The following podcast is part 4 of a series on the author’s reactions to the Fall of Kabul. If you appreciate the content, consider sharing. I’ve been doing my best to take the time to reach out to friends who sacrificed a portion of themselves to the war. Three days ago, I spoke with a … Continue reading Fall of Kabul Journal #4 – Watches and Time
The following podcast is part 3 of a series on the author’s reactions to the Fall of Kabul. If you appreciate the content, consider sharing. Last night, I had the opportunity to speak with John McCarthy, a fellow infantry officer, about the events of the last week. https://open.spotify.com/episode/3x5ttEiwBIGpGrnLdkchKW?si=ho8VKeytTguCjgOwCDdAMQ&dl_branch=1
The following is the second entry in what will hopefully be a collection of the author’s thoughts and reflections on the 2021 Fall of Afghanistan. If you enjoy it, consider sharing. If you missed Entry #1, you can view it HERE. In the summer of 2014, I had the privilege of attending the infamous Infantry … Continue reading Fall of Kabul Journal #2 – Our Unaccountable Elite
When the bullets cracked overhead, you did not fight for abstract notions of freedom or liberty, you fought for love of your fellow man. You faced rockets, mortars, and roadside bombs to bring the brothers to your left and right back. Those who are no longer with us did not die in vain. They sacrificed their lives for one of the noblest reasons known to mortals: so that their brothers might live.
Typically, memes are an oversimplification of complex issues. They are rough 2-D representations of a nuanced world. Their strength comes from their portability and adaptability. Like viruses, they are easily transmissible due to their ability to convey an idea while requiring minimal mental bandwidth. And like viruses, they evolve and transform to become more effective.
As I reflect on the last year, it goes without saying that 2020 created tremendous obstacles. Workers lost their jobs. Families lost their loved ones. In order to fight the virus, significant changes were made to the way we work and learn. And for many, it was the first time they were forced to wrestle with the idea of their own mortality.
Arthur Fleck is not a strong man. He shares the same mentality as most high-profile serial killers and school shooters: weakness. People like this may agree with me that the world is horrible and unfair, but they crumble under the pressure of these thoughts. They get lost in the despair and hopelessness of this notion. For some reason, all of these people one day decide that they should take on the role of God, casting judgment and sentencing. They should deliver justice with their own hands. They are responsible for punishing those that caused their despair. They decide that you get what you deserve. What a terrifying thought.
The muscles above your knees are tense. You feel the splitting pain in your shins as each foot pounds the concrete beneath you. What was once a controlled breath through the nose and out the mouth is now a labored gasp as your body arches further and further forward. Your clothes are soaked. The sweat … Continue reading Finding your Fuel
You don't have to go far in your ancestry to find tough men and women who contended with nature and adversity. Whether it was in war, wilderness, or want, hard men and women created the abundance of modernity. While every generation has claimed that the one following it had it made, only recently have a majority of people been allowed to flip the game of life to the EASY setting.
We are not animals. We are conscious, and we live through beauty, literature and art. We are inspired by concepts bigger than ourselves and we strive for ideals.
Quit taking daily gym selfies. Quit posting shameless topless photos of yourself in your bathroom. Quit helping the girl at the gym that obviously doesn't want or need your help. Quit leering at her too. Quit training like an insecure frat boy.
I get it. Sometimes you gotta make ends meet. Sometimes you have to do what has to be done to put the Taco Bell Doritos Locos Tacos on the table. But maybe, just maybe, you've woken up from what felt like a living nightmare with a cold sweat like blood and asked yourself "How did I get here?" Maybe you had a realization, that the life you were living was suffocating you.
"The mind is a world onto itself and can make a hell of heaven or a heaven of hell." -Paradise Lost
Tough. Life’s not fair.” -Dave Magness The axiom “familiarity breeds contempt” might very well trace its origins to an exhausted philosophically-minded traveller on a family vacation. As the initial excitement of the annual summer family road trip wore off, my sisters and I became fiercely territorial in our assigned domains in the family mini-van. An … Continue reading On Fairness
Last month I had the pleasure of sitting down and talking with a good friend and fellow Marine, John McCarthy. John is a brilliant and talented guy who I've had the opportunity to suffer with during our time in the Marine Corps.
THYMOS 