‘Be yourself’ is a catchy Audioslave song. It’s also one of the most ubiquitous clichés in modern society. Like so many clichés, many of us have probably told someone “just be you” or “be yourself” without actually thinking what the words mean. The truth is, “be yourself” can have different meanings and applications. In some ways,
READ MOREWhen I was a young boy, one of my most cherished books was One Hundred Greatest Sports Heroes. The pages were filled with heroes’ accomplishments. Often, having overcome great adversity, these sports heroes exhibited great resiliency. Today, I wonder what other mindset traits contributed to their success? Roger Bannister, the first man to run a
READ MOREThere’s a growing realization that men are not as privileged as was once thought and may actually be getting the bad end of the bargain in society. Not only do they often bear the fallout from high-profile acts of violence or sexual aggression, but they are also finding it increasingly difficult to keep pace with
READ MOREBefore we discuss violence with guns, I’d like to run a couple of questions by you. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every day nearly 30 Americans die in motor vehicle crashes that involve drunk driving. What kind of restrictions should be placed on automobile ownership? Should there be federal background checks
READ MOREWe’ve learned a lot about political correctness in recent years, primarily – let’s be honest – about what it prevents us from doing. Some of those preventions include an inability to wear hoop earrings, win sporting events, have father-daughter dances, or even single out potential terrorists. While we shake our fists and roll our eyes
READ MOREWho Was Marcus Aurelius? Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus was the last of the five good emperors of Rome. He was born in 121 AD, reluctantly became emperor in 161 AD, and reigned for 19 years until his death in 180 AD. His reign was punctuated by numerous wars during which he repelled Rome’s enemies in
READ MORE“There are times in our society when we have to act in faith on behalf of the greater good. And, unfortunately, this is one of them.” These lines come from a recent episode of ABC’s dramatic series called Designated Survivor (starring Kiefer Sutherland). They could easily have been spoken by the hero I choose to
READ MOREWithout any ado, here are ten pictures that convey how far Western Civilization has fallen over the last centuries. 1. Mozart conducting one of his own settings of the Mass, circa 1780; modern church service with rock band 2. Crowd watching baseball game, early twentieth century; crowd watching baseball game, early twenty-first century 3. St.
READ MOREAspiring writers are frequently told that they should “become an expert in one thing” if they hope to someday make it big. However, in our hyper-specialized modern society, the advice is fitting for just about any profession. The path to professional and/or financial success usually involves choosing a focus area and steadily adding to one’s
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