Author Archive

“Using fear as fuel”

June 4th, 2010 by mike | Posted in Diplomacy, Fear, Means-based Life | No Comments »

Someday we’ll stop resorting to fear as a reason to hurt. Thanks to Jack Johnson for the insightful lyrics:

For on his brow I see that written which is Doom

December 5th, 2009 by mike | Posted in Education, Ethics, Love, Means-based Life, Sociology | No Comments »

One of the sharpest social critics of 19th century European industrial capitalism was…Charles Dickens. Those who have read Karl Marx’s writings see the world that he is attacking; those who have read Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, Bleak House, or A Christmas Carol will see that same world. However, we find the world described by Dickens, [...]

The Night Battle

September 2nd, 2009 by mike | Posted in Fear, Freedom, Trust | 1 Comment »

Raging,
I detect a form in the moonlight.
Is it my friend or foe?
It appears, in the obscurity,
to be of the opposing throng.
I fear
and thrust my sword deep and hard.
My bloodied brother, eyes clouding, looks up.
His face, illuminated by the neutral luna,
wears confusion and sadness
from the injury I inflicted.
Why do I fight and injure and kill
when my [...]

Fixing Things

August 23rd, 2009 by mike | Posted in Fear, Freedom, Love, Means-based Life, Trust | No Comments »

This op-ed in the New York Times has me worried. I am worried because I know a lot of people who are so convinced that government is the cause of all the problems in their lives, they tread into the ground that the editorialist describes. I am worried because, to a degree, I share some [...]

The Fearlessness of Sharing

August 19th, 2009 by mike | Posted in Fear, Love, Means-based Life, Trust | No Comments »

A recent discussion in a class at George Wythe University was revolving around what can be done if the economy becomes very terrible, if unemployment hits 40%, if hunger and pain surround us for a time. Ideas like getting out of debt and storing up commodities were brought up as preparation. However, the idea that [...]

Turn the Other Cheek? Are you Serious?

August 9th, 2009 by mike | Posted in Love, Means-based Life, Morality, Religion, Sociology | 3 Comments »

This was originally posted by the author at The Idealist.

Leo Tolstoy is perhaps the ultimate example of the late-in-life nihilist-turned-idealist. He is best known for his mid-life fiction, most notably War and Peace and Anna Karenina. He was early on somewhat of a determinist and nihilist but late in life began a study of the [...]

America the Beautiful

July 4th, 2009 by mike | Posted in Freedom, Means-based Life, Moral Character, Morality, Religion | 6 Comments »

I’ve always loved the words to this song, but mostly the verses we don’t seem to sing, or take to heart. They are hopeful verses, filled with introspection and personal responsibility:

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with [...]

The Price of Fear

June 3rd, 2009 by mike | Posted in Fear, Freedom, Love, Trust | 2 Comments »

My favorite singer/songwriter is Bruce Springsteen. His lyrics capture feelings and ideas and tell stories of regular human beings better than anyone I’ve heard (and I’ll argue ’til blue in the face on this point). One of my absolute favorites is the following entitled “Devils and Dust“.

What Are We Sowing?

May 25th, 2009 by mike | Posted in Ethics, Love, Means-based Life, Morality | 4 Comments »

Originally published as The Sentinel newsletter by The Cause of Liberty
Our modern world is infatuated with the ends we have in our sight, the goals we want to accomplish, and the changes we want to see. Most people have the same needs and desires: liberty, happiness, security, prosperity, and peace. Why do we consistently find [...]

“Fight it from a Higher Platform of Morality”

May 14th, 2009 by mike | Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

“This war against terrorism will succeed only if we fight it from a higher platform of morality,” he said in a speech at the Brookings Institution in Washington. Asked later to clarify, Karzai said, “We must be conducting this war as better human beings,” and recognize that “force won’t buy you obedience.”
The above is from [...]