I’m from the United States. Most people — including Welsh people — are surprised by this. I first started studying Welsh when I was in grad school. I got one of those sets of CDs and started listening to them inContinue reading “Why I Speak Welsh”
The Meanings of Life
Awhile back I was introduced to an idea from Hinduism, namely the idea of four discrete life stages, or ashramas. These are defined in the context of what are considered to be the four proper goals for human life, the puruṣārthas. Obviously there are cultural specificities wrapped up in the traditional definitions of these goalsContinue reading “The Meanings of Life”
