Tom, Karyl, and Candace are duly recognized as official fans of A Mild Voice of Reason. Hooray.
Modes of discourse
Some groups have a dynamic wherein certain forms of communication are more valued than others. This phenomenon holds true across broad swathes of human endeavor — and the workplace, not least of all. This prompts a question: What is the appropriate response for a person who does not subscribe to the dominant mode of discourse […]
Signposts
I cannot help but to admit to a sense of sweet melancholy. I went to a wedding on Saturday, as Holly’s guest; the bride was one of her staff members. The ceremony was quite lovely and the reception tasteful, but the newlyweds are young and beautiful and have — by all accounts — lived a […]
A sense of presence
They surround us, like zombies encircling a church. They walk slowly in the middle of corridors; they place seven large orders in the drive-thru; they dawdle five-abreast at the mall; they drive their minivans in inappropriate lanes; they go to the self-checkout even through they can’t quite grasp the concept. They are The People With […]
The Election, Briefly Remarked Upon
Let me begin this post-election analysis by admitting a few things. First, I do not claim to have any special wisdom about what happened on Nov. 7. Second, I did not make any sweeping predictions about the outcome, because I was not confident enough in my usual sources to even hazard a guess — and […]
A Clash of Nihilisms
Two phenomena dominating U.S. politics are intertwined in a manner that few seem willing to appreciate. The first is the reality of extremist Islamism, and its culture of jihad waged through means that include suicide bombing as an acceptable, even routine, tactic. The second is the moral collapse of the Left in the Western world. […]
Stewardship as metaphor
My church, a Roman Catholic parish of more than 1,500 families, is officially big on the concept of stewardship. You know the drill — you give your “time, talent and treasure” to the church and in return you will get various blessings and happiness. Fork over 10 percent of your gross income, and somehow God […]
Natural slavery
When I was on staff at the Western Herald, I often promised (or threatened, depending on one’s perspective) to write a column in defense of Aristotle’s theory of natural slavery. To recap: Aristotle often takes heat for defending the institution of Greek slavery. It should be noted, of course, that Greek-style slavery was substantially different […]
I am a victim!
My name is Jason, and I’m a victim of road rage. On Saturday, as I was driving to church (church!), a male in his thirties in a minivan backed out of a driveway directly into the path of my oncoming Jeep. So what did your friendly blogger do? He passed him, so as to avoid […]
“America Alone”; the objectification of women
This past week was spent in sunny Central Florida for the annual Cerner Health Conference. Overall, things went quite well, from my perspective — I traveled with a great group of co-workers, the sessions were mostly informative, and the hotel (Gaylord Palms) spectacular. While in Florida, I read Mark Steyn’s new book, America Alone. His […]