It is very difficult for a person to truly consider the perspective of others. Since truth lies somewhere in between my perspective and others’, this fact can make discovering truth much more elusive. I Know, You Know My brother is a big fan of the German soccer team. He had a game recorded on DVR with plans to watch later in the day. As we were watching the exciting ending to the game, Germany scored in the final minutes and we... Read more
Recently, a friend pointed out just how much we live like kings. In a world of haves and have nots, I like to think of myself as a have not. It serves my egotistical need for rebellion. But the truth is that I have a whole lot of what I want and I live a life of very few untended desires. I have enough wealth to eat just about anything I want. My lunch today was a Bratwurst on a bun,... Read more
This week, America prepares to celebrate the values of freedom and democracy that have defined it for more than two centuries. What does freedom truly mean? Has it become an empty word, a brand we use for salesmanship rather than honor? America is asking itself a lot of tough questions right now. Perhaps an honest assessment of its highest ideal is worth considering on this July 4th week. Freedom is difficult to define. It is an amalgamation of the best parts of... Read more
The world’s biggest sporting event is in full swing. The global eyes are on the national teams of thirty-two teams as they play for the most coveted trophy in football, The World Cup. There is no doubt that soccer is the world’s game. So much of humanity is represented in the game of soccer. It has to be in order for the sport to be so popular. Games are very often bigger than just play. Here are five deeply true... Read more
My wife and I have been trying to get pregnant for well over a year, and have experienced loss in the form of a miscarriage while on this journey. One of the troubling questions I have frequently heard is “Why would you want to bring a baby into this world?” What people are really asking is why we would want to expose our baby to the dangerous elements of this world. They seem to forget (or neglect) that our child will one... Read more
As Fathers’ Day came and went, I found myself pondering what it really means to be a man. The truth is this question has been a definitive one for my entire life. What exactly is masculinity? What truly makes a man a good man? For most of my life, I have been inundated with poor answers to this question. Through societal interpretations, the insecurity and uncertainty of other men in my life, and a growing dismissal for the fact that... Read more
None of us sets out to do bad. Nobody longs for bad things. We are not people bred for evil. Even the worst of us don’t want it. No matter how horrendous, we call our actions ‘good’. We justify it by explaining how our evil acts are actually helpful or right or necessary. We cloak our evil in goodness. Or, better said, we silence the true goodness inside of us with a cloak of evil. The world is full of... Read more
The fear of missing out (FOMO) has become a cultural phenomenon. We sheepishly confess to it while at the bar with our friends or on the phone with old classmates. It is a universally understood sentiment; I don’t want to be left out, I want to belong, I want to be a part of things. Fear can drive us and it can cripple us. It is a strong force in our lives. FOMO has become part of the cultural vernacular.... Read more
Living in New York, there is no shortage of things to see. Too much, really. At a recent gathering, I noticed how often I look for the same iconic buildings. Sometimes it keeps me from seeing other gems in the city. My focus is on what I know, what I want to see. And it is a microcosm of the way I perceive everything in my life. The Chrysler and the others We gathered on the rooftop of a building... Read more
The development of expectations is natural and inevitable. Our entire lives are a pile of evidence. We use this evidence to try to discover how the world works. We thumb through the facts and relationships and experiences of our past to make sense of the planet we live on. To put it mildly, it is frustrating when our expectations are not met. We try to manipulate the world to work things out in our favor. What good is that pile... Read more
Victorious Living
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