Robert Davis

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”

The Carousel

Rainer Maria Rilke wrote a famous poem in German, for which I have yet to read what I would consider a satisfying English translation. The original is an extraordinary work of art. Its poetic diction is so ineffably German, the poem itself so sui generis, that any attempt at translation is bound to suffer. TheContinue reading “The Carousel”

Taking the Plunge

I spent a long time avoiding starting a blog. No real reason, just didn’t want to bother. Instead, I did my thinking out loud on Facebook, with extremely tight privacy settings. I figured, the people I really know are the people who care — and even a lot of the people I know, probably don’tContinue reading “Taking the Plunge”