Some of my writing is in the form of “parables”. A parable is a short fictional or metaphorical story, an analogy used to reveal a greater truth or illustrate a path or some point, ideally in an insightful way. Parables are often deliberately vague, or omit or alter details that could be “more frank and to the point”, in order to encourage deeper contemplation – to provoke thought. (So says the Internet.) I write them for myself, or for friends (it can sometimes be difficult to just sit someone down and say “hey, have you thought about this differently?”, without hurting feelings or facing resistance to an idea that could be uncomfortably true). I find analogy and metaphor a handy way to gain deeper understanding of an important idea, and when I write, these often come out as “parables”.

A long-time reader recently asked me if I could “gather up” my parables in some way that would make it easier to find and read them. I hadn’t considered that before, and it seems a useful idea, so here it is. I hope you find something of value here. I’ll do my best to keep this current. These are listed in chronological order by date originally published.