I have spent a lifetime trying to corral young artists and budding writers through process of creating something from nothing and my most important lesson has always been that perfection is a myth, and that seeking it, is a complete waste of spirit. This is not to say we should avoid striving for excellence, as excellence is different than perfection. Excellence is the best you can do with the tools you’ve been given, while perfection is nothing more than the unattainable folly of the delusional and compulsive.
Things People Like (But I Don’t)
Unlike social conservatives, I do not expect everyone to manage their affairs according to my little peccadillos, but once you start infringing on my pursuit of happiness, that’s a different business altogether. Most of my annoyances are purely personal and do not affect the happiness of others. You may wander the boardwalks, dine on lobster rolls, and make a nuisance of yourself in general, as long as you leave me out of it, and that is mostly the way it is. People are free to pursue endless nonsense and I am free to abstain.
We’re Teaching Our Kids The Wrong Lessons
There is a near perfect karma to modern children’s stories, at least in America. Heroes are beautiful, honest, and kind. Villains are ugly, greedy, and cruel. The message we tell our children is that good always triumphs because life is ultimately fair. If you work hard and do the right thing, you will succeed, and villains always get what’s coming to them.
Keeping The Great American Experiment Alive
There is no way to encapsulate all that is wrong in America, along with a comprehensive plan to fix it, in the confines of a single essay by a lone author. It requires a legion of thought leaders, each contributing a piece of the puzzle, in order to develop something…
A Quiet Truth
What we need is a revolution, a new world order where obscene wealth is viewed as a crime against humanity and not conducive to a civil society. We need to recognize evil when we see it and call it out as such, and unfettered wealth and power are inherently evil. We must restore some balance to the universe.
The Death Of The Insult
We seem to be getting rather soft even as the world feels a little spikier every year. It’s hard to know how we will survive as a species if this keeps up. Maybe I’m wrong, but it’s almost as if it’s no longer culturally permissible to ridicule, mock, shame, disparage, deride or denigrate your fellow man any more.
The Angry Democrat
I think there is a strong case to be made for a new type of political candidate on the left. The upset, annoyed, intelligent, arrogant, passionate intellectual who doesn’t care what you think. The Angry Democrat.
Jesus And John Wick
What happens to our shared reality when we finally discover that our entire existence has been nothing but a lie? When faith and ideology abandon themselves, how far are we from descending into a massive Lord of the Flies scenario, complete with automatic weapons, religious fervor, and ungodly wealth?
On Being Good At Life
I know the right path. The good path. I know it both intellectually, emotionally, and even historically, but still, I refuse to take it. It’s the path that leads to sanity and happiness. It’s right there and I decline, knowing I’m choosing a more difficult one, from which I will surely emerge bruised, battered, and torn. I know this from personal experience, and yet still, I persist. I make the poor choice.
In Pursuit Of Happiness
I think that once you figure out how to get off the hamster wheel you walk away realizing you were never really going anywhere. This is probably quite true of many things in life, and in my experience, it’s definitely been true of social media and other online platforms that are designed for maximum engagement.