Rules and obedience have never elevated anyone to heroism and greatness., but I know what does, and I discovered it in the rubble of 9/11. Continue reading “A Recipe For Heroes And Saints”
Was There A Real Jesus? And If So, What Did He Really Say?
Due to the number of questions I’ve received about Jesus, I think a podcast devoted to him is in order.
People addressing this material, from whatever angle, tend to have fiercely held opinions, cherry-picking facts around them. That makes these discussions very difficult, and I’ll do my best to avoid that trap. This is a fascinating subject, and removing dogmatic opinions is what opens it to us.
Free Money Doesn’t Fix Broken Processes
(Originally published March 26, 2020.)
Massive monetary bailouts have been ordered and more are promised to follow. A first and completely valid response goes something like this: Continue reading “Free Money Doesn’t Fix Broken Processes”
14 Words
Imagine a pretty spring day. You’re standing on your front porch or some other pleasant vantage point and looking out at a sunlit landscape: trees, grass, and singing birds. Then your five-year-old child or grandchild walks up to you and tugs on your hand to get your attention. You turn and the child asks, “What kind of world is this?”
What do you reply? Continue reading “14 Words”
Control Is An Addiction
Lord Acton wrote that power tends to corrupt, but I’m going to say flat out that it does corrupt. I’ll go further and say that it’s an addiction (probably every bit as bad as cocaine), and that the lust for control is one of its primary drivers. Continue reading “Control Is An Addiction”
Fear Is A Mind Hack
(Originally published March 16, 2020)
Humans are not naturally stupid. They are not naturally bad. Fear, however, distorts them, weakens them, and makes them far less effective than they’d naturally be. Fear, in its many guises, is the great enemy of mankind, and it’s time that we addressed it head on. Continue reading “Fear Is A Mind Hack”
Why Can’t We Party Like It’s 1905?
When writing historical things, I try to include perspective from people who actually lived through the events. And for money issues in the US, I’m able to do that back to about 1905.
So, do you think life was nasty, brutish, and short in 1905? That there were poor and starving people falling dead on every street corner?
Hardly. Continue reading “Why Can’t We Party Like It’s 1905?”
The Gospel of Ignorance
The good news about ignorance? Yes, and emphatically yes.
The good news about ignorance is that it sets us free from mental chains. Now, to be clear, what I’m talking about here is accepting and admitting our ignorance. This is essential if we want to actually know things, as opposed to making a show of knowing things. And I can tell you from personal experience that it really works. I gained the habit of admitting my ignorance (almost advertising it) back in the early 1980s, and that habit has helped me toward more understanding and discovery than I’d be able to itemize. Continue reading “The Gospel of Ignorance”
The Serfdom State of Mind
Serfdom was… and is… a state of mind far more than an economic or social position.
The Serfdom State of Mind focuses on the desire for safety and security… of remaining clear of blame… to the detriment of self-reliance and living as a free and independent moral agent.
Everyone enjoys safety, of course, but to place placidity above life itself is a grave error, and lies at the root of serfdom.
Social Media Is A Polarization Machine
Sure, we’ve all seen this in practice and people have developed catchy terms for it, like echo chamber, but the polarization effect of social media has been demonstrated scientifically. In fact, some of us were warning about it a long time ago. And while I can no longer find my original documentation on the subject, I can tell you precisely how it works. Continue reading “Social Media Is A Polarization Machine”