Start Here If You’re Lost
Ten Cent Sophist
Knowing the Fine Machinery
How is it that we know who we are? What is our experience of our inner self? And when we arrive at an answer, consciously or subconsciously, do we use that same premise to design an inner life, or lack thereof, for others? When I think about how I move through the day, what I
I Remain Steady
The Long Way Around
During my research, I happened across the privation theory and the man who wrote it. I became fascinated with what such a conflicted man, on his very human journey, could do for something as omnipotent as God.
There Is a Correct Pace
I rounded a curve to find someone standing outside their vehicle, phone to the sky, taking a picture of a rainbow. The dense, humid air after a midday summer downpour offered up a complete double rainbow. Not something you’re guaranteed to see twice.
My Philosophy Was Me
Before I opened the first philosophy book. Before Socrates taught me the unexamined life wasn’t worth living. I did have a sort of philosophy that I lived by. It was not a good philosophy and it was not necessarily a good life. My philosophy was me.
Five Hundred Feet
Lyndon Johnson grew up on a farm in the Texas hill country. Farm life is busy and hectic, and a young Lyndon used to wander off without anyone noticing. Down the dirt road past the wildlife, near a stream, toward his grandparents’ house. A modern parent’s nightmare. A social services visit waiting to happen. They put together a search party on horseback and he was home in time for dinner.
On Evil
On Evil — Post 1: No One Does Evil Willingly
I don’t personally believe that people do “evil” in general—much less willingly. I can see the look in someone’s eye when I say it.
On Evil — Post 2: Nature Doesn’t Apologize
I want to start with a nature analogy that will help me keep my initial argument against evil simple—because it is, until it isn’t.
On Evil — Post 3: Black Swans and Hindsight Bias — When Rarity Fades
How do we make sense of rare, extreme events that we’ve interpreted as evil? I mean the events that stop time.
On Evil — Post 4: The Job Description of “Evil”
The word evil carries some weight. It’s heavier than other words. You don’t just use it, you wield it. It lands like a verdict. Decisive. Non-negotiable.
On Evil — Post 5: The Corruption of Good
Every situation presents us with an opportunity. You may not always get to choose the event but you do get to choose your reaction to it.
On Evil — Post 6: The Late Fee
Stick with me here. I’m going to lead with a metaphor. A North African bishop makes a credit card swipe in the form of compelle intrare.
On Evil — Post 7: The Man Who Knew
When my son was born, the extra room in my house was a tomb to the bygone era of bachelorhood. Exercise equipment and collectible disc golf discs lined the walls, along with tools from the course and boxes of shirts for sale. We needed a nursery.
On Evil — Post 8: The Purse
When my wife crosses the front door threshold after a day at work, she starts losing articles of clothing and personal items as she glides across the floor. Shoes, phone, jacket, water, purse.
On Evil — Post 9: The Scorecard
You tee off clean, halfway down the fairway. A little to the side, but you can still approach the pin. The integrity of golf comes from the players’ self-governance. Rules are enforced in real time.
Reimagining Time
Reimagining Our Relationship with Time — 2026
We rush, never seeming to have enough time in our days. If we aren’t occupied with an ever-growing to-do list, it can feel as if we aren’t accomplishing anything. Time ticks by as we stare at screens.
Back Roads — Built, Not Born
Author’s Note (October 2026): Early work. I was shaking off the idea of writing a self-help book when I wrote this, and some of it shows. Read it as where I was, not where I am.
The Routine That Held Me Together
In the summer of 2024, I started experimenting. Journaling, meditation, daily readings — just a few of the things that actually stuck. My mornings began with walks, cold showers, drawing sessions, and pre-caffeine workouts. I had no idea at the time how much I was going to need them.
The Deeper Why
I started writing this post about New Year’s resolutions… In January. Then I stopped. Then I stopped doing a lot of things — this blog included.
The 90-Second Rule
For someone who craves autonomy, I never realized how trapped I was by my own reactions. A simple 90 seconds of biology can change the course of my entire day. Breaking patterns of anger is a journey I didn’t know I needed.