essays

The impossibility of self-starting and hatred for the homeless

In the 2000 film American Psycho, there is a scene in which Patrick Bateman, a wealthy Wall Street employee, condescends to a homeless person in an alley. "Do you have any idea what a fucking loser you are?" Bateman rhetorically asks the homeless person. He then kills the homeless person and a nearby dog in… Continue reading The impossibility of self-starting and hatred for the homeless

Courses

Way of the Peaceful Warrior, part I

In this video, I define the peaceful warrior in contradistinction to the traditional warrior, inquire into the origins of each archetype, explore the cultural landscape in which they exist, and offer some common factors for why we might show up as each type of warrior. In the next video, I discuss practical techniques for how… Continue reading Way of the Peaceful Warrior, part I

L:HtR/UtW

Coda: on respect and freedom in modern education (L:HtR/UtW)

Written for lovers of literature interested in self-actualization, Literature: How to Read and Understand the World teaches readers how to derive principles of wisdom from literature and apply them to their lives. The book achieves this through a series of five essential steps, including identifying with literary characters, aggregating principles of wisdom from their experience,… Continue reading Coda: on respect and freedom in modern education (L:HtR/UtW)

essays

What freedom means to me

A little over two years ago, I took the following photo while touring Mount Rushmore on my way to graduate school in Wisconsin. At the time, I marveled at how tiny the destination actually looks in person, and also at how overwhelmingly white the rock features are. (I mean this literally, although of course the… Continue reading What freedom means to me

L:HtR/UtW

Community mapping, part III: recognizing ourselves as characters in literature (L:HtR/UtW)

Written for lovers of literature interested in self-actualization, Literature: How to Read and Understand the World teaches readers how to derive principles of wisdom from literature and apply them to their lives. The book achieves this through a series of five essential steps, including identifying with literary characters, aggregating principles of wisdom from their experience,… Continue reading Community mapping, part III: recognizing ourselves as characters in literature (L:HtR/UtW)