Author Archives: Bert Hielema

June 24 2023 THE RUSH IS ON. From my student days a Greek saying pops up after 75 years: panta rhei, oude menei, which translates as ‘everything (panta), flows (rhei), nothing (oude), menei (remains the same). (The rivers Rhine and … Continue reading →

June 17 2023 SOCIETAL SUICIDE? The date, June 17, brings back many memories. On that day, 70 years ago, in Hamilton, Ontario, my fiancée, Diny Hilbers, and I were married. My wife died on October 23 2020. On our gravestone … Continue reading →

June 10 2023 THREE SOCIETAL FAILURES My Latin dictionary defines the verb deficio, as: to fail, or, to do less than one might. Our word ‘deficit’ finds its root there, a ‘failure’ to live up to expectations. Societal failure affects us all. The most … Continue reading →

June 3 2023 A bit about me. In 1975, after I sold business and home, our family moved from urban St. Catharines, On., to rural Tweed, halfway Toronto-Ottawa, where I had bought 50 acres, 20 hectares, mostly woodland.  My first … Continue reading →

May 27 2023 “God does not play dice with the universe”. Albert Einstein. Einstein believed there are laws governing the universe, including the planet we call our own. Yes, that great scientist, Einstein, believed that Creation was regulated by norms, founded … Continue reading →

May 20 2023 THE ARK, THE CHURCH, AND US. Ojibwe/Chippewa Tribe The story goes that the Great Spirit was unhappy with man and created a great flood. The only survivor was Waynaboozhoo who had made a raft of logs and sticks … Continue reading →