Amelia Phoenix Desertsong

There’s an old quote by Ibn Al-Haytham — Alhazen as he’s known in the West — where he declares, “The duty of the man who investigates the writings of scientists, if learning the truth is his goal, is to make himself an enemy of all that he reads.” Now, Alhazen is mostly known for his…

Many things I’ve penned in the past have had a pessimistic tinge to them. This was honestly because many verses and essays I’ve written were meant as critical observations and meditations over present-day crises. Chief among these many crises is the inability for so many of us to get over ourselves and our own petty…

Some people are born with talents that just can’t be replicated. A select few have told me that I have such a talent with words, but many more have consistently found faults in my work. Perhaps they are unfair criticisms, but the especially less constructive jabs at my abilities do sting nonetheless. At times I…

I am sick and tired of hearing about the benefits of networking, especially “social networking.” Rather than networking, I feel the better term for what people are actually doing in this regard is instead “work-netting.” No one has explored this term yet, apparently. So, since I’m on the ground floor of this breakthrough in the…

In her Substack newsletter post entitled “Just Smile and Glide,” Jamie Currie discusses one of her running friends. She remarks on his beautiful running form, comparing it to that of the legendary Eluid Kipchoge. I’ve never been a runner myself, as I prefer brisk walks for my exercise. Still, I’ve always been fascinated by the…

People have become sadly apt to let their minds rot in modern times. But in all fairness, this is because they simply don’t know how to stimulate themselves intellectually. To do so, we must make an honest effort to energize our own minds. Questions need to be asked, but more often than not, people would…