Something was eating away at me every day, but I told myself I would rather die than talk about it. It took strength to conceal my feelings for ten years. Except, that strength almost killed me, because the path I chose was doomed. I could not see how to change course. I could not see that it wouldContinue reading “How To Become Powerful”
Tag Archives: Power
Re-Writing Headlines
Which of these two media headlines is more helpful? “Quinnipiac University dropout made bomb threat before graduation ceremony so parents wouldn’t learn she left school: police.” “Danielle Shea, 22, apparently told cops that she called in two bomb threats in an attempt to cancel the ceremony, because she was afraid her parents would notice herContinue reading “Re-Writing Headlines”
A Powerful Work On Depression
Six words blew me off of my feet this weekend. “Depression is the flaw in love.” – Andrew Solomon, The Noonday Demon That’s the opening line of his four-hundred and forty-three page work subtitled An Atlas of Depression. The volume looked depressing, sitting there on my shelf for the past few weeks. I delayed picking itContinue reading “A Powerful Work On Depression”
The 2 Millimeter Killer
I’ve read about turning off ‘push’ notifications before, but I hadn’t tried it. That little 2 millimeter bar (I measured) exerts power over you, but you may not realize it. You probably go get your eyes checked, if you wear glasses or contacts, once a year. Less if you don’t. Yet you strain to read somethingContinue reading “The 2 Millimeter Killer”
Dear Demetrios Stratis
There might actually be a legal case to be made to overturn New Jersey’s law which bans conversion therapy for minors. You may or may not approve of ‘alternative’ sexuality. The thing is, gay people have been around far longer than the United States has been, and they are not going to crumble society merely byContinue reading “Dear Demetrios Stratis”
4 Rules I Learned Growing Up
These 4 things are true: If we don’t speak up in class, we’ll never be wrong. If we don’t tell our story, nobody can make fun of us. If we don’t pay our taxes, society will crumble. If we don’t fight in wars, we’ll go to jail. It’s easy to do what we’re told, andContinue reading “4 Rules I Learned Growing Up”
Rewiring
Humanity is an electric impulse pulsating down a frayed wire. Where strands bridge the gap, a connection is made, energy passes through the circuit and provides power at the end. Where the wire frays off into the air, the impulse also travels. Shock from exposed wire is strong enough to kill, if deliberately conducted inContinue reading “Rewiring”
How To Achieve World Peace (Or, Anything)
I want to dive a little deeper into the paralysis I mentioned yesterday. I often think about non-violence, and ways which we can achieve peace, domestically and internationally. Without fail, my chain of thought drifts towards the ominous places where the scope of suffering seems insurmountable. The scope of world peace is insurmountable for meContinue reading “How To Achieve World Peace (Or, Anything)”
“Ladders of Opportunity”
Would you try to climb a rickety, loose, worn down wooden ladder with broken rungs on it? That’s what a factory job is today. In 1940, -50, -60, -70, -80, and even in 1990 you could get a factory job and earn enough money. It might even have included benefits, been enough to buy aContinue reading ““Ladders of Opportunity””
Demand Change
You may have read that in Alabama, after over 100 years of having the phrase “white and colored children” written in its State Constitution, is finally moving towards changing the language, albeit by the narrow vote of 9-7. (Yes, that means 7 out of 16 members of the state panel still approve of the oldContinue reading “Demand Change”
Matt Fried 