Category Archives: Histories, Commentaries, Commemorations

A New Silent Minute for the 21st-Century: Acknowledging and Holding Humanity’s Uncertain Future By PATRICK WOLFE There is no power on earth that can withstand the united cooperation of men and women of goodwill everywhere. It is for this reason … Continue reading →

Living by vow: Where hope meets intention and will[1] PATRICK WOLFE You know the world has shifted when the idea of hope has become a widely discussed and contested notion. Prompted by the ever-morphing COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing bite … Continue reading →

Holocaust remembrance: Etty Hillesum’s story in her own words By Patrick Wolfe January 27th is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Auschwitz was liberated by the Russians on that day in 1945. They arrived fourteen months too late for Etty Hillesum, who … Continue reading →

B.C. forestry practices and “code red for humanity” PATRICK S. WOLFE Anthony Britneff’s astounding statements (“Move B.C.’s forestry jobs into other sectors,” commentary, Victoria Times Colonist, Aug. 25, 2021) should be shouted from the rooftops: “wildfires … together with logging, … Continue reading →

Visible and invisible: The interlacing of worlds[1] PATRICK S. WOLFE “The invisibility at the heart of things was traditionally named the deus absconditus, the ‘concealed god’,” but ours is “a culture that marginalizes the invisibles.” So says psychologist James Hillman’s … Continue reading →

Old-growth logging and climate change: Tiny B.C. First Nations asked to show great wisdom PATRICK S. WOLFE   Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we … Continue reading →

Adolf Hitler and “the luck of the devil” By PATRICK S. WOLFE Sir Ian Kershaw’s masterful two volume biography of Adolf Hitler was published in 1998 and 2000. In 2002, Kershaw was knighted for “services to History.”[1] His chapter on … Continue reading →

From Grenades to Grace: The power of certain words and experiences[1] By Patrick Wolfe Words like “God” and “Jesus” can be loaded with a range of meaning and emotion, sometimes intended, sometimes not, and sometimes projected by people reacting to … Continue reading →

Climate change remediation and social responsibility are bedeviled by the status quo two-step PATRICK WOLFE “Stop Denying the Climate is Dying,” was one of the slogans at the Sept. 25, 2020 #FridaysForFuture protest rallies around the world.[1] “Our planet is … Continue reading →

Martin Luther King Jr., George Floyd, and the awful grace of God[1] By PATRICK S. WOLFE The heart flag is ubiquitous throughout the city.[2] It is a symbol of hope in difficult times. So was the Silent Minute. Instituted by … Continue reading →