• These Unprecedented Times

    A couple of weeks ago, I saw this video making the rounds on the social medias. It’s a brilliant supercut, funny all the way through, and at the time of this writing it has over 1 million views. (The rest of the videos on the channel all have a couple thousand views. They’re mostly commercial […]

  • Let’s Ask Some Questions

    “I already didn’t like Billy Joel and someone went and ruined him for me” – Alicia Luma I have to confess I’ve never been very bullish on the world. I was raised as an evangelical Christian. My parents followed a sect of Christianity that traces its roots to the Pilgrims. I was sent to a […]

  • Artists and Religion

    I’ve had a hard time squaring the idea of religion with living a normal life. Growing up under evangelical Christianity I was taught that most of what other people do in their day to day—things like consume non-religious entertainment, take things to alter their consciousness, including alcohol, communicating with your body (things like dancing, or […]

  • Values

    I spend a lot of time thinking about people’s value systems, and while this sounds both pretentious and obvious, there’s a deep well to draw from when you’re daydreaming. For my purposes, I want to try and define what I mean when I say ‘value.’ Normally when you hear the word ‘value’ it’s associated with […]

  • Objects, Concepts, and Objective Concepts

    Today I was scrolling through my Instagram feed and, as one does, I stopped briefly on one of my friends photos. I was spurred by mild curiosity, read the comments, and saw that a social media outlet of a major brand—or mildly significant if you want to get technical—commented on her picture. I went to […]

  • You Are Not Superman

    Superman taught me how to be a man. When I say this, it’s important to understand who Superman actually is. To me. What makes him a unique character? What distinguishes him from someone who is just strong or can fly. Superman is not defined by his strength, even though he’s so strong he’s one of […]

  • Story, Narrative, and the Power to Change Your World

    Friends, and quite frankly anyone who will listen, often hear me talk about story as the way in which we construct our lives. Reading The Hero With A Thousand Faces, watching hours of film criticism, learning the music of editing film, listening to actual music, acting, taking in way too much Alan Watts, and countless […]

  • Beware of Consumption

    Two years ago I moved to Austin with any possession that fit into a VW Bug and nothing else. A few days ago I drove back to Virginia Beach with the same amount of stuff. It just goes to show how little you need, and also how easily it is to acquire things. God bless […]

  • We Need New Narratives

    I wrote this back in February of 2017, so anything that seems dated, is. “I can’t wait till it’s over.” That was a common phrase I read and heard all throughout 2016. With the passing of each beloved, once controversial cultural icon we would memorialize them and bemoan our lot in the same breath. We […]

  • Thoughts on Biden’s Farewell

    I originally posted this on my Facebook wall: Just watched Joe Bidens’ farewell and was struck by how fortunate I was to live during a time where I could witness such genuine interest in public service in a presidency. The way both of these men speak about each other reveals so much about their relationship. […]