To be lost is to be without direction, to feel that one’s life has no center, no guiding thread. This loss can take many forms. A man may lose himself economically, feeling that he has no means to secure his survival or that of his family. He may lose himself…
When Did You Stop Really Living?
They say you need a lot of things in life. A job. A car. Some shoes that don’t give you blisters. A mattress that doesn’t hurt your back. Maybe some friends who laugh at your jokes and don’t ask for too much. They don’t mention courage. They don’t mention beauty….
“A Conflict of Visions” by Thomas Sowell – a review
Some books leave you with answers. Others, like Thomas Sowell’s A Conflict of Visions, leave you with the more unsettling—and perhaps more valuable—gift of seeing the world differently. First published in 1987, Sowell’s work isn’t a page-turner in the conventional sense. It’s not built for coffee shop chatter or cocktail…
Redefining the Human Role in the Post-Labor Economy: Embracing a New Future
As we move into a time of unprecedented technological advancement, the nature of work is undergoing a radical transformation. Automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly capable of performing tasks once reserved for humans – an Amazon warehouse may be the canary in the coal mine on this issue…
“The Sources of Social Power” by Michael Mann – a review
Few books attempt to chart the fundamental structures of human civilization—and fewer still do so with the depth, breadth, and intellectual rigor found in Michael Mann’s The Sources of Social Power. Published in four volumes over the span of three decades, Mann’s magnum opus is not a breezy read. It…
“No More Throw-Away People: The Co-Production Imperative,” by Edgar S. Cahn – a review
In “No More Throw-Away People: The Co-Production Imperative,” Edgar S. Cahn, a distinguished legal scholar and social innovator, introduces a transformative approach to social services and community engagement through the concept of “co-production.” This concept challenges traditional service delivery models by positioning recipients as active partners rather than passive beneficiaries,…
On the Moral Obligation of Critical Thinking
There are few qualities more neglected, and yet more urgently needed, than the habit of critical thinking. Our lives are flooded with information and noise; opinions are as countless as grains of sand, and certainty is more readily sold than truth. Now, more than ever, it is necessary to examine…
How We Do and Should Value a Person
How do we value a person? How should we value a person? The first question concerns what is, the second what ought to be. But to ask them together suggests a hidden third: what is our duty in the face of this question? It is not enough to analyze. The…
“Forgiving Humanity” by Peter Russell – a review
There’s a quiet boldness to Peter Russell’s Forgiving Humanity, the kind that doesn’t shout but rather invites you to sit down, exhale, and consider—for just a moment—the possibility that we’ve been asking the wrong questions all along. In an age bloated with judgment, outrage, and unrelenting cynicism, Russell offers something…
Will We Come Together Again?
The Great Depression taught Americans many things, but one lesson really stands out, not in the numbers or charts, but in the stories that passed from grandparents to grandchildren around dinner tables and porches. It’s the story of people who had very little, and yet gave anyway—of soup kitchens that…