I don’t have all the answers. I am not an enlightened guru who is incapable of getting pissed off or being judgmental. I am not one of those eternally smiling people who “chose to be happy” and poof! became happy. I am not a high-flying neo-Jesus of the Internet screaming “FOLLOW ME TO THE PROMISED LAND, Y’ALL!” (although someone should go [...]
Understanding
A friend of mine — let’s call him Huck — was walking to a tattoo parlor recently with the intention of getting some new ink, or as he might prefer to think of it, inscribing a new linguistic artifact upon the canvas of his skin. Huck had almost arrived at the tattoo shop when, in [...]
A few weeks ago, my sixteen year-old cousin asked her Confirmation advisor whether people who don’t believe in Catholicism go to Heaven. “No,” he replied. “They go to Hell.” My cousin was deeply troubled. She went home and told my aunt, “I don’t know if I can believe in a God who would send friends [...]
Most people drift through days robotically, feeling vaguely lost and dissatisfied. They filter through the system, doing what they’ve been told to do, living out cookie-cutter lives, and distracting themselves whenever possible. This may sound like a cynical viewpoint, but I’m afraid it isn’t. I’ve definitely been one of those people for periods of time. [...]
Happiness. What a slippery concept. It’s what we’re all after, right? (At least that’s what I’m told.) But what is it? What do you imagine when you think of happiness? Perhaps you conjure up notions of a distant beach-side setting, endless relaxation, a gourmet meal, and fine wine flowing like the Thames. At the very [...]
I don’t know about you, but I love reading quotations. I recognize that often times quotes can become over-used and platitudinous, but that’s why I’m constantly looking for fresh ones. A great quotation, for me, can be a bite-size chunk of wisdom, the breeze of an unknown wind, a glimpse into a mind of genius, [...]
Since the day you were born, you’ve been conditioned to think in certain ways. It might seem like you’ve been free to choose your own attitudes and ideas, but for most people, this isn’t really the case. You see, in any society, there is a status quo — a current standard of the most popular [...]
If you don’t use Reddit, you should. Reddit.com is a magical place — a place to laugh, to gaze, to learn, to share, and to converse. For those who are unaware, Reddit is a social news and entertainment website where users (known as Redditors) submit content in the form of a link or text. Other [...]
When was the last time you went outdoors purely for enjoyment? If you’re like the majority of Americans, it’s probably been a coon’s age. “So what?” you might think. “I can watch Planet Earth on Blu-ray. It isn’t your business, anyway.” No, it certainly isn’t, but please don’t get defensive, friend. My intention here is [...]
David Foster Wallace is one of my personal heroes. Maybe you’ve never heard of him. Wallace (or DFW) was a novelist, essayist, short story writer, and arguably one of the most notable geniuses of the past few decades. Time magazine cited his novel, “Infinite Jest”, as one of the top 100 novels from 1923 – 2005. [...]