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Observations on life and what endures when the distraction clears.
One must simply adore the Pilgrims. They brave the unforgiving Atlantic, land in a place utterly devoid of central heating, and proceed to define “suffering for one’s beliefs” with an almost theatrical flair. A truly inspirational story, assuming you’ve conveniently overlooked the parts involving mass mortality and, well, indigenous people who were already using the…
The world is, as a rule, addicted to the operatic. We adore the seismic break, the sudden, glorious catastrophe, the revelation delivered with a full choir and a dramatic lightning strike. We wait for the big change the one that will finally validate our suffering, fix our government, or, you know, make getting out of…
It appears I’ve just been introduced to a genuine superhero, though one who mercifully eschews the Spandex and capes in favor of, you know, actually doing something helpful. Vicky from Roxz’s Resources & Awareness – that’s a name that should be on a ridiculously expensive, limited-edition bobblehead. The sheer audacity of her volunteering her time…
It takes a truly unique combination of arrogance and incompetence to manufacture a crisis of basic human sustenance. But here we are, watching the political class engage in a rousing game of chicken with the dinner plates of about 42 million people. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – or, as the more sensitive among…
It’s truly a marvel, isn’t it? The sheer, breathtaking audacity of some ancient texts and well-meaning manifestos to neatly package all of human decency into a tidy little list of dos and don’ts. Don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t “covet your neighbor’s suspiciously expensive lawn gnome collection.” It’s all terribly convenient, a spiritual IKEA instruction manual…
As the great Anne Lamott so charmingly put it, “Forgiveness means you’ve decided not to kill them.” A lovely sentiment, really. We hand out that kind of grace like it’s a participation trophy, don’t we? It’s easy, almost a performance art. We stand on our moral high ground, nodding sagely at someone else’s obvious character…
The modern pulpit it seems has gone mobile. It’s no longer confined to the hallowed halls of brick and mortar but has been downloaded streamed and whispered directly into the ears of a global congregation. The modern-day prophet is no longer robed and standing behind a finely carved lectern but is probably wearing a hoodie…
There was a post scheduled for today, a quiet moment of reflection on the anniversary of September 11th. It was meant to be a look back at a singular act of national violence, a moment that left an indelible scar on the American psyche. But in the strange and unsettling way that history repeats itself,…
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my time spent in the trenches of human experience, it’s that we’ve been utterly and completely lied to about miracles. They aren’t the dramatic, parted-seas, water-into-wine kind of events we’ve been sold on since we were children. Those are just cosmic parlor tricks, the sort of flashy spectacle…
A well-timed awkward silence can be an act of profound social engineering. It’s that moment at the family dinner or the work function when someone makes a comment so perfectly wrong, so brilliantly ignorant, that the entire room seems to hold its collective breath. You can almost feel the moral tension in the air. We’ve…
JUSTIN LOCKRIDGE 