About

This blog is the random jottings of Rob England: ideas glimpsed like passing billboards as I cruise down the highway of life to a destination too fast approaching.

I was going to call it Glimpses on the Highway of Life, but I didn't like the thought of the visitors I'd get with a name like gothol.org.

bothol is ugly enough: it sounds like a gritty English Midlands industrial town, all brick chimneys and iron bridges. I like industrial grunge so bothol it is.

And billboards are OK, in moderation. The good ones present you with a stimulating image or message, to ponder on after you roar by. We all have those moments in life when something clicks and we have that awakening or idea or BFO (Blinding Flash of the Obvious). Mostly it is examined briefly then tossed over our shoulder as we rush on.

This blog is my attempt to capture those billboards and write them down. And share them - that's important to me. To put ideas out there, to see what you think and hopefully to give you something. For me the greatest gift is a new idea, so I hope this blog will be a string of gifts for you.

Will you like the Billboards, or at least some of them? The kind of things that get my attention seem to fall into these groups:

  • Those that remind me of the scope of the universe: sometimes how small we are on the cosmic scale, other times how vast the planet is. I can be amazed by something planet-wide, or fascinated by a microscopic detail.
  • Things that come from "other": that get me inside other people's experience, different cultures, other times in history. Often this is very personal: a glimpse into the life of an individual.
  • Steps towards wisdom: I am not wise but I am on the road. I figure I may get there just about when it is of no use any more. But I do enjoy those little breakthroughs, advances towards the light: insights, connections, patterns.

If they can be found inside the mundane, the everyday, so much the better.

I'm also prone to tirades when sloppy thinking annoys me, but I will try to keep them out unless there is an insight in there somewhere, promise.

If you really want, you can find out more about me.

Who will read this stuff? On one level I don't care. I need to save this stuff, like stones found on a beach (to switch metaphors). And I want to share it, but of course only with those who care.

On another level I care very much: everyone needs validation. Therefore if you have read this far, I am happy. Thank-you.