Tag: Thoughts and Reflections

The thousand year view

How will your life impact the world in a thousand years? It’s an easy question to dismiss. After all, how can one person possibly shape the course of history? Even if we accept the impact of certain great men, how can we have the hubris to think that we might one day join them? But… Continue reading The thousand year view

3am thoughts, or why everyone says to be an accountant (Blast from the Past: October 2013)

A lot of my blog posts this week had to do with money, wealth, and politics, so when I was searching for an old post to bring back, this one made me stop and reflect for a while. My opinions and perspective have changed a bit since I wrote it, but the fundamental message is… Continue reading 3am thoughts, or why everyone says to be an accountant (Blast from the Past: October 2013)

The end of politics in America, part 2

How did Trump become the leader of the most powerful nation on Earth? A lot of people are asking that question, while a lot of other people already know (hint: it wasn’t the Russians). But I want to get beyond the circus that is Washington DC, and answer that question by asking another: Can politics solve our nation’s greatest… Continue reading The end of politics in America, part 2

Things I Learned from Working in a Call Center (Blast from the Past: September 2010)

While poking around in the archives, I came across this interesting post from my first year out of college. At the time, I was just getting started in the labor force and wanted to learn as much from my jobs as I could—even the mundane ones. The result was this. Over the summer I worked part… Continue reading Things I Learned from Working in a Call Center (Blast from the Past: September 2010)

Happiness is always a choice, take 2

CGP Grey made an awesome video last week, which should come as a surprise to nobody, but this one is exceptional even by CGP Grey’s standards. In it, he borrows some of Doctor Randy J. Paterson’s work in How to Be Miserable: 40 Strategies You Already Use and gives us a seven step program on how… Continue reading Happiness is always a choice, take 2

The end of politics in America, part 1

I am convinced that the grand key to understanding United States history in the 20th century—and by extension, current events in the 21st—is a deep knowledge of monetary policy and the financial system. In 1913, two things happened: Congress established the Federal Reserve, and the Constitution was amended to allow for an income tax. This… Continue reading The end of politics in America, part 1

Further impressions of Iowa

This post could just as well been titled “Oh my heck, Toto, we’re not in Utah anymore.” What is up with all of the tattoos everywhere? Call me old-fashioned, but unless it’s a part of your cultural heritage (Arab, Indian, Polynesian, etc), I don’t really find it interesting or attractive. It’s like someone vandalized your body.… Continue reading Further impressions of Iowa

Heaven’s Library (Blast from the Past: June 2009)

All right, it’s time to get in the wayback machine and revisit a post from long ago. This one should be especially interesting to you aspiring writers out there, as well as the seasoned writers who need an extra gut-wrenching wake-up call from time to time. I know I certainly do. Today was the first… Continue reading Heaven’s Library (Blast from the Past: June 2009)

The Gulf Between the Generations (Blast from the Past: February 2012)

Here’s a post I originally wrote in 2012. Given how most political commentary tends to lose relevance over time, it’s remarkable when something from the past is even more relevant now than when it was written. Not that this post is overly political: more just a series of observations, including some red flags that, at the time,… Continue reading The Gulf Between the Generations (Blast from the Past: February 2012)