A Defense of Young Men

Young men get a bad rap, both in modern narratives and in assumptions that portray them as the aberrant sex. Neither sex is normative, of course; humans come in two basic varieties, and both are equally necessary.

My personal experience with young men ran counter to the narrative and assumptions, and I think it’s time that the boys of the West should be defended. Most of them are good kids, and they deserve to be seen that way… to be portrayed that way. Continue reading “A Defense of Young Men”

The Prime Directive is Evil

I’ve been a fan of Star Trek since the original series was in its first run. When The Next Generation came along years later (and these can be fighting words), I thought it was even better in some ways.

But there were a few things about TNG that rubbed me the wrong way, and the biggest of those was the Prime Directive. I couldn’t define why it bothered me back in 1990, but there was something very wrong about it it… something anti-human. Now, however, I understand, and perhaps you’d like to as well. Continue reading “The Prime Directive is Evil”

Forgiving Ourselves

I think we’ve all heard people say that in order to repair a relationship, it’s necessary to forgive the other person first… to accept that they, like you, have their flaws, and that you will no longer hold them to account for what they did.

Those of us who’ve been able to follow that advice know that while it doesn’t solve everything, it is necessary. We’ve also learned that to honestly forgive does something to us; something deep and healthy. Continue reading “Forgiving Ourselves”

Social Media Hijacks The Subconscious Mind

Anything that affects the subconscious minds of billions of people, on a daily basis, is a very serious thing, and that is precisely what has happened over the past decade, as social media captured a large percentage of human cognition.

I am well aware that I am running against the stream. Mine is a small and largely unwanted voice. Still, someone needs to say these things, and the truth is that social media directly replaces natural subconscious functions. Or, perhaps more accurately, it displaces subconscious operations and acts in their place. And that is dangerous. Continue reading “Social Media Hijacks The Subconscious Mind”

Suffering For Righteousness Marks You As Serious Person

We used to talk about things that “separated the men from the boys.” And however poorly the phrase may have been used, it had a legitimate point: It’s one thing to be male, it’s quite another to be a proper man.

But on whichever side of the biological divide you find yourself, it’s suffering for what you believe in that confirms you as legitimate, solid adult… as someone to be taken seriously. Continue reading “Suffering For Righteousness Marks You As Serious Person”