Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr. 
A fertile and delightful spot or region
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr. 
Universal evolution
Symbolic Glossolalia 
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr. 
I have spent most of my life searching for answers regarding how to be a good and meaningful son, sibling, father, husband, father, teacher and artist These questions have monopolized my thinking for many years. Searching for that perfect solution to the complicated vagaries of life constitutes a philosophical question about the purpose and importance of human existence. The concept can be expressed through a variety of related questions, such as Why are we here?, What's life all about? and What is the meaning of it all? It has been the subject of much philosophical, scientific, and theological, speculation throughout history and there have been a large number of answers from many different cultural and ideological backgrounds. Albert Camus observed, we humans are creatures who spend our lives trying to convince ourselves that our existence is not absurd. The meaning of life is deeply mixed with the philosophical, scientific and religious conceptions of existence, consciousness, and happiness, and touches on many issues, such as symbolic meaning which has been very important to my art work and writing.
To some, it may appear that I am flaying about in the “wind of society” obsessed with “meaningless windmills” and leading a crisis filled life. I may never find definitive answers to my questions, but the search has been exciting and challenging. Each day is filled with reading, blogging, web surfing, drawing, marvelous grandchildren, supportive family members, gracious former students and a vibrant wife full of life.
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr. 
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr. 
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr. What is the secret code?
I sometimes wonder if my spontaneous drawings and writings are a secret code of life from deep inside a troubled and curious mind - maybe it is nothing more than drivel, devoid of meaning and purpose. Ronald D. Isom Sr.
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr. 
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr. 
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr. 
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr. 
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr. 
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr. 
Checks and balances 
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr. 
A systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, or marks which may have understood meanings.
The world is full of puzzling art and many artists appear to be either mentally ill or ego maniacal sociopaths obsessed with personal aggrandizement. Some seem to be confused and perplexed by a world they do not embrace. They clutter their homes and public spaces with scribbles and scrawls that have no apparent purpose or social value. They fill useless sketchbooks with gibberish and childish nonsense. They use public funds to express aberrant ideas and unintelligible drivel. This unholy lot of miscreants pollute the masses with foolish ideas and perverted logic. They dress funny and some have esoteric lifestyles that influence the youth of the world. They constantly search for answers to questions that have no answers. Their bizarre behavior makes them difficult friends and determined enemies. However, without them life would be a monochromatic two dimensional world.
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.
Existence is a series of footnotes to a vast, obscure, unfinished masterpiece. Vladimir Nabokov
The act of giving form or shape to words; a forming; a shaping.
Jean-Paul Bunny Lecture Series No. 6:
Facebook get out of my face
Since I retired, I have often think about my former students. What are they doing? What is their occupation? Was I a good or bad influence? Over the years, a few students from each class would seek me out and tell me about their lives. Many students just seemed to disappear and became faint memories.
About a month ago a friend suggested that I join Facebook. He was very excited about the networking possibilities and the rekindling of old friendships and memories. I joined and spent each day building my "page" and adding friends. I got warm messages and felt I was part of new found community. As the days passed I linked and posted in a frenzy. I became obsessed with cramming a thirty-five year teaching career into the bowels of the Facebook world. I posted "clever" replies and received "clever" replies. The little notes reminded me of the personal give and take of the classroom.The number of friends increased! The posting escalated! I had entered a world filled with people pumping out how they felt, what they were doing.
Soon, I noticed a pattern. A few individuals dominated the posting. Their lives were filled with humor, friends, parties, cocktail hours, vacations, successful business adventures, wealth, and good deeds. Their lives were vibrant and exciting! I was posting mundane things like pictures of my cat, my art work and grandchildren. The pages were full of surveys or test to determine what color or painting you were. The IQ test was particularly annoying. You were prodded into taking the test because some in the group are smarter than you . The "pithy" comments and answers became irritating. My meaningless joke about George Clooney caused someone to ask " If I was for real". When I replied in a direct way concerning the nature of reality, I was told to "relax". I did not realize that someone who makes a living acting like some one else is a "sacred cow" Needless to say the individuals involved found this little philosophic discussion trivial. That is the problem with Facebook and similar social networking sites they all trivialize intellectual discourse.
I plan to slowly extract myself from FB and return to my boring life. I hope all my old friends and new found friends will keep in touch with personal emails, some snail mail or best of all a personal visit.
P.S. You can always find me here - engaged in intellectual discourse.
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.
Existence is a series of footnotes to a vast, obscure, unfinished masterpiece.
Vladimir Nabokov
Figuratively, to do something in return for something done; as, to reply to a signal; to reply to the call of nature.
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr."A cloud of gas and dust begins to contract under the force of gravity. In regions of star birth, we find gaseous nebulae and molecular clouds. These sites of pre-birth are dark patches called globules.
The protosun collapsed. As it did, its temperature rose to about 150,000 degrees and the sun appeared very red. Its radius was about 50 present solar radii.
When the central temperature reaches 10 million degrees, nuclear burning of hydrogen into helium commences.
The star settles into a stable existence on the Main Sequence, generating energy via hydrogen burning. This is the longest single stage in the evolutionary history of a star, typically lasting 90% of its lifetime. Thermonuclear fusion within the Sun is a stable process, controlled by its internal structure."
Assumptive prophecy
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.
Copyright 2009 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.
growing on a forest floor; undergrowth
Molly Brogan, author: Our Own Asemic Symbolism Leads Our Way:
I firmly believe that we each have within us a pattern of archetypes or symbols that lead us in our conscious and unconscious recognition and responses to them. The symbols we see in our dreams over and over are much like the symbols we see in our waking life again and again. Can we pay attention to them differently than we do now, and what would we learn if we do?
One of my favorite contemporary artists, Ronald Isom makes this idea of asemic symbolism integral to his artwork. He sees it like this..."
Ancient symbols of Baltic Finns. Swan from petroglyph, octagram from folk art.
Soyombo is the symbol of the freedom and independence of the Mongolian people. The Soyombo appeared on the flag at different times in Mongolian history. In the 17th century and 1911-1912 it was used. And in 1921 the Mongolians fighting the Manchu emperor put it on their flag. In 1924 during the first conference of the the new Republic of Mongolia it was appointed the Soyombo as part of the national flag.
Gromoviti znaci or thunder marks such as these are ancient symbols of Perun, which are often engraved upon roof beams of village houses, particulary in Eastern Slavic populations, to protect them from lightning bolts.
Spiritual Growth Form
The rabbit is considered a trickster by some Native American tribes. Nanabozho or Manabozho, Great Hare, is a powerful figure found in some stories. Nanabozho is a hero, creator of the earth, supporter of humans, bringer of fire and light, and teacher of the sacred rituals. In others he’s a clown, a thief, or a sly predator, an amoral animal dancing on the boundary between the positive and negative.
