C. S. Lewis once wrote: “Since it is so likely that (children) will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.” I find myself returning to that line out of a growing unease that we may be making … Continue reading Brave Knights for Cruel Enemies
A Gentleman in a Shifting World
I first met Count Alexander Rostoff through Ewan McGregor’s portrayal in the miniseries—his quiet grace, his sly humor, the way he could make a simple cup of tea feel like an act of rebellion. On my daily commute, I’m revisiting his story in the audiobook, listening as he arranges flowers in the Metropol lobby or … Continue reading A Gentleman in a Shifting World
The Mail Still Runs. The System Does Not.
Every December, the explanation arrives on schedule. Delays are blamed on an “unprecedented” surge in holiday packages, as though Christmas were a rogue variable rather than a fixed feature of the calendar. The language is familiar—seasonal strain, temporary disruption, short-term overload. Reassuring in tone, managerial in posture. The problem is not that these explanations are … Continue reading The Mail Still Runs. The System Does Not.
Boats Against the Current
“There is nothing new under the sun.” These opening words of Ecclesiastes (1:1–11) are not a lament, but a reminder. The crises, uncertainties, and upheavals we experience are echoes of challenges that have come before. Generations rise and fall, societies face turbulence, and yet human life — with its work, care, and attention — endures. … Continue reading Boats Against the Current
The Man in Black Ethos
Johnny Cash once explained why he wore black, and in doing so offered something rarer than fashion advice: a moral posture. The black clothes were not a costume, and they were not a rejection of the world. They were a reminder. A signal that while some move through life comfortably, others are quietly crushed beneath … Continue reading The Man in Black Ethos
My First Published “Article”
Years ago, at the ripe old age of 15, one of the greatest magazines of the era published my astute observation on how to deal with one of the "bad guys" of the 20th century: Why don't we just send Saddam Hussein a skateboard and a halfpipe and let him kill himself? Source: https://www.thrashermagazine.com/imagesV2/Burnout/2013/Magazine_1991/May_1991/TH0591May1991p6-7_800t.jpg
Brother Jonathan And Uncle Sam: Two Faces Of American Identity
Uncle Sam is not your neighbor. He never was. He points, he commands, he recruits. He appears when taxes are due, when wars begin, when authority needs a face. For more than a century, Americans have treated this as natural — as if the republic itself could only be imagined as a stern, aging uncle … Continue reading Brother Jonathan And Uncle Sam: Two Faces Of American Identity
