Tag Archives: War

Why Are More Of Our Soldiers Committing Suicide That Dying In Combat?

I can count on one hand the number of times I recall citing a statistic on Fried’s Blog over the last year. “So great, in fact, that the total number of US active duty suicides in 2012 (349) was higher than the number of combat-related deaths (295).” – Kevin Sites, The Unforgiven, Aeon Magazine. ManyContinue reading “Why Are More Of Our Soldiers Committing Suicide That Dying In Combat?”

The Half-Life of Passion

I can’t count the number of people I have killed in my head, though I’ve never so much as raised a fist to anyone. I don’t have as many violent thoughts as I used to, but every now and then a negative situation can spark one. There was a time when I was consumed by them. IfContinue reading “The Half-Life of Passion”

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”

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)”

Your Seat Cushion Will Kill You

In 1968, a seat cushion almost wiped out civilization as we know it. Back in those days, it was the Cold War. Both sides were on high alert, constantly. The United States had an air base in Thule, Greenland which was considered to be our first line of defense against a Russian nuclear attack, becauseContinue reading “Your Seat Cushion Will Kill You”