I have always been fascinated by non-Latin writing systems. Chinese characters, Japanese kanji, Arabic calligraphy, and Korean hangul feel dense and meaningful. Each symbol looks like a small object, not a thin line in a…
I graduated from university with majors in English and psychology. This dude was geared to infuse the mundane thoughts and creative exploits of everyone “out there” with his newfound armamentarium of excellence. But first, before…
Corporal Rockjaw was unusually amicable that day. He told us that if anyone thought the mess hall food was shit, they should write their complaint on a list, add their force number and ID, and…
Some questions cut back. They keep returning, century after century, generation to generation. They will stalk us as long as we are human and still failing at being it. Even when the machines rule, the…
I was in a crowd. We were being herded like sheep. Maybe not. Maybe sheep got better treatment. I remember military intake with a clarity I wish I had for the rest of my life.…
Only the Alan Parsons could make a record as innovative, as exciting, as Ammonia Avenue! That’s a bold statement, but hey, it was the mid 80s! The clip is from a radio commercial. Some of…
Leadership courses and seminars are absurd inventions of the corporate age. Seriously, for crying out loud, what exactly were these people doing before they signed up for a three-day “transformation” in a hotel ballroom? The…
Where was the wholesale leadership bargain-bin? I must’ve missed that sale. Online groups churn out motivational fluff, polished “gotcha” moments, sanitized wisdom for leaders. But where are the minions? Maybe I haven’t stumbled across the…
So what the hell are platitudes, and why do they kill your vibe? “Manifest your reality!” “Positive vibes only!” Some platitudes are rotten, and the festering fruit hangs lower. Once on the train, between a…
I once wrote about my disappointment with the chrome-polished platitudes on LinkedIn, the shiny universal “truths” recycled inside an echo chamber where everyone nods at everything. Eventually I nuked my old account. Deleted years of…