Dungeons & Dragons can’t stop doubling down on woke in a small lesson for those who think the war is over

For whatever reason, there is something deep in the modern psyche that has been corrupted and cannot bring itself to accept the past as it was, that greatness has always been tinged with things we come to regret, that progress isn’t perfect, and that people never will be.  While much of corporate America was busy… Continue reading Dungeons & Dragons can’t stop doubling down on woke in a small lesson for those who think the war is over

2024 could’ve been a hell of a lot worse, but don’t tell the media that…

When you consider the literal and figurative bullets the world dodged on the way to December 31, things could have been much, much worse, almost unimaginably so, but don’t tell our so-called betters that.  They are mired in misery and think you should be too.  Even in conservative circles, 2024 is getting a bad wrap,… Continue reading 2024 could’ve been a hell of a lot worse, but don’t tell the media that…

When did every New Year become the winter of our discontent?

It is the supreme irony of our age that we live in a period of more peace, prosperity, and health than the world has ever known, one where new wonders arise practically weekly, but cannot bring ourselves to acknowledge how truly lucky we are.  There are years that are objectively bad.  No one, or at… Continue reading When did every New Year become the winter of our discontent?

New Year’s, the mysteries of aging, and whether we’d really want to go back in time to be our younger selves

It’s human nature, but if you value what you have now, what you’ve seen, done, and hopefully learned, why would you want to go back to a point where you had none of it or at least less of it? Aging is a funny thing to say the least.  I suspect almost all of us… Continue reading New Year’s, the mysteries of aging, and whether we’d really want to go back in time to be our younger selves

An atheist on the spirit of Christmas

For billions of Christians around the world, Christmas honors the birth of their savior, Jesus Christ, who lived to die to purge humanity of original sin in the ultimate sacrifice, but what if you believe in none of that? Why is a holiday to honor what you don’t accept still so important? For billions of… Continue reading An atheist on the spirit of Christmas

“We fat all creatures else to fat us, and we fat ourselves for maggots,” how Shakespeare captures both the circle of life and the futility of existence in a single sentence

The entire aside is unnecessary purely in terms of the plot, but Hamlet remains about far more than that.   Perhaps, it is best seen as a vessel for ideas, where they come from, how they evolve, and where they go, and the beings that carry them. The eminent literary critic and scholar Harold Bloom once… Continue reading “We fat all creatures else to fat us, and we fat ourselves for maggots,” how Shakespeare captures both the circle of life and the futility of existence in a single sentence

Progressives aren’t morally confused, they don’t have any morals at all any more beyond the pursuit of power

Progressives have been quick to proclaim a not guilty verdict after a man defended passengers on a crowded subway was a travesty of justice while praising the death of the UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, abandoning all pretenses of morals in the process. Earlier this week, CNN’s Scott Jennings held up a piece of paper on Aby Phillip’s… Continue reading Progressives aren’t morally confused, they don’t have any morals at all any more beyond the pursuit of power

King Lear and the primal genius of Kenneth Branagh

It’s a credit to Shakespeare’s genius that he was able to craft one of the greatest plays ever written from such an unbelievable beginning, but it’s also his genius that the opening is the very heart of it all. Despite his protestations, Lear has broken one of the bonds that protects civilization from the lawlessness… Continue reading King Lear and the primal genius of Kenneth Branagh

How Kenneth Branagh changed a fantasy geek’s life and transformed him into a Shakespeare fanatic

The British actor and director released his first film, Henry V in 1989, when I was a tender thirteen years old.  It passed without notice for me during its theatrical run, but the video rental store, that monument to entertainment, where most families made at least a weekly pilgrimage before the rise of streaming, was… Continue reading How Kenneth Branagh changed a fantasy geek’s life and transformed him into a Shakespeare fanatic

A few of the things we should all be thankful for like breathing

Most of us wouldn’t say we were thankful for breathing.  It’s one of those things we take for granted until something goes wrong, but considering the millions of events happening, all of it without our knowledge and none of it under our control, perhaps we should be.   Thankfulness can be a funny thing.  There… Continue reading A few of the things we should all be thankful for like breathing