For years, I was getting high out of my mind on the feeling of becoming a more well-rounded human, without actually doing anything differently or making any significant changes in my life. It wasn't until I noticed the enormous amount of overlap from book to book that I began to question whether I was really willing to buckle down and get to work on the things I was reading about, or if I preferred to just nod in approval to myself at inspirational quotes.
ideas
Starving a Nation
These conflicts oceans away have implications for us in the US. Echoes of what could become are warnings to us as deep wounds are reopened, spilling forth resentment and guttoral calls for social justice and affirmative action. Race and politics do not mix. Race and law do not mix. When race and law become intertangled with in one another, the only result is resentment. Every law that is passed with race in mind is another stepping stone down a very divisive path. One that no nation should pursue.
Leverage – Part 3: Leveraging Personality
I'm always skeptical when someone tells me about themselves. It isn't that I think they're lying. It's that one's self-appraisal is more often than not a representation of how they want to see themselves as opposed to an honest assessment.
On Fitness
“No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable." -SocratesOn a recent 1800 mile road trip, I found my thoughts wandering to the state of physical fitness … Continue reading On Fitness
On Shadows
We have a shadow, says Jung. A reservoir for human darkness. A place where everything we choose not to accept about ourselves exists. Whether we acknowledge it or not, it is buried behind all the desirable aspects of our psyche. It is our 'dark side', trained and caged by societal and cultural norms. But every once in awhile, we see it manifest itself. We see it rear its ugly head.
On Hate Speech
Richard Spencer, the identitarian responsible for coining the term Alt-Right and often miscategorized as a Nazi, is not stupid. He is actually anything but. His writing and speeches lay out an intellectual, yet superficial and flawed case for his worldview that has pulled the wool over the eyes of many able-bodied young males, as evidenced by Charlottesville. He does not condone violence, but rather, wants to achieve his objectives through open discourse. Punching him in the face only makes him look more reasonable. It only lends support to the idea that he cannot be challenged intellectually, thus building his following. As much as people want to conflate their Antifa water balloon street brawl with the allies storming Normandy, it just isn't accurate.
The American Mythos
The National Anthem is one of the only songs other than the Marine Corps Hymn that gives me the chills. The story it tells of Fort McHenry reflects the deepest good of the American people. It takes a special kind of person to live for something larger than themselves. To be willing to lay down … Continue reading The American Mythos
Karl Marlantes on Heroism
The word "hero" has taken on a much broader definition in recent years, diminishing the meaning for all. You served on a FOB in the Air Force? You're a hero. You worked as an admin clerk? You're a hero. The lines of what actually makes a hero are so blurred, that almost anything qualifies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvzpxW8mvrw
The Destruction of the Sacred
"Nothing is Sacred," says Man. "Nothing is sacred save SCIENCE!" "We've christened Science, Omni-Science. All-knowing. Infallible. And incompatible with Religion. With ritual. With tradition. And so we've cast religion out. We've burned our Holy Books. We've made our devout, the heretics, and our heretics, the devout. We've erased the divine standard of morality. Man gives law unto … Continue reading The Destruction of the Sacred
THYMOS 