Software, Society, and Spirit
Shortest Way Home: One Mayor’s Challenge and a Model for America’s Future by Pete Buttigieg My rating: 5/5 Loved it. Tells a good & inspirational story. I was fascinated by his choices and growth through life, from being a superstar academic to his choice to switch from corporate work over to politics, to his commitment …
How long do you hope to live? What do you imagine your life will be like at 60, at 80, at 100? While the long-term trends in longevity have been great (up from about 47 in 1900 to the upper 70’s in 2000, in the United States [1]), there also seems to be a widespread …
In my recent post on patriotism, I spoke generally about the importance of American values. Certainly the most preeminent among these is Liberty. The most powerful issues and agendas of both the right and the left are based on freedom – with each side believing it’s standing for it, and the other side caricatured as …
I’ve been sitting with the idea of being “proud to be an American” recently. This is a notion that’s been largely ceded to the right in my lifetime. People on the progressive left have been far too aware of the many problems with our culture and government to fully embrace patriotism, or symbols of patriotism …
“The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction . . . and the distinction between true and false . . . no longer exist.” – Hannah Arendt, “The Origins of Totalitarianism”, 1951.
Recently I’ve been thinking about the strong nostalgia I’ve always experienced for the rich places & experiences in my past. I remember longing for childhood play when I was a teen, so much nostalgia for my college life when I was a young adult (and even to this day), and nostalgia for the life I …
In the last election, trade protectionism came up as a major campaign issue and influence because of a decline in manufacturing jobs, particularly in “rust belt” states like Ohio and Pennsylvania. The traditional concern about free trade is that these jobs went to other countries, like China or Mexico, where worker wages & conditions are lower. …
“…Whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it …
“The alternate reality in which everything is exactly as you think it should be exists only in your mind, and it exists primarily to torture you.” – Cheri Huber
“We all face a choice between integrating ourselves into the full scope of planetary economic, technological, political and ecological systems and cultures, versus rejecting integration and attempting to preserve our autonomy within a smaller but more independent nation (and its more understandable native culture and routines). We all face a choice whether we Brexit the …