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Oh My Word!

Oh My Word!

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 Oh My Word Art Divertissement et arts du spectacle
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  • It’s Only Natural (Essay)

    It’s Only Natural (Essay)
    Aug 31 2026
    It’s Only Natural Strong roots find ways to grow. “Alfredo,” I call over the new gardener, “this here. Is it a weed?” Alfredo pokes at the thin, lush branch sprouting up from the dirt. “No.” He shakes his head and smiles. “It’s a tree.” “A tree? But we never had a tree here. It’s too close to the fence.” “Maybe your neighbor had a tree.” A memory-wracking pause. “Oh right, he did. But he took it out a while ago.” “Well, this is a root, and it’s growing again.” “The root is growing a tree? In the middle of the root?” “Yup.” “Even though the tree was taken out?” “Yup.” “What happens if we leave it? “It’ll grow a new tree.” Huh. The backyard exchange with Alfredo wasn’t just a lesson in gardening, but an unearthing of a truth about the fundamental makeup of Creation, colloquially referred to as “nature”. Nature is the system we credit for the day-to-day running of the world, including the celestial bodies of space. To say, nature is an all-encompassing term for the factory setting of the universe, the innate coding entwined throughout, the very essence that makes each entity what it is. Although nature can be tamed or trained, trammeled or trampled to behave in ways incongruous to its default state, a lack of constant force or compulsory system override results in reverting back to factory settings. “Nature” or “natural” are the ultimate descriptors, the words used when logic runs out of explanations, when discovery reaches the end. The nature of a root compels it to burrow deep and intermingle with the soil to anchor that which grows upward. Knobby or gnarled, thick or thin, a root left to its own devices will continually reach outward. Roots shore up the base of a plant, though their oft seen, their efforts only evident in what grows above. Though roots are generally regarded in their role of literally grounding a plant, roots are just as much a part of the plant as the side that grows in shapes and colors very different from its base. The growing tip of the plant is just the other side of the root, unsurprising as it mirrors its nature to always reach outward. Though far less pleasing to the eye, and certainly never glorified in tabletop vases, without roots, stems and leaves and fruits and buds are just a wither away from mulch. However, without the stem and leaves and fruits and buds, the root is just an anchor without purpose. Roots are first to form and last to leave, a clue of nature as to why they’re even there. As if something essential to growth is connected to the health and strength of the roots. As if the very nature of roots is to ensure the plant grows. Roots are more than just a base, as they’re map of the plant as well. Where did this flower come from? Trace its roots. Why isn’t this plant budding? Check its roots. Will the leaves grow back? Depends on its roots. This truth is most evident when it comes to weeds, which contain roots too quick and eager to promulgate to know they shouldn’t anymore. And really, what’s a weed, but a fast-growing, dominating plant we’ve decided not to keep? Characteristic to a weed is its resiliency in the face of our attempts to uproot it. Weeds return again and again, unless wholly ripped out with their roots. Even then, the soil must be partially overturned to ensure the job’s thoroughly done, or they’ll be back and expanding just as quickly as before. Weeds can do little else, as such behavior was written into their very coding from the start of Creation. Why so much emphasis on growth? Growth is the greatest indicator of life, the defining line between existing and being alive. Unhealthy growth is fragile, twisted, wilted, and will not endure. Healthy growth is vivid, bold, and vivacious, a constant expansion and reaching to be more. What sprouts above soil is more fragrant, flavorful, colorful than the roots it stems from. Yet, not a single leaf, stem, branch, blossom can survive without the plain roots that start it all and support the plant beneath. Cut a branch, leaf, or flower and see how long it lasts away from its roots. Cut away a branch, leaf, flower and see how long before another grows in its place. “Alfredo, why aren’t these trees bearing more fruit this year?” The gardener looks from the leafy lemon tree to the overgrown peach tree, both vibrant and healthy, but scant on offerings. “They need to be watered better.” “They are watered, see all their leaves are green.” “They need to be watered deep, a few times a week.” It’s not enough for roots to burrow, to stimulate the power of growth in the ground, to thrive where soil is rich and nourishing, but to continue to do so even after a tree is grown. It’s not enough to pick and trim, to focus on what’s above, to be satisfied with how things appear, for what’s beneath still requires care. At their best, roots present the possibility of something sweet and beautiful for others. ...
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    8 min
  • On Other, Other Life Forms (Essay)

    On Other, Other Life Forms (Essay)
    May 19 2026
    On Other, Other Life Forms The quest for other life forms must be anchored in the knowledge of why we’re even here. Let’s get nitpicky. Also, unapologetically religious in nature, though the points stand on merit regardless. This isn’t a screed against space travel, for looking up, even beyond, is worthwhile. Rather, the aim is to properly frame our search through understanding what exactly is “other life” and where exactly is “out there.” The terminology “other life” or “other life forms” is presumptuous in nature, as it can only be asked within a vacuum which denies the existence of myriad life forms on planet Earth. Not only are there other life forms aplenty, but the range, capacities, colors, designs, etc., etc., etc., are so diverse and so far-ranging that not a single planet in our system comes anywhere close to dreaming of similar potential. Even more, every part, planet, and particle in space lends to the preservation of life on earth in some way. Almost as if it’s all here for us. Per Torahic categorization, there are four general kingdoms in creation. The so-called lowest is “silent”, for the predominately inanimate basics of existence, water, soil, rocks, minerals, and the like that comprise it have a lifeforce so quiet it’s barely noted. Thus, we view creations in this kingdom as existing but not exactly alive. The next kingdom is “growth”, essentially plants and all vegetation where growth is usually visible and indicative of the lifeforce within. Third is the “life” kingdom, which includes all creatures from insects to birds to marine life to mammals, as each overtly display an animating lifeforce not only through growth, but also some measure of mobility, intelligence, communication, or similar. The final kingdom is “speaker,” aka man, the only kingdom made in G-d’s image. The lifeforce within man is undeniable, not only for all previously specified reasons, but also because, unlike the other kingdoms, man goes beyond a measure of intellect in his ability to communicate ideas, teachings, morality, ethics, and abstractions to others, mainly through speech. For this display of what’s deemed higher intelligence, man is considered the highest of the four kingdoms. With that set, our quest for other life begins with understanding why these four kingdoms aren’t life forms enough. The “silent” kingdom covers just about everything that isn’t obviously alive. For example, the four building blocks of creation, earth, water, air, and fire. The varying parts of our atmosphere which cause the sky to blaze at sunrise and sunset. The very earth from which all things grow, as well as rolling hills, fertile valleys, and majestic mountain ranges. Gentle waters which calm the soul and raging waves which quicken the heart. Rocks which stand against the fiercest winds, but also caves and crevices sculpted over time. Geodes, crystals, stalactites, stalagmites, in shapes and colors man cannot always describe or name. All are “silent” in their steadfast, unchanging existence. In the context of our quest, any discovery within the “silent” kingdom doesn’t qualify as an other life, not only because some forms within this kingdom have already been discovered in space, but also because the categories within this kingdom literally don’t display signs of life. Never mind that the “silent” kingdom sustains every kingdom above it, revealing it may not be quite so lowly a kingdom as supposed. Either way, our search mandates we find a form that’s obviously alive. Ergo, despite the wonders and marvels of the “silent” kingdom, our exploration continues. Does the “growth” kingdom qualify as another life form in our search? Do we seek proof of some sort of life beyond moss and ferns and fungi and flowers and vegetables and fruit and trees? Well, yes and no. We’d be thrilled to find any kind of vegetation, as long as it’s not here. In other words, we want what we have here, just somewhere else. Then again, we don’t have to find an exact replica of Earth, only something that’s entirely like it but on a different planet. Plants show life in their visible growth, and are incredible dynamic doing so. Plants can run rampant and wild, plants can be domesticated and tamed; some thrive in the sun and some only open to the moon. They have no eyes, they have no ears, yet they know the difference between night and day, between summer, winter, spring, and fall. They know when it’s time to blossom, to shed, to regrow. Even more, there are plants which heal, plants which harm, plants which flavor, plants which sustain, plants which dominate, plants upholding entire ecosystems, and plants which light the way with their glow. Some plants are beautiful, some terrifying, some cooling, some fragile, some stronger than blades. Some plants tower, some are unnoticed, some provide food, shelter, clothes. The “growth” kingdom climbs and clings, flowers, ...
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    8 min
  • A Case Against Blasphemy (Essay)

    A Case Against Blasphemy (Essay)
    Mar 25 2026
    A Case Against Blasphemy Free speech cannot be absolute where it portends absolute destruction. Before formulating arguments about why blasphemy laws never work, before outlining the decisive points in favor of unfettered free speech, before launching into lectures about censorship and cancelations, separation of church and state, rights and freedoms and liberties, hypocrisy and hysteria, gather those excellent points, pack them tight, then set them aside. Before even reaching the decision of best, most practical enforceability, truth and necessity must first be asserted. A strong case has been made that the Founding Fathers of the United States never considered blasphemy laws in writing the First Amendment protections of free speech, because it wouldn’t have entered their minds to do so. No matter how religious someone was at home, religion held strong enough sway over the culture that the government needn’t interfere where society would regulate behavior on its own. The blatant disregard for the Divine rampant in society today was unimagine then, not least because reverent regard for the Divine is vital to upholding the world they made. So, while it may not have been constitutionally illegal to blaspheme, no one who wanted to remain in good standing and company would consider such a derisive act in public. And sometimes that’s all it takes to ensure the desired outcome, as historical precedent has reliably shown. Eventually, blasphemy laws were passed and enforced on a governmental level, and there’s plenty of places that may still officially have them on the books. We’ve moved so far as a society that we no longer pay attention to those that remain, so they linger unenforced. We’ve more pressing issues to deal with these days, or so we’re told. Yet, what if our more pressing issues can be traced in large part to our laxity in regard to blasphemy? And, if not the language itself, then to the same cause at the root of both acceptance of blasphemy and the rest of the societal ills at present. For one thing is certain, neither government nor standing nor company is enough anymore to entirely enforce word choice in most circles. The only circumstance where such efficiency is ever seen is in regard to social constructs around the imagined oppressed of the day. This perversion is an accurate reflection of what results when public displays of religious irreverence are no longer considered blasphemous, let alone tolerated, ignored, celebrated. The result of this is that unassailable protection of natural rights is intentionally subverted and directed toward malicious ends. Free speech absolutists are quick to counter with the case of satirist George Carlin, who was arrested in Wisconsin in the seventies for a routine that was ultimately deemed “indecent.” For many, his case is absolute proof against blasphemy laws, made all the easier if they actually agree with what he said, let alone laugh at it. The laughter part is important, for comedy and satire have proven time and again to be among the greatest weapons the populace can wield against the government. Only a free people can mock their ruling class without fear of repercussion, and the persecution of comedians, or any well-liked entertainer, isn’t usually well-accepted in a liberty-minded society. Except, blasphemy isn’t aimed at the current government, but at G-d, Who exists beyond any mortal systems. Moreover, blasphemy isn’t the same as comedy, as even the religious and the wider umbrella of believers have jokes that include G-d. The difference is the same as jokes from family members and from outsiders, namely the affection underlying the tone of the former. For non-believers or so-proclaimed atheists, jokes about G-d are usually a euphemism for mockery, belied by the sour notes of jadedness, bitterness, disdain, even anger they can’t entirely hide beneath the laughter. Such comedy does not stem from a desire to share amusement but an excuse to belittle what they don’t truly know or understand or simply find agreement in their contempt. Thus it falls under the blasphemous, not least because the result is not to free speech but to lessen the image of G-d in the eyes of the beholder. Blasphemous displays are not “fresh” or “edgy” or “freeing” or “empowering” or “complex” or any other manner of progressive mangled label breathlessly used to validate the degenerate. As the law against blasphemy has existed thousands of years, so has the cause for it. To say, the law wasn’t made as a preemptive forewarning of a possible future, rather, the law was established for past, present, and future, because some things about the human condition don’t change, but are merely repackaged over time. The law against blasphemy first appears in its most definitive form as the third of the Ten Commandments given by G-d to Moses on Mount Sinai. Anyone who believes in the advantages of displaying the Ten Commandments and ...
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    8 min
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