Snippets

This week I read an old Greek love story which has inspired a range of creations, including plays, musicals and movies. I found it in a book of Greek tales called 'Children of the Dawn' by E.F. Buckley. You can find it at https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/40476 . I need to do some more exploring to find stories of the likes of Hercules, or perhaps read some extracts from old versions of the Iliad,...

A first look at folk tales from the Philippines. It's interesting to see similarities and differences between these and tales of similar supernatural or magical forces in cultures I'm more familiar with. The stories are fun to read and provide little insights into the history of The Philippines. The tales I found are in a book compiled by Mabel Cook Cole which I found at https://www.gutenberg.org/...

I recorded the story a couple of weeks ago, but the last week was a particularly great experience of generosity for me. It got me thinking about how much generosity I really experience and how many opportunities I have to be generous myself. There's a lot of value, I think, in considering the generosity around us as well as the opportunities and rewards of generosity. I hope you enjoy the story. U...

Unintended consequences are quite common. We usually only notice them when they're bad. And when they're bad, we often don't think of them as unintended. Instead, we ascribe intent and possibly malice to the person or persons whose actions led to the consequences. But even the best intentions can lead to unintended consequences that we see as negative, whether to us or to others. There are any num...

After a long break, here is episode 7, the first of 2026. This story isn't what I started out intending to read, but I enjoyed it and wanted to share it. Over the past month I've been thinking about the values of different things, including the value of stories. Many stories are aiming to teach something, or encourage thought about something. We can just enjoy the stories, but there is often more...

Until very recently, I'd never read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' by Clement Moore ( https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17135 ). I've heard bits of it referred to in TV series and movies, but I didn't know where they came from. It's a fun little poem and I decided to record it and put it out as a bonus on Christmas eve. So, here it is. Have a good one. (It turns out there's controversy over who...

Christmas time, for those parts of the world where it is celebrated, is typically thought of as a time for cheer, family and friends. For some it centers around Santa Claus and gift giving, while for others the focus is spiritual or religious. Some prefer the notion of Festivus. For many it's a combination of these things. While I do usually spend Christmas with family and friends, for me it's as...

This week I read my very first Japanese folk tale. It's about a folk hero well known in Japan, Momotaro, who was born out of a peach. The tale apparently dates back over 1000 years. I found it in a book of folk tales collected by Yei Theodora Ozaki. It considers ideas of teamwork, bravery, steadfastness and fighting for a better life for all. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:57 Momotaro, Or The Story of a...

This episode is about the light and dark sides of our nature and the pursuit of a virtuous life. The light vs dark nature is illustrated by The Shadow by Hans Christian Andersen and I talk about it in the context of the stoic ideas of pursuing a virtuous life. Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:41 The Shadow by Hans Christian Andersen 31:29 Commentary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati...

In this episode I read The Wild Swans by Hans Christian Andersen and reflect on the more obvious moral and social ideas it includes. But I also take a much longer look at the two characters in the story who do wicked things and ponder the reasons and whether it's possible that neither is evil in the way we (at least as I've encountered it) consider people to be evil. This episode is much longer th...

A short story by Hans Christian Andersen about the evolution of a story in the telling. Chapters 00:00 Intro 02:47 There Is No Doubt About It by Hans Christian Andersen 07:47 Commentary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.