Some finally reach the Guru at the top of the mountain. Drained, almost dying, only to hear, “Sorry, Guru Services are closed due to heavy snowfall. Or, merch is now available in all T-shirt sizes. Buy some. The Guru now…
We live in a world where people start online wars about whether the Earth is flat while ordering GPS-guided pizza. You can’t parody that. The parody’s already built in. We treat everything like serious projects: enlightenment, detox, career advancement, healing,…
My late father-in-law wielded a lived-in phrase: “Speak to people in a language they will understand.” That’s a quietly devastating line. “Speak to people in a language they will understand.” That’s not just about vocabulary. Vernacular, sure. But there’s more.…
“My gift is eviscerating idiots with words that cut until they bleed in the corner of their mother’s basement!” That was Dan’s claim to fame, one of many loud, self-inflated boasts from a man who imagined himself striding among the…
“Don’t diagnose yourself.” That’s what my colleague said, years ago, when I mentioned I suspected I had depression. I did seek help, much later, when I could. He folded his arms sanctimoniously and repeated himself, “You can’t just diagnose yourself.”…
TikTok bobblehead prophets love this line, “One day you’ll be dead, so why waste your life paying bills and being ordinary when you could be extraordinary?” Motivational, marketable, and rotten. Almost everyone who has ever lived is ordinary. That’s not…
What do you see when you look at the photograph? Chances are, you thought, “Wow, such a beautiful young woman. Some people just get it all.” And then you hear she passed away at the age of 21, after an…
“Healthy Conflict” is a Lie Leaders Tell to Avoid the Knife “Healthy conflict.” That corporate sermon. Utter garbage. Conflict isn’t healthy. It’s corrosive. It poisons trust, pits egos against each other, and leaves teams bleeding in silence. What’s healthy? Confrontation.…
His temples were a mass of bulging veins, merging with the deep furrows of his perennial frown. Corporal Rockjaw couldn’t break us. Platoon 4 prevailed. I was a conscript, choosing service over jail for non-compliance. Rockjaw was so tough, you…
We’re drowning in knowledge. Or at least, in performed, dramatized opinion. Humans manufacture “expertise” 24/7: opinion posts, hot takes, fireside chats, restaurant reviews, movie dissections. We churn them out, always after the fact. Something happens, and within hours the world…